In a very physical and hostile matchup against East Carolina University, senior forward Jordyn Jenkins and junior guard Sidney Love combined for 38 points to sink the Pirates 60-46 Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners (21-3, 12-1 AAC) used a dominant second-quarter defensive performance to take control, holding East Carolina (13-12, 5-8 AAC) to just four points on 6% shooting, the lowest mark allowed in an American Athletic Conference game this season. The Pirates attempted to spark a comeback after junior forward Maya Linton was ejected following a scuffle with guard Khia Miller, but Jenkins and Love would shut the door. Love torched East Carolina from the midrange, while Jenkins dominated inside and hit a three-pointer late to put the game out of reach.
“I’ve been working on my middie with my coaches this week,” Love said of her multiple drained mid-range jumpers. “It helps the entire team if you are in attack mode, so I just took what the defense gave me.”
Jenkins made an immediate impact, scoring UTSA’s first four points and blocking forward Anzhane Hutton inside. However, the Pirates found early success through forward Amiya Joyner, who scored seven of their first nine points. Love’s jumper broke a 10-10 tie, but East Carolina closed the first quarter up 13-12.
The Roadrunners’ defense smothered East Carolina in the second quarter. Aston’s half-court trap forced multiple turnovers, while the Pirates endured a five-minute scoring drought. UTSA capitalized with quick buckets from Love and junior forward Cheyenne Rowe. Frustration set in for the Pirates as Joyner threw the ball at freshman forward Taylor Ross after being forced into a jump ball. The Roadrunners dominated the boards 15-9 in the quarter and went into halftime with a 29-17 lead.
UTSA extended its lead to 17 after a Love jumper and a three-pointer from Linton to open the second half. The Pirates finally ended their scoring drought with a layup after nearly 12 minutes of total game time, but tensions escalated once again when Linton was ejected after a confrontation with Miller. East Carolina responded with a 10-4 run, cutting the lead to 14, but Jenkins took over with back-to-back layups to keep the Roadrunners in control.
“I’ve played in a lot of games and do my best to try and collect us whenever we are out and worried about the wrong things,” Jenkins said. “It’s about staying composed and being there for your teammates in those kinds of situations.”
Jenkins and Love closed the game in the fourth quarter, each hitting a three-pointer to put the game out of reach. Jenkins finished with 23 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Love added 15 points, primarily from mid-range jumpers. Rowe anchored the interior defense and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Ross added seven boards off the bench.
Despite Linton’s ejection and sophomore forward Idara Udo fouling out, UTSA secured its 21st victory of the season and extended its home winning streak to 14 games.
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