By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
The defending Ivy League champion Columbia Lions erased a six-point deficit in the final three minutes and defeated the UTSA Roadrunners 70-65 on Saturday afternoon in New York City.
In a women’s college basketball game that was hotly contested from the opening tip, the Lions outscored the Roadrunners 11-0 in the last three minutes to win on their home court.
The emotions boiled over in the final seconds as UTSA coach Karen Aston was hit with a technical foul for having words with one of the referees.
“I thought we played really hard,” Aston said on the team’s radio broadcast. “We probably had some fatigue mistakes there late in the game, and there’s nothing we can do about that.
“You know, the turnovers we had late were probably from fatigue, to be honest with you. They’re just going to have to learn how to handle that.”
The game seemed to turn inexorably in the Lions’ favor with less than 40 seconds remaining when UTSA guard Ereauna Hardaway drove to the basket, trying break to a tie score.
Columbia guard Fliss Henderson blocked the shot and sent the action the other way.
On the attack, Columbia’s Perri Page passed to Henderson, who sank a layup, giving the Lions a two-point advantage at 67-65 with five seconds left.
During the ensuing timeout, Aston was hit with a technical foul.
Columbia was awarded free throws, and Riley Weiss made one of two for a three point spread.
The Lions were also awarded possession, which resulted in Weiss going to the line again to make both for the game’s final points.
Guard Marija Avlijas scored 21 to lead five Columbia players in double figures. Weiss added 16 for the Lions, who improved to 8-4 on the season.
The Roadrunners had a two-game winning streak snapped and fell to 5-6. For UTSA, the loss was a heartbreaker.
Playing without starting forward Idara Udo, the Roadrunners built an eight-point halftime lead and had a chance to beat a team that has played in the last two NCAA tournaments.
They had a chance to record a signature victory against a team listed at No. 70 in the NET rankings. But, in the end, they couldn’t hold on.
Guard Ereauna Hardaway led the Roadrunners with 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds. It was her fourth straight game in double figures.
Forward Cheyenne Rowe hit seven of 11 from the field and scored 15 among four players in double figures. Guards Damara Allen scored 12 and Jayda Holiman 10.
Records
UTSA 5-6
Columbia 8-4
Coming up
Tulane at UTSA, Dec. 30, 1 p.m.
(American Conference opener)
First half
Playing without injured starting forward Idara Udo, the UTSA Roadrunners fell behind by nine points early and then rallied at the end for a 30-23 lead at halftime.
UTSA won the first 20 minutes with a defensive effort that resulted in 29 percent shooting and 14 turnovers by Columbia.
On the other end, senior guard Ereauna Hardaway led the way with eight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers to cap an 8-0 run in the final one minute and 30 seconds.
The Roadrunners shot 40 percent from the field and 28 percent from three, knocking down four of 14 shots from behind the arc.
Notable
Idara Udo‘s absence from the lineup was announced prior to tipoff when starting lineups were posted.
Emilia Dannebauer started on the front line for UTSA along with Cheyenne Rowe. The starting guards were Ereauna Hardaway, Damara Allen and Jayda Holiman.
Broadcasters on ESPN+ said the nature of Udo’s injury was undisclosed, but the television broadcast showed her on the bench with a walking boot.
The 6-foot junior from Plano was wearing the boot on Dec. 15 after she played in a home game against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Without Udo, UTSA showed up at Columbia’s Levien Gym with nine players, and with only eight on scholarship.