After long journey, Techsters to face UTSA
SAN ANTONIO – Louisiana Tech’s “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” adventure in Texas continued on Saturday as head coach Tyler Summitt and the Lady Techsters were once again faced with cancelled flights due to winter weather.
Following its 88-75 loss at UTEP on Friday, Tech (14-13, 9-7 C-USA) was scheduled to fly out of El Paso early Saturday morning heading to San Antonio for Sunday’s contest against UTSA. Tip time set for noon.
However, the travel party was greeted with the early morning news that all flights into Dallas from El Paso had been scratched. The team then turned to a bus company and a nine-hour ride to San Antonio with a scheduled departure from the hotel at 7 a.m.
Once again, it was a last minute no go as Department of Transportation officials told the bus company that the interstate between the two cities was covered with ice and too dangerous to travel that early in the day.
So following a spur-of-the-moment, hour-long practice at the Don Haskins Center, the Tech travel party finally loaded the bus at lunch time and embarked on the long drive to San Antonio.
“We talk to our team all the time about overcoming adversity on and off the court,” said Summitt, whose team was unable to get out of Louisiana on Wednesday due to the snow storm. “We have faced a little adversity on this trip. We didn’t handle it very well in the second half of the UTEP game, but we have another opportunity to show we can. UTSA is a very good team and the game will be a challenge, but one I hope we welcome.”
Tech enters the contest after dropping its last two games, a heartbreaking, last-second loss at home against Old Dominion and a disappointing 13-point loss at UTEP. The Lady Techsters – like the rest of the Conference USA schools – are trying to position themselves for the best seed possible in the upcoming league tournament in Birmingham.
The Lady Techsters are currently in a tie for fifth place and could still finish anywhere from the four seed to the nine seed.
Senior Whitney Frazier, who moved into 18th place on the all-time scoring list during Friday’s loss at UTEP, continues to lead Tech, averaging 14.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. She has recorded back-to-back double doubles in the two losses.
Kelia Shelton (13.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg), Chrisstasia Walter (9.0 ppg, 5.9 apg, 5.6 rpg) and Brandi Wingate (8.6 ppg, 4.7 rgp) all scored in double figures in the loss to the Miners.
UTSA (13-14, 8-7 C-USA) is coming off its own heartbreaking loss on Thursday when the Roadrunners lost to Southern Miss on a last-second desperation 3-pointer by the Golden Eagles.
Guard Kamra King (11.7 ppg) is the only UTSA player averaging double figures although the Roadrunners boast a balanced attack that includes a total of six other players averaging at least 6.0 points per contest.
Tech leads the all-time series against UTSA 7-1, including a 79-74 win in Ruston on Jan. 10.