SAN MARCOS, Texas– On Saturday, the UTSA women's basketball team used a stellar second quarter to take down Texas State, 70-54, in the Battle of I-35 at Strahan Arena. The victory came in the 'Runners' final nonconference contest, and the team's 9-2 mark represents the program's best-ever entering league play. Additionally, the win was UTSA's first against Texas State since 2016 and the first at Strahan Arena since 2013.
The Roadrunners (9-2, 0-0 The American) bested the Bobcats (6-4, 0-0 SBC) as the squad shot 49% from the field to the opposition's 35%. UTSA also managed 18 more rebounds and 26 more points in the paint en route to the victory.
Redshirt senior Jordyn Jenkins led the contest in scoring with 17 at a 70% clip with two steals. Junior Sidney Love tallied 15 points, and classmate Cheyenne Rowe 10. Graduate student Nina De Leon Negron dished out eight assists with nine points, six rebounds, and five steals, while freshman Damara Allen put in a solid shift with four points and five rebounds.
De Leon Negron opened the first game with a jumper ahead of a Bobcat triple, giving them a slim lead. After exchanging blows, consecutive makes for Rowe and Love put UTSA up 10-6. From there, each team tickled the twine once more en route to a 12-8 score line.
Jenkins banged home a trey to spark a 10-0 surge that also featured makes for Allen, Love, and De Leon Negron to start the second stanza. A Bobcat layup broke the streak before a Rowe jumper capped off six-straight Roadrunner points for a 31-10 advantage. Texas State fought back to within 16, but a Jenkins layup at the buzzer saw a 39-20 halftime lead.
The Roadrunners kept the Bobcats at bay for the majority of the third, with a Jenkins bucket at its conclusion seeing a 55-35 edge. It was more of the same in the fourth, as UTSA cruised to a 70-54 win.
UTSA is now set to begin American Athletic Conference play, with a battle against Charlotte set for Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. inside Halton Arena.
Keep up with UTSA Women's Basketball on goutsa.com and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB.
-UTSA-