San Antonnio, TX—UTSA women’s basketball entered last season as one of the American Athletic Conference’s most dominant teams, finishing 17-1 in league play and undefeated at home. But that success ended abruptly in the conference tournament, when the top-seeded Roadrunners were upset by Rice in the opening round.
On Saturday afternoon, the Owls delivered a reminder.
Behind a spectacular performance from Victoria Flores, Rice returned to San Antonio and knocked off UTSA once again, earning a 65-55 victory at the Convocation Center. Flores scored a career-high 33 points while missing just two shots all afternoon, spearheading another statement win for the surging Owls.
Flores shot 8-for-10 from the field, knocked down four 3-pointers and went an impressive 13-for-14 from the free-throw line. The win extended Rice’s winning streak to 14 games — the fifth-longest active streak in the nation — and improved the Owls to 19-3 overall and 9-0 in conference play. UTSA fell to 9-10 overall and 4-4 in league action, suffering its fourth loss in six games and only its second home conference defeat in the past two seasons.
Rice has now won two straight meetings after dropping the previous five matchups against the Roadrunners.
“She was a prototype point guard today,” UTSA head coach Karen Aston said of Flores. “She controlled the tempo and played at an incredibly high competitive level. When someone can pressure the ball full court for 35 minutes and run their team the way she did, you have to give her credit. She orchestrated the entire game.”
The contest was tightly contested from the opening tip, but Rice seized control in the third quarter behind Flores’ relentless scoring. After going nearly, the entire half without missing, Flores buried a step-back jumper at the buzzer late in the shot clock, then junior guard Louann Battiston followed with a deep three from the top of the key. Flores capped the sequence by driving into the lane and converting two free throws, completing a 7-0 run that stretched Rice’s lead to its largest of the night, 47-32, with 1:38 left in the quarter.
UTSA responded with resilience. Cheyenne Rowe scored four points during an 8-0 Roadrunners run that trimmed the deficit to six with 3:35 remaining. Rowe finished with nine points and eight rebounds as UTSA continued to chip away.
The margin hovered between six and eight points for much of the final period before tension peaked in the final minute. With Rice leading 59-53 and 42 seconds remaining, junior forward Idara Udo split a pair of free throws. On the ensuing possession, Rice was whistled for an offensive foul before inbounding, giving UTSA a chance to pull within one possession.
Senior guard Ereauna Hardaway drove into the lane looking for a layup after being unable to find an open three, but the attempt rolled off the back of the rim. Flores corralled the rebound, was fouled intentionally and calmly knocked down both free throws.
UTSA sophomore guard Damara Allen answered with a third-chance layup with 21 seconds left, cutting the deficit back to six for the final time. Flores again sealed the outcome at the line, closing out the 65-55 victory.
Allen led the Roadrunners with 11 points and six rebounds. For Rice, senior center Shelby Hayes added 13 points and six rebounds, while redshirt junior Hailey Adams dominated the glass with a game-high 15 rebounds.
“They’re a very balanced and complete team,” Aston said of Rice’s depth.
Despite the lingering memory of last season’s tournament upset, Aston downplayed any added significance to the rematch.
“This game isn’t any bigger than UAB is going to be,” she said. “We’re trying to win every game. You take it one at a time and move on. This team has been good at hitting the reset button after losses — and we’ll need to do that again.”
UTSA travels to Bartow Arena to face UAB on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CST. Rice, meanwhile, will enjoy a bye week before heading to FedExForum to take on Memphis next Saturday at 1 p.m. CST.
