Despite freezing temperatures, 'Runners remain hot, cruising past South Florida, 65-43Despite freezing temperatures, 'Runners remain hot, cruising past South Florida, 65-43
Women's Basketball

Despite freezing temperatures, 'Runners remain hot, cruising past South Florida, 65-43

UTSA has gone 10-7, marking their best start since the 2013-14 campaign

SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA women's basketball team breezed past the defending American Athletic Conference Champions on Thursday, using a pair of dominant performances by senior Kyra White and freshman Aysia Proctor to take down South Florida, 65-43 inside the Convocation Center on Tuesday. The win marked UTSA's fourth in a row and 10th of the season, representing the team's fastest start to a season since a 2013-14 campaign that saw the team open the year 11-6. 

The Roadrunners (10-7, 4-2 The American) bested the Bulls (11-8, 3-3 The American), leading wire-to-wire behind and a career-high 23 points performance by White and 19 courtesy of Proctor. 

White sunk five triples and Proctor four, helping the Roadrunners achieve 11 total, the most three-pointers made in a game since a Dec. 31, 2022 contest against Idaho. White scored at a 40% clip and collected a game-high six assists, while Proctor matched her with eight rebounds. 

Also performing well, sophomore Sidney Love scored eight, with three boards and a steal, while freshman Idara Udo dropped seven points and collected six rebounds.

UTSA shot 39% from the field, including 50% from beyond the arc, while USF was held to just 21%. The Roadrunners snagged a whopping 22 more rebounds than the Bulls and have now stretched their winning streak to four. 

The 'Runners surged on an 8-0 run early in the first quarter, as back-to-back triples by Proctor and Love saw a 10-1 UTSA advantage. Another Love three-pointer shortly after resulted in a 14-5 UTSA lead, but the Bulls quickly answered with a bucket. Proctor once more connected from beyond the arc, and White beat the buzzer with a trey of her own for a 20-7 score at the end of the frame. 

White knocked down another shot from distance to open the second stanza, and USF tickled the twine on a stepback jumper, seeing a 23-9 Roadrunner lead. White then kick-started a 12-2 run that allowed a Proctor bucket to issue a 35-11 edge. The squads then exchanged blows before UTSA headed into the locker room, holding a 37-16 advantage. 

Threatening a comeback, USF used a 14-2 run to trim their deficit to 13 and worked a 48-35 score line as the third quarter neared its conclusion. A Proctor free throw halted the run, ahead of a 49-35 lead entering the fourth quarter. 

USF struck first in the final frame before Udo hit a layup and Proctor a three-ball to keep the opposition at arms-length. From there, Love finished in transition for a 57-37 UTSA lead midway through the quarter, and the 'Runners coasted to a 65-42 win. 

UTSA next hits the road, with a matchup against UAB on the docket at 1 p.m. inside Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Keep up with UTSA Women's Basketball all season long on goutsa.com and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB.

 

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