By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After watching the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros knock down three pointers from just about every spot behind the arc through three quarters, the UTSA women had to face facts. Down by five entering the fourth period, the Roadrunners could either start guarding the shooters, or they could fall to 0-2 on the season.

They took the challenge, hit some threes of their own and emerged with a 74-69 victory at the Convocation Center. As a result, they will take a 1-1 record into next week when they play a couple of road games at New Mexico State and UTEP.

Guard Sidney Love led the way against the Vaqueros, playing one of the best games of her career. The 5-foot-8 junior from Steele produced a double double with 21 points and 11 assists. She also five steals and five rebounds.

With Nina De Leon Negron injured and not playing, Love logged 37 minutes and hit eight of 13 shots from the field. She had five points, three assists and zero turnovers in the fourth quarter when UTSA made its move to overtake UTRGV, an improved team that beat Houston in its season opener.

“Just playing care free and letting the game come to me,” Love said. “Put in a lot of work, and it’s just fun to be able to play.”

For Love, it was her fifth game as a Roadrunner with 20 or more points. UTSA is 5-0 in those games. Despite her understated brilliance, UTSA very easily could have lost. UTRGV proved to be extremely tough to defend. Seven of their players made three-pointers, and guard/forward Kade Hackerott was nearly impossible to stop.

Hackerott led the Vaqueros with 24 points, knocking down four of her team’s 11 threes. She hit one from the top of the circle at the end of the third quarter, which pushed UTRGV into a 58-53 lead and ignited passion in a group of fans cheering on the visiting team.

“I’m a defense-minded coach,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “At some point, you got to step up. We talked about that at the end of the third quarter when Hackerott hit the three.

“One thing I talked about on that possession was, that was about the best we had defended her.

“For a long span in the third quarter, we didn’t do much to make her uncomfortable. I thought that was our best defensive possession against her, and she hits a three at the buzzer.”

In the fourth quarter, the Roadrunners guarded everyone a little better. The Vaqueros were held to three of 10 from the field and one of three from three.

Hackerott finished one for four from the field down the stretch. She hoisted one three and missed it.

“I thought we were a lot better down the stretch and a lot more connected,” Aston said.

UTSA, a team that hit only three of 16 from distance in Thursday’s season-opening loss at Texas A&M, made three of six in the last period against UTRGV.

Love hit one at the outset of the quarter, followed in succession by long balls from freshman Damara Allen and sophomore Emma Lucio. The shots by Allen and Lucio came at critical junctures, with both lifting UTSA out of a deficit and into a lead.

Forward Jordyn Jenkins scored eight of her 19 points in the final five minutes to put the game away.

Third period

The Vaqueros hit 10 of 16 shots and six of eight from three to take a 58-53 lead. Hackerott led the charge with 11 points, including a three at the buzzer, to cap a 10-0 run in the final two minutes.

Halftime

Putting together a run midway through the first quarter and again at the end of the second, the Roadrunners forged a 38-31 lead at halftime.

Jordyn Jenkins pumped in 10 points in the half and Alexis Parker six for UTSA, while Gianna Angiolet scored nine and Kade Hackerott had eight for UTRGV.

During warmups, it became apparent that the Roadrunners would be changing its starting lineup. Nina De Leon Negron, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter at Texas A&M, was on the floor wearing a walking boot.

As a result, Sidney Love moved over to point guard and Allen started at the shooting guard. In another move, Alexis Parker got the start at small forward, with Jenkins playing the power forward and Idara Udo at center.

Records

UTRGV 1-1
UTSA 1-1

Coming up

UTSA at New Mexico State, Thursday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at UTEP, Saturday, Nov. 16, noon

Notable

Before the game, UTSA unveiled a new banner in the Convo to commemorate the Roadrunners’ trip to the WNIT postseason tournament last year. It was UTSA’s first appearance in a national postseason event in 15 years.

The Roadrunners beat Northern Colorado in the WNIT opener and then lost in the second round, falling to Wyoming on the road to finish 18-15.

Damara Allen, a freshman guard from Aurora, Colo., made her first collegiate start a good one with nine points and five rebounds in 11 minutes. Allen also had a blocked shot and a steal. Sophomore Emma Lucio had six points, two rebounds and an assist.

Aston said she isn’t sure whether De Leon Negron, suffering from a heel injury, can play next Thursday at New Mexico State. The transfer from Incarnate Word was in a walking boot on Saturday. She is believed to have suffered the injury in the third quarter at Texas A&M.

UTRGV ran great offense and hit 26 of 52 shots for 50 percent. Kade Hackerott was eight of 15. Gianna Angiolet was four for four. Jayda Holiman, the sister of former UTSA men’s player Adante’ Holiman, hit three of five and scored seven points.

UTSA’s offense was pretty good, too. After shooting only 34 percent at Texas A&M, they hit 51 percent (24 of 57) against UTRGV.

Love scored or assisted on 19 of UTSA’s 24 field goals.

The junior from San Antonio-area Steele High School also had officials sorting through the school record books later as she became the first with at least 20 points and double figures in assists since Monica Gibbs in 2009. Gibbs, recently inducted into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame, had 20 points and 10 assists against Lamar on Feb. 28, 2009. In addition, she became the first player with double figures assists since Karrington Donald on Jan. 2, 2021 against Rice.