UTSA 68, Wichita State 61
Redshirt junior Elyssa Coleman logged a double-double, and sophomore Siena Guttadauro charted a career-high 13 points as UTSA took down Wichita State, 68-61 in American Athletic Conference action inside Charles Koch Arena. Additionally, with the win, UTSA cemented their first regular season with a winning record since the 2014-15 team went 16-14 before failing in the opening round of the C-USA tournament.
The Roadrunners (15-13, 9-8 The American) bested the Shockers (8-21, 4-13), with Coleman scoring 13 points with 11 rebounds and Guttadauro charting 13 points off four triples. Senior Jordyn Jenkins dropped a team-high 17 points with six boards, while classmate Kyra White scored seven with four rebounds and five assists.
UTSA started off hot, as a White triple, along with makes by freshman Idara Udo and Coleman, handed the ‘Runners a 7-0 advantage. WSU tickled the twine for the first time midway through the first quarter, seeing a 7-2 score line. From there, the teams exchanged blows ahead of a Jenkins and-one that issued a six-point Roadrunner lead, en route to a 15-11 score line at the conclusion of the period.
The Shockers sunk a freebie to open the second, ahead of a 9-0 UTSA surge that saw Jenkins, Guttadauro, Coleman, and sophomore Cheyenne Rowe all sink shots. With the Roadrunner up by 12, WSU halted the streak, issuing a 24-14 score. Shortly after, freshman Aysia Proctor buried a three-pointer, prompting a 30-16 UTSA lead as the stanza neared its close. WSU replied with one of their own, ahead of another Guttadauro three-ball and a Coleman layup that led to a 34-21 halftime score.
WSU started the third quarter with a three-pointer, but the ‘Runners responded, keeping the Shockers at arms-length. A third Guttadauro bucket from beyond the arc issued a 43-28 edge. WSU then sparked an 8-0 run that pulled them within nine before Guttadauro beat the buzzer on a three-pointer that saw a 48-36 score entering the final frame.
The Shockers whittled away at their deficit in the fourth, pulling within eight ahead of another Jenkins and-one that led to the final media timeout. She converted to work a 59-48 advantage, but WSU kept fighting, carrying a 10-point deficiency into the final two minutes. A late surge brought them within five, ahead of four Love freebies that saw a 65-56 score line, before UTSA claimed a 68-61 victory.
Tulsa 91, SMU 73
It was another home triumph for the Tulsa women's basketball team as the Golden Hurricane dismantled SMU 91-73 on Senior Day Saturday in front of 1,583 fans in the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
The Golden Hurricane improved to 22-8 overall and 12-5 in the American Athletic Conference while SMU fell to 14-14 and 8-9 in league action. Tulsa remains atop the standings in a tie with 12-5 North Texas while Temple plays on Sunday with an 11-5 mark.
With Saturday's win, Tulsa clinches a double-bye for The American Championship for the first time in program history and will begin the conference tournament on Monday, March 11, as a top-four seed.
TU honored seniors Jessika Evans, Katia Gallegos and Katelyn Levings on the court postgame. Gallegos started for the Hurricane, putting up 12 points off 5-of-6 baskets to go with a team-leading four assists, while Evans came off the bench to score 10 points and add two boards and a block. Levings contributed a pair of free throws along with an offensive rebound and was one of six Tulsa players to stuff a Mustang shot.
Tulsa's offense clicked the whole game, finishing with a collective 55.4 percent shooting mark from the field, including 13-of-21 three-pointers (61.9%) along with 16-of-25 free throws made (64 percent). It's the first time since March 4, 2018, that Tulsa hit 60 percent or more in three-pointers.
Leading the way was none other than Temira Poindexter who had 21 points off an 8-of-16 clip from the field and 4-of-7 treys with Delanie Crawford close behind with 19 points coming from 7-of-12 field goals and 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc. Gallegos (12 points) and Evans (10) were the third and fourth TU players to reach double-figures in scoring.
On defense, Tulsa won the rebounding battle 38-37 with Hadley Periman bringing down a team-high 10 boards for her fifth game of double-digit rebounds this season. Poindexter followed with nine rebounds, and together they each recorded two of Tulsa's eight blocks. Mady Cartwright was the floor leader in steals with three.
From the 5:26 mark in the first quarter onward, SMU never held the lead as Tiara Young would lead the Mustangs with 22 points with TK Pitts leading with 10 rebounds.
