FORT WORTH, Texas– The UTSA women's basketball team suffered a 62-58 defeat at the hands of Rice on Monday in the American Athletic Conference quarterfinals at Dickies Arena.
The No. 1 Seed Roadrunners (26-4, 17-1 The American) fell to the No. 9 Seed Owls (16-16, 8-11 The American) and will now await their postseason fate, with the NCAA Selection Show set for Sunday, March 16 on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.
Redshirt senior Jordyn Jenkins paced the squad in scoring with 20 and also collected six rebounds and two steals. Junior Cheyenne Rowe charted 12 points, and classmate Sidney Love logged 11 with five assists and three boards. Additionally, sophomore Idara Udo posted six points with eight rebounds, a block, and a steal.
Udo got the scoring started with a jumper, and the Owls matched. Junior Maya Linton then connected on a triple for a 5-2 edge. The squads exchanged blows until back-to-back makes for Rowe grew a 13-8 advantage. The Owls then connected from deep, sending the squads into the second stanza, with UTSA leading 13-11.
After a sophomore Aysia Proctor jumper opened the subsequent frame, a 9-0 Rice run that handed them a 20-15 lead. A free throw for graduate student Nina De Leon Negron halted the run, but the Owls' momentum carried them to a 26-19 edge. From there, Jenkins sparked a 7-2 rally all by herself, bringing the 'Runners within two. Rice scored four of the final six points to take a 32-28 lead into the locker room.
A back-and-forth battle ensued out of the break, ahead of an Owl trey that issued a 42-34 score line. A Jenkins and-one followed to keep things close, but Rice matched ahead of two Rowe free throws that trimmed the deficit to six. The Owls logged the next three points to build a 49-40 edge at the conclusion of the period.
The 'Runners started the fourth on an 8-0 surge, with Udo nailing a layup and Jenkins scoring six to pull the squad within one, and a Rice free throw saw a 50-48 score. Shortly after, an 8-0 run for Rice increased their advantage to nine. Love knocked down two from the charity stripe for a 60-53 score line. From there, UTSA could not complete the comeback, falling 62-58.
Keep up with UTSA Women’s Basketball all season long by following the program on Facebook /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB
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