SAN ANTONIO — A steady scoring night from senior forward Cheyenne Rowe and a strong fourth quarter surge from junior guard Ereauna Hardaway helped UTSA women’s basketball pull away for a 74-57 victory over the University of the Incarnate Word on Wednesday at the McDermott Center.
Despite allowing Incarnate Word (1-3) to connect on five first-quarter threes, UTSA (2-2) shook off the early defensive lapses and leaned into its physicality to take control of the game. The Roadrunners dominated the interior with a 42-21 rebounding advantage and held the Cardinals to 23% shooting, including 16% from deep after halftime. Behind Rowe’s 17 points on near-perfect midrange shooting, Hardaway’s 13-point, second half push and a double-double from junior forward Idara Udo, the ‘Runners controlled the second half to secure the cross-town win.
“I’m really proud of our players,” coach Karen Aston said. “It was a great atmosphere and they handled it really well.”
Cardinals guards Destiny Whitaker and Jorja Elliot caught fire from the perimeter in the opening minutes, combining for 18 of Incarnate Word’s 20 first quarter points and forcing UTSA to regroup. After an animated timeout by Aston, the Roadrunners responded with a 10-0 run. That burst briefly gave UTSA breathing room before Incarnate Word closed the first quarter with another flurry of threes to cut the margin to one.
From there, the ‘Runners imposed their identity. Udo controlled the glass and punished Incarnate Word inside, earning second chance looks and helping UTSA generate consistent paint touches. Freshman guard Adriana Robles and sophomore guard Damara Allen added steady scoring in the second quarter as UTSA built a 12-point advantage at the break. Despite Whittaker’s 14-point first half, Incarnate Word could not counter UTSA’s size or physicality, and the Cardinals’ early shooting cooled drastically.
“We got caught off guard with how quick they were to the ball,” Aston said. “We adjusted and needed to take away threes and sit on twos.”
The Cardinals opened the third quarter with renewed energy, attacking inside and momentarily slicing into the Roadrunner lead. Rowe steadied the game with a series of midrange jumpers, pushing her total to 17 points, while sophomore guard Mia Hammonds added a timely three. Udo continued to overwhelm the smaller Cardinals, securing her double-double before the end of the period as UTSA carried a 13-point lead into the fourth.
Hardaway took over the final quarter. Confident and aggressive, she buried a key three to push the lead back to double digits and scored eight of her 15 points in the final frame. The Roadrunners shot 60% from the field in the quarter, held the Cardinals to nine points and controlled every possession down the stretch. Robles and Udo finished with 11 points apiece, with Udo also pulling down 13 rebounds, while Hammonds and Allen added eight points each.
“I thought our point guards made the difference,” Aston said. “Even though the bigs had the numbers, the guards changed the whole feel of the game.”
UTSA will next travel to Frisco, Texas, to take on the University of Auburn at 4 p.m. Monday at the Comerica Center.
