HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston women's basketball team opened up a healthy halftime lead and cruised to a convincing 71-47 win over UTSA on Friday night at Johnson Coliseum.
 
The Kats (3-2) picked up their first Division I win of the year in the process and their fourth straight win in the all-time series with UTSA (2-3), a former Southland Conference rival.
 
Four Bearkats finished in double figures in the scoring column, led by Madelyn Batista's 15 points and nine rebounds. Jolicia Williams had 11 off the bench while Faith Cook added 11 of her own.
 
Courtney Cleveland added 10 points and six rebounds, while Amber Leggett had just seven points but added eight boards and a team-high four assists.
 
In all the Kats turned in a big effort on the glass, outrebounding UTSA 50-37 and forcing 26 turnovers. UTSA finished just 15-for-52 (28.6 percent) from the field.
 
The Kats did much of their damage early on, racing out to a 22-13 lead after a quarter and extending it to 39-21 after holding UTSA to just eight points in the second period.
 
From there Sam Houston never let the Roadrunners closer than 17, extending the advantage to as much as 25 late in the game.
 
Sam Houston will observe the Christmas holiday before returning to the court to host Our Lady of the Lake on December 28.
 
Fans are reminded that this season Sam Houston Basketball tickets are presale only and should be purchased by noon of each gameday. Fans are also required to adhere to all university and Southland Conference COVID protocols upon attendance.