SAN ANTONIO (Interstat) — In a game defined by a staggering reversal of momentum, the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners survived a furious fourth-quarter rally from North Texas to escape with a 66-64 victory in an American Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Wednesday afternoon at the Convocation Center.

The most important part of the contest was unquestionably the final 17 seconds, a sequence of timeouts, turnovers, and a decisive putback that saw the Roadrunners snatch back a win they had nearly surrendered entirely.

North Texas, which scored a meager 28 points through the first three quarters, erupted for 36 in the final period, erasing a 20-point deficit to briefly take a late lead. The Mean Green’s comeback was fueled by a blistering 8-for-15 performance from three-point range for the game, with guard Mekhia Chase and forward Andi Schissler hitting critical shots down the stretch. Chase, a guard from California, Maryland, led all scorers with 20 points, while Schissler, from Kersey, Colorado, added 12, all from beyond the arc.

Texas-San Antonio, however, was carried by the interior dominance of Cheyenne Rowe. The 6-foot-2 forward from Ajax, Canada, posted a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, relentlessly attacking the paint where the Roadrunners held a commanding 36-24 advantage. Her back-to-back layups late in the fourth quarter were crucial in stemming the North Texas tide.

The Roadrunners appeared in complete control after three quarters, leading 46-28. They had methodically built their lead by dominating the middle periods, outscoring North Texas 41-17 in the second and third quarters combined. UTSA’s defense forced 16 turnovers, converting them into 18 points, while their own ball movement produced 11 assists.

The final minute was a chaotic back-and-forth. After Chase hit a three-pointer to give North Texas a 63-61 lead with 22 seconds remaining, UTSA called timeout. On the ensuing possession, Roadrunners guard Damara Allen of Aurora, Colorado, missed a jumper but followed her own shot, grabbing the offensive rebound and converting the putback while being fouled with 13 seconds left. Her free throw gave UTSA a 65-63 lead.

North Texas called timeout and designed a play for Schissler, but her floating jumper in the lane missed. Rowe secured the defensive rebound and was immediately fouled. She split a pair of free throws with two seconds left for the final margin. North Texas’s desperation heave was unsuccessful.

Beyond the scoring, the Roadrunners’ defensive presence was key, registering 11 steals and five blocks. Sanaa Bean, a 6-foot-3 freshman from New Orleans, contributed three of those blocks in just nine minutes of action. North Texas’s Megan Nestor, a 6-foot-3 center from Canaries, St. Lucia, provided a strong all-around effort with 11 points, three assists and two blocks.

The game was a tale of contrasting efficiencies. Texas-San Antonio scored 66 points on 70 possessions for an offensive rating of 94.5, while North Texas managed 64 points on 72 possessions for an 88.7 rating. The Roadrunners’ inability to connect from deep, going 0-for-7 from three-point range, nearly proved fatal as the Mean Green caught fire late.

With the win, Texas-San Antonio improves to 10-9 overall. North Texas falls to 11-9. Both teams return to conference play on Saturday, with the Roadrunners hosting Rice and the Mean Green welcoming Florida Atlantic.

The victory fulfilled the statistical expectation, as pregame analytics gave Texas-San Antonio a 62.1 percent probability to win. In the end, it required every second and a critical offensive rebound to make that projection a reality, holding off one of the more dramatic single-quarter turnarounds of the season.