By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
On a trip to New York during the holidays, the UTSA women will get more than a chance to see the sights in the big city.
UTSA coach Karen Aston leads the Roadrunners into New York today to play the defending Ivy League champion Columbia Lions. – File photo by Joe Alexander
The defending champions in the American Conference have one last opportunity to produce a signature victory and boost their standing in the NCAA rankings before league play commences.
With tipoff set for noon today Central time, the defending Ivy League champion Columbia Lions will be waiting at Levien Gymnasium to test the Roadrunners.
UTSA coach Karen Aston said her players will need to be “on task” against a very good team.
“We’ll have to have a competitive mindset for 40 minutes,” she said.
Columbia finished 24-7 last season and made school history by winning its first NCAA tournament game.
The Lions defeated the Big Ten’s Washington Huskies in the Round of 68 before getting knocked out in the next round by the Big 12’s West Virginia Mountaineers.
This season, the Lions return six players from the NCAA squad, including their two leading scorers, guards Riley Weiss and Perri Page.
Columbia (7-4) has played a rigorous non-conference schedule and has been prone to inconsistency, but has won a few games against high major competition.
On opening night, the Lions won on the road, beating Butler of the Big East in Indianapolis.
Eleven days ago, they defeated another Big East team, the Seton Hall Pirates, on the road in South Orange, N.J.
Page hit the game-winning basket on a driving layup with one second remaining.
As a result, the Lions are 70th in the NET rankings of 363 NCAA Division I programs, with the Roadrunners (5-5) coming in at No. 148.
UTSA finished 26-5 last season and won the American at 17-1.
But this year has served as a challenge with a few stars playing out their eligibility, a few others transferring to other programs and more than a few talented athletes sitting out with injuries.
On top of all that, the Roadrunners have played four games, dropping all four, against power conference opponents.
The team’s best wins have come on a neutral site (in Frisco) against Grand Canyon Lopes of the Mountain West and at home against the Sun Belt’s Texas State Bobcats.
UTSA enters today’s game coming off home victories over Prairie View A&M and NCAA Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Records
UTSA 5-5
Columbia 7-4
Coming up
Tulane at UTSA, Dec. 30, 1 p.m.