Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Women’s basketball shines

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On Halloween, the Houston Jaguars were not scary enough to defeat the Roadrunner women’s basketball team.

UTSA began their season with a 92-61 victory in an exhibition match against the Houston Jaguars. The Runners, voted preseason favorites in the Southland Conference, prevailed with great ball movement and a strong defense.

Led by junior Monica Gibbs, the Lady Runners began the game on a 32-4 run. Gibbs, voted on to the SLC preseason first team, finished with a triple double including 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Despite being a young team, the Runners played smart, limiting their number of fouls and not forcing too many shots. They out-rebounded the Jaguars 56-36 and overall out-hustled the visiting team.

Five players scored in double figures for the Runners, including 23 points from sophomore Courtney Laing and 14 points from senior Amanda Foster.

Foster had an impressive debut, proving to be a dominant post and long-range threat.

The Runners still have plenty of work to do before the season opener on Friday at home against Huston-Tillotson.

Reducing the number of turnovers is one area that needs focusing and improvement. The Runners gave up a total of 16 turnovers.

On Sunday, the Runners took on the Dallas Diesel in their second exhibition game, cruising to a 93-58 victory.

Sophomore Courtney Laing had impressive game, scoring a game-high of 29 points.

Five players once again scored in double figures. Freshmen Whitney York, Jordan Stark and Amber Gregg and junior Monica Gibbs each scored 14 points.

Overall, the Runners’ impressive opening exhibition featured fast-paced offense and hard-nosed defense. They will be looking to continue with these successful results throughout the remainder of the season.

If you didn’t make the women’s basketball game Sunday evening, you missed out on a treat. The Roadrunners pounded the Dallas Diesel, winning 93-58 in the final exhibition game of the year. So far the Runners are averaging 92 points-per-game this season.

Junior Monica Gibbs finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and five steals.

Gibbs’ talent propelled her to average nearly a triple double each game for the season thus far.

Sophomore Courtney Laing, who scored 29 points in Sunday’s game, seemed to be shooting the ball effortlessly into the basket as she finished the game 13-19 from the field.

Five Roadrunners scored 14 or more points and finished with 18 assists and 16 steals as a team without the help of senior guard Terrie Davis who sat out Sunday’s game.

Freshmen Amber Gregg and Whitney York were major contributors off the bench, both playing more than 20 minutes strong for the Runners.

UTSA shot an amazing 67 percent from the three-point line. They scored 28 points off turnovers and had 23 second-chance points.

Without a designated center on the roster, the Runners are considerably undersized. But where they lack in size they make up for with hustle and determination.

Although it’s early in the year, this team is living up to its first place preseason ranking.

The Roadrunners start a five game home stretch on Friday, Nov. 9 against Huston-Tillotson at 6 pm. Don’t miss out.

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