By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
Cheyenne Rowe celebrated her 22nd birthday in style Thursday, helping the sixth-seeded UTSA Roadrunners upset the No. 3 South Florida Bulls 62-51 in the American Conference tournament quarterfinals.
In the game played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Rowe led the Roadrunners with 25 points and 11 rebounds as they pushed past the Bulls and into the semifinals against the second-seeded East Carolina Pirates.
“Just a tremendous performance for our team,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “It’s hard, not to let ’em get too high, and all that kind of stuff. But it was such a great performance and a total commitment to four quarters of basketball.
“We were pretty relentless defensively, and I thought our team shared the ball well. Made the right decisions and they hung in there defensively all night long. You know, I couldn’t be prouder.”
Rowe put on a performance reminiscent of former UTSA standout Jordyn Jenkins. Meaning, she did just about everything and was extremely efficient.
The 6-foot-2 forward didn’t take a three-point attempt, instead working around the basket and in the mid-range with a variety of drives, turnarounds and face-up shots.
Rowe hit 11 of 17 shots from the field.
South Florida had beaten UTSA twice in the regular season but could not get it done for the third time in a row.
The Roadrunners (16-15) made it happen mostly with defense, holding the Bulls to 33.9 percent shooting from the field.
The Bulls (20-12) were completely stifled at the end of the game, outscored 11-2 in the final 4:44.
First half
Rowe had 14 points and seven rebounds in the first half as the UTSA Roadrunners took a 30-22 lead at halftime against the South Florida Bulls.
UTSA’s strong performance came in the quarterfinals of the American Conference women’s basketball tournament at Birmingham, Ala.
While South Florida, with a double bye, was making its debut in the tournament, UTSA was playing its second game in two days after eliminating Temple, 59-51, on Tuesday.
From the outset, UTSA seemed to have a better rhythm than South Florida. Riding Rowe’s hot shooting hand, the Roadrunners moved out to a 14-9 lead after the first quarter.
It was a team effort in that the Roadrunners cut down on turnovers, ran efficient offense and kept the Bulls out of their bread and butter, the transition game.
In the second period, UTSA’s offense went cold. But at the same time, its defense stayed solid. Then, late in the period, UTSA’s Mia Hammonds and Idara Udo asserted themselves offensively.
Hammonds hit two straight buckets on aggressive moves toward the basket. She also knocked down a couple of free throws.
After Rowe hit a couple of shots, Udo connected on a 14-foot turnaround jumper for a 30-22 lead.
Records
UTSA 15-15
South Florida 20-11
American Conference
Women’s basketball tournament
At Birmingham, Ala.
Tuesday
Game 1 — (9) FAU defeats (8) Charlotte, 74-70, overtime
Game 2 — (7) Temple defeats (10) Tulane, 86-77, overtime
Wednesday
Game 3 — (5) North Texas defeats (9) FAU, 80-57
Game 4 — (6) UTSA defeats (7) Temple, 59-51
Thursday
Game 5 — (5) North Texas defeats (4) Tulsa, 76-73
Game 6 — (6) UTSA defeats (3) South Florida, 62-51
Friday
Game 7 — (5) North Texas vs. (1) Rice, 6 p.m.
Game 8 — (6) UTSA vs. (2) East Carolina, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9 (championship) — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Records
(1) Rice 27-4, 17-1
(2) East Carolina 22-9, 14-4
(3) South Florida 20-12, 13-5
(4) Tulsa 19-12, 11-7
(5) North Texas 19-13, 11-7
(6) UTSA 16-15, 9-9
(7) Temple 15-17, 8-10
(8) Charlotte 14-18, 8-10
(9) FAU 14-18, 7-11
(10) Tulane 11-20, 6-12