North Texas 63, Rice 54
The UNT women's basketball team collected it's 22nd win of the season marking the most wins in a single season in program history by taking down Rice, 63-54, Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Tina Slinker's 2001-02 team previously held the milestone with 21 wins, including the postseason. This year's team surpassed the mark with one game to play in the regular season.
DesiRay Kernal recorded her fifth consecutive double double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Her 3-pointer with 3:40 left in the fourth quarter gave the Mean Green the final lead of the game that they would not relinquish.
Entering the game, Rice was 14-2 when leading with five minutes left. At that point, Rice led 50-48, but shortly after UNT would go on a 17-4 run that included Kernal's 3-pointer that closed out the Owls. UNT shot the ball well the entire game but hit a different level of efficiency in the final 10 minutes of action converting 72.7% of its shots.
Sixteen UNT turnovers in the first three quarters played a large role in allowing Rice to build a lead. The Owls had 14 points off turnovers and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds leading to 16 second-chance points. Suffy Ngulefac led the Owls with 13 points, tripling her season average of 4.4 points per game.
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Tommisha Lampkin reached double digits despite getting into foul trouble early. Jaylen Mallard and Aniyah Johnson played important minutes off the bench in place of Lampkin. Mallard played 18 minutes and recorded two points and two rebounds, while Johnson tallied six points and a pair of boards in 16 minutes.
UNT's win keeps it in the running for a regular season conference title with Tulsa and Temple. The Mean Green are 12-5 in conference play, which also ties the most conference wins in a season in program history. With the victory, UNT also secures a double bye at the American Athletic Conference championship tournament.
Memphis 82, UAB 61
The University of Memphis women's basketball team continue to roll in its final AAC regular season games as the Tigers claimed the 82-61 win over UAB Saturday afternoon.
With today's win, Memphis moves to 13-15 overall and 9-8 in AAC play.
It was all Tigers to start the game; Madison Griggs opened the game with a three-pointer from the corner for the quick 3-0 lead before she picked up a steal and laid in the easy bucket to make it a 5-0 game just 70 seconds into the contest.
The offensive onslaught for the Tigers didn't stop there. Memphis took a lead as large as 16 when Destyne Jackson and Shelbee Brown got back-to-back steal-and-scores against the Blazers to make it a 24-8 ball game.
UAB added in two final baskets before the end of the quarter to take the 24-12 lead into the second frame.
The Blazers came back swinging in the second quarter, stringing together a 17-8 run going into the media timeout to cut into the Tigers lead.
Griggs connected with Alasia Smith on a cross-court pass with 4:31 remaining on the clock to make it a 32-29 game.
Memphis did not fold easily; Griggs started a 12-2 run, that was capped off with a Hannah Riddick turnaround jumper in the lane, to end the half that pushed the Tiger lead out to 44-31 heading into the halftime break.
Scoring was not an issue for the Tigers in the second half; Memphis extended its lead out to as much as 26 in the third quarter after Griggs, Smith, Brown, Jackson, Ki'Ari Cain and Ally Hollifield combined for a 16-4 run to end the frame for the 65-42 advantage.
Memphis' lead got out to as much as 27 in the final minutes of the game before the Tigers claimed the 82-61 win over the Blazers.
Madison Griggs led all scorers with 21 points on 5-7 shooting from long range while Alasia Smith, Ki'Ari Cain, Shelbee Brown and Destyne Jackson all reached double-figures.
Smith notched her 10th double-double of the season with a game-high 11 rebounds while Griggs recorded her 350th career three-pointer.
South Florida 53, Tulane 51
Redshirt junior forward Romi Levy's 21 points and eight rebounds helped South Florida women's basketball (17-13, 9-8) edge Tulane (10-18, 3-14), 53-51, on Saturday night in the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Fla. The win marked the Bulls' second sweep of an opponent this season.
Senior guard Maria Alvarez (10 points) put up double-figures for the third time this season. While Levy recorded her 10th 20-plus point game of the season.
The matchup featured five ties and a total of six lead changes. In the fourth quarter, it came down to the wire. Tulsa's Marta Galic knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 51-all, forcing a Bulls timeout. Then with five seconds to go, Levy made a pull-up jumper in the paint that would secure the USF victory, 53-51, as time expired.