SAN ANTONIO — Down two key pieces of its core, senior forward Cheyenne Rowe and junior forward Idara Udo, UTSA women’s basketball could not match pace with the visiting East Carolina University Pirates in a 65-58 loss on Tuesday at the Convocation Center.
Despite jumping out to an early lead, fatigue began to set in for the shorthanded Roadrunners (9-8, 4-2 AC) as the game began to wind down. UTSA committed a season-high 29 turnovers without two of its offensive cornerstones, and the second-place Pirates (14-6, 6-1 AC) stifled the ‘Runners’ late-game comeback to secure the win.
“I think we got into a situation tonight where we didn’t give ourselves a chance to win,” coach Karen Aston said after the game. “We had too many turnovers and we gave up too many offensive rebounds. That’s the story of the game.”
The Roadrunners’ hot start was aided by sophomore guard Damara Allen, who scored seven of her 12 points in the opening quarter, giving UTSA an early seven-point cushion. East Carolina closed the gap quickly in the second period after outscoring the Roadrunners 16-13.
East Carolina took firm control of the game by utilizing an effective press defense that forced UTSA into multiple uncharacteristic turnovers. The consistent pressure caught the Roadrunners’ primary ball handlers off guard and led to multiple mistakes that prevented UTSA from establishing a rhythm on offense.
“As the year has rolled along, our team has handled pressure really well. We just didn’t do it tonight,” Aston explained. “I feel like we didn’t prepare them. We looked a little unprepared today. It hasn’t been something that’s really been a huge problem for this team. Our assist to turnover ratio has been really good. I’ll shoulder this, though.”
A layup from freshman forward Sanaa Bean with a little over three minutes to play cut the Roadrunners’ deficit to seven. Despite a surge in momentum, UTSA was unable to stop the Pirates on offense and East Carolina held on to secure the win.
“I thought we were competitive today,” Aston said. “I thought the team made the right adjustments and experienced plays. We’ll learn from this. We better learn really fast. We have to get to practice tomorrow, turn around and play on Friday.”
Allen and sophomore guard Mia Hammonds tied for the team high in scoring with 12 points apiece. Senior guard Ereauna Hardaway led in assists with seven, and Hammonds led in rebounds with six.
UTSA will head to Tennessee to take on the University of Memphis at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Elma Roane Field House.
