Senior guard Ereauna Hardaway led UTSA scorers with 15 pts. photo by Don Mooney
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –A stellar defensive performance allowed No. 6 Seed UTSA to upset No. 2 Seed East Carolina, 54-44 in the American Women’s Basketball Championship semifinals, to advance to the championship game.
With the win, UTSA will play No. 1 Seed Rice on Saturday for the title at 8:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, and Neal Raphael will deliver all the action on the radio in the greater San Antonio area on The Bull 93.3 FM and worldwide on the iHeartRadio app. Live stats for the contest can be found at goUTSA.com/wbbstats, and tickets can be purchased at goUTSA.com/wbbtickets.
photo by Don Mooney
The Roadrunners (17-15, 9-9 American) took down the Pirates (22-10, 14-4 American) as UTSA held ECU to their lowest scoring output of the season. The ‘Runners shot 39% to the Pirates 25% and also collected 14 more rebounds and logged 16 more points in the paint.
Senior Ereauna Hardaway led the way with 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while classmate Cheyenne Rowe posted 11 points with seven boards. Junior Idara Udo pitched in with 10 points and eight rebounds, as sophomore Damara Allen snagged 10 boards with six points, and classmate Mia Hammonds tallied nine points.
UTSA started things out on a 6-2 run before a Pirate triple had them back within one. They tickled the twine to take the lead, and Allen answered with a trey that sparked a 7-0 run for a 13-7 edge. ECU again hit from range, and a pair of freebies trimmed their deficit to one. Hardaway knocked down two from the charity stripe before the quarter hit its close with the ‘Runners up 15-12.
photo by Don Mooney
Another 6-2 surge for UTSA had the squad leading 20-14 midway through the second stanza. The Pirates scored the next 10 for a 24-20 lead. Udo halted a four-minute drought with a layup, and a Hammonds bucket had the game tied at 24 entering halftime.
The squads exchanged blows for the majority of the third, as East Carolina took a 34-33 edge into the final frame.
Rowe connected to start the fourth, and after trading buckets, the scoreboard read 39-39. Udo converted two free throws for a slim lead, and Hardaway nailed a logo triple for a 44-39 edge. Hardaway then knocked down an elbow jumper for a 9-0 run and a seven-point lead. The Pirates hit a three-pointer to pull back within four. Hammonds scored from the charity stripe for a 46-42 lead, and the Pirates answered with a floater. The ‘Runners scored the next four on a Rowe layup and two Allen freebies, resulting in a 51-44 score. UTSA didn’t allow another bucket down the stretch, securing the 54-44 victory and punching its ticket to the title game.
UTSA will play in its first championship game since joining the American, last reaching one in the 2009 season as a member of the Southland. It will be the program’s sixth conference championship appearance overall, and UTSA is 2-3 in its previous five games after going back-to-back in 2008 and 2009. The Owls (28-4, 17-1 American) bested No. 5 Seed North Texas, 71-67, in their semifinal matchup to reach the championship game. The squads split a pair of regular-season matchups earlier in the year, with Rice taking the first bout 65-55 in San Antonio, before UTSA handed Rice a 61-52 defeat in Houston.
photo by Don Mooney
Rice claimed the regular-season championship after a stellar season that saw Victoria Flores named American Player of the Year. Shelby Hayes took home Most Improved Player honors, with Louann Battison earning Sixth Player of the Year. Lindsay Edmonds was a unanimous Coach of the Year pick, and Hailey Adams was the conference’s Ambassador Award winner. Flores and Dominique Ennis headlined the All-Conference first-team, as Hays was third-team, Battison an All-Newcomer, and Adams cracked the All-Defensive squad.
Rice leads the NCAA in free-throw percentage at 81.7%, and they also top the league with a plus-11.5 scoring margin. The Owls excel at defending the perimeter, holding opponents to a 27.4 clip from beyond the arc, which ranks 25th nationally. Rice commits the least number of turnovers in the conference with 13.6 per game, and a 1.06 assists/turnover ratio also tops the league.
Adams checks in at 16th nationally with 10.8 rebounds per game, as 8.1 defensive rebounds per game is 13th, and 47 blocks are 58th. She leads the team with 107 assists, and Ennis paces the Owls in points, averaging 13.6 each time out, while Flores and Hayes aren’t far behind, each posting 12.3 points per game. Rounding out the group averaging double-figures, Aniah Alexis scores 10.4.