SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA women's basketball team fell to Middle Tennessee 85-56 in the conference opener Thursday evening at the Convocation Center.
Lapraisjah Johnson started the Roadrunners off on a roll, scoring five consecutive points for an early lead. The Blue Raiders rallied and tied the game 5-5 at the 7:12 mark. A layup from Elena Blanding and four points from Leslie Hunter helped UTSA regain the lead, 11-6, with 4:53 remaining. Middle Tennessee once again came back and tied the game 11-11. The remainder of the quarter was a battle for the ball as it was tied 22-22 at the buzzer.
In the second, the Blue Raiders kept the momentum going as they outscored the Roadrunners 18-8 to lead 40-30 at the half.
Coming out of the locker room, the Roadrunners scored four consecutive points to bridge the gap to six (40-34). Middle Tennessee then hit a 6-0 to extend the lead 46-34 with 7:06 remaining. The Blue Raiders closed out the final five minutes on a 20-9 run to lead 66-44 going to the fourth.
In the final 10 minutes, UTSA hit a 6-0 run as it trailed 66-52 at the 6:33 mark. Middle Tennessee hit a scoring drought followed by a 14-1 run to lead 82-54 with 1:42 to go and claim the game.
The Roadrunners return to the court on Saturday when they host UAB at 2 p.m.
Notes
- UTSA is 3-9 overall and 0-1 in conference
- Lapraisjah Johnson led the team with 17 points
- Starters: Hailey Atwood, Jadyn Pimentel, Elena Blanding, Yuliyana Valcheva, Lapraisjah Johnson
-UTSA-