SAN ANTONIO — A late defensive surge wasn’t enough for UTSA women’s basketball to overcome a disastrous shooting second half, as the Roadrunners fell 65–55 to Rice University on Saturday at the Convocation Center.
After entering halftime trailing by three, UTSA (10-10, 6-4 AC) went ice cold offensively, shooting 7-36 in the second half and getting outscored 20–11 in the third quarter. Rice (19-3, 9-0 AC) used that stretch to build a double-digit cushion that held up despite the Roadrunners forcing multiple turnovers and going on an 8-0 run that briefly cut the deficit to single digits. That push was ultimately answered late by Owls guard Victoria Flores, who capped off a 33-point night.
“We lost on the boards. We let a player get 30 points. We got beat on the defensive end. We got beat at the free throw line. We got beat on the three,” coach Karen Aston said. “We got beat today, and we have to be better.”
Rice seized control early in the third quarter as UTSA’s offense stalled completely. The Owls capitalized on offensive rebounds and trips to the free throw line, stretching the lead to double figures while the Roadrunners went ice cold, shooting just 3-16 in the period.
UTSA made one final push in the fourth quarter. Senior forward Cheyenne Rowe cut the deficit to single digits, and sophomore guard Damara Allen helped fuel an 8–0 run as the ‘Runners forced nine Rice turnovers in the quarter. The defensive pressure gave UTSA repeated opportunities to climb back into the game, but the offense could not convert consistently, shooting 4-20 from the field in the period. Despite forcing 20 total turnovers — seven more than the Owls’ season average — UTSA’s inability to generate consistent offense ultimately proved costly.
“We haven’t shown to be a true 40-minute team,” Aston said. “We’ve got to figure out how to put 40 minutes together and come out of half and match somebody’s competitive nature.”
The first quarter featured steady offensive exchanges from both teams. Sophomore center Emilia Dannebauer opened the scoring with a midrange jumper and Rowe followed with back-to-back pull-ups to keep the Roadrunners within striking distance. Rice answered each early push behind Flores, who buried three triples in the period and scored 11 of the Owls’ 19 first-quarter points to give the visitors a narrow edge.
The ‘Runners steadied themselves in the second quarter after a sluggish end to the opening period. Freshman forward Sanaa Bean provided a spark inside, while freshman guard Adriana Robles and Allen added timely baskets to trim what had nearly become a double-digit deficit. By slowing the tempo and forcing empty possessions, UTSA closed the half on a strong stretch and entered the break trailing just 31–28, but the momentum evaporated after halftime.
“When things are hard offensively, it’s easier to just take a quick shot than to do the hard thing, which is move it and get into position where you can have a good shot or an offensive rebound,” Aston said. “I thought they came out pretty intentional defensively and we just didn’t match that.”
UTSA will next travel to Alabama to take on the University of Alabama at Birmingham at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bartow Arena.
