SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA women's basketball team lost a hard-fought battle, 73-67, to WKU on Thursday night at the Convocation Center.
GAME LEADERS
For the first time since 2021, five Roadrunners had five double-digit scorers - Elyssa Coleman (13), Jordyn Jenkins (14), Hailey Atwood (12), Kyra White (11) and Deborah Nwakamma (11). The last time this was done was on Feb. 6, 2021, when Yuliyana Valcheva, Kyleigh McGuire, Mikayla Woods, Karrington Donald and Charlene Mass achieved the feat.
Coleman paired her scoring with 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. The Roadrunners recorded a season-high 23 assists. White was just an assist short of a double-double. Jenkins, White and Coleman had two blocks each.
The Roadrunners continue to dominate in the paint, outscoring the Lady Toppers by 36 points to 16 points. UTSA and WKU were tied with 40 rebounds each, the first time that has happened this season. From the field, the Roadrunners shot 46.6 percent (27-58) while the Lady Toppers shot 31.9 percent (23-72).
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
The Roadrunners and Lady Toppers battled through the first quarter, going through five lead changes and two tie scores through the first 10 minutes. After winning the opening jumpball, Jenkins wasted no time as she sank the opening basket just seven seconds into the game. This set the pace for the first period as UTSA and WKU combined for 35 field goal attempts. With just two seconds left in the first quarter, Hailey Atwood drove through traffic for a layup to tie the game right before the end of the first period. The Roadrunners and Lady Toppers ended the first period tied at 14-14.
WKU sank a three-point basket 12 seconds into the second quarter, but UTSA quickly responded as Siena Guttadauro sank a three-point basket to tie the game up again. This was foreshadowing how the second period was going to go as there were a total of five tie scores and two lead changes. White sank a free throw with about four seconds left to give UTSA the 32-31 lead heading to halftime.
Although the Lady Toppers outscored the Roadrunners by 22 points to 19 points in the third quarter, it didn't seem that way. UTSA held the lead for 8:29 of the 10 minutes in the period. Every time that WKU scored, the Roadrunners had an answer waiting shortly after. Although UTSA jumped out to a five-point lead at one point, the Lady Toppers were given an and-one call on a driving layup with five seconds left to give WKU the 53-51 lead heading to the final quarter.
Opposite of the third quarter, the Lady Toppers held onto the lead for 8:15 of the final 10 minutes. White opened up the final quarter with a stepback jumper to tie game up at 53-53. Guttadauro earned UTSA its lone lead of the final quarter, putting back her second three-point basket of the night to give UTSA the 63-62 lead with 6:03 left in the game. It didn't take long for WKU to regain the lead with a jump shot about 30 seconds later. Jenkins tied the game up once again at 67-67 with 3:05 left with a fast break layup in the paint, but that was the last time the Roadrunners saw success at the basket. The Lady Toppers went on a 6-0 scoring run in the final three minutes as UTSA fell to WKU, 73-67, on Thursday night.
UTSA's record falls to 5-16 overall (3-9 in C-USA action), while WKU's record improves to 12-9 overall (9-3 in conference play).
UP NEXT: The Roadrunners close out the homestand as they host conference leader Middle Tennessee on Saturday for UTSA's Alumni Game/Pink Out. Tip-off for the matchup is set for 2 p.m. and is set to be streamed on ESPN+.
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