Roadrunners after March 9 win
(Photo by Mark McClendon)

UTSA rolls into second round with 61-42 win over McNeese State

(March 10, 2004)--Facing a flimsy six-point lead and a tenacious McNeese State defense, UTSA senior Nikki Hendrix took the court for the second half of Tuesday's 61-42 Roadrunner win and took over, sending UTSA to the second round of the Southland Conference Tournament.

Hendrix had just nine points at the halfway point, but finished with a season-high 28, scoring all but five of the Roadrunners' second-half baskets.

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McNeese State picked up the first points of the contest to open the game with a 2-0 lead. The Roadrunners never trailed again, breaking the game open on a Dewella Holliday basket for a 15-7 lead, just under eight minutes into the contest. Minutes later, the Cowgirls cut the lead to three, but once again the Roadrunners pulled away with a 10-point lead at just over a minute to play in the half.

Back-to-back steals and a layup by Marquita Williams, along with a basket by Clarissa Clark, chipped the deficit back down to six for a 29-23 Roadrunner lead at the half.

Out of the break, the Runners saw a nine-point advantage shrink to three when Williams scored consecutive baskets to make it 39-36 at the 12:44 mark. Over the next six minutes, Hendrix single-handedly went on an 11-0 tear to give UTSA a 50-36 advantage with 6:42 remaining, putting the game out of reach for the Cowgirls.

The fourth-seeded Roadrunners (15-13) are two wins away from dancing, advancing to play top seed Northwestern State at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 11 in Natchitoches. The contest can be heard live on KSJL Radio 810 AM and at www.goUTSA.com at 6:30 p.m.