Women’s basketball: Texas Tech surges in second half to rout UTSA, 79-52

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The short-handed UTSA Roadrunners traveled to Lubbock for their season opener hoping to claim a victory over a power conference opponent.

Texas Tech’s Lady Raiders had other ideas entirely.

Staying within a few baskets for most of the first half, the Roadrunners — using only eight players — couldn’t sustain the effort after intermission.

As a result, the Lady Raiders kept forcing poor offensive possessions, started to hit shots at a high rate of efficiency and pulled away on Thursday night for a 79-52 victory at United Supermarkets Arena.

Tech proved to be extremely dangerous from behind the 3-point arc, knocking down 11 for the game.

UTSA, winners of a school-record 26 games and the regular-season title in the American Conference last year, never could find much of an offensive rhythm.

The Roadrunners shot 26.9 percent from the field and turned it over 27 times. UTSA will continue its first road trip of the season Saturday at the Houston Cougars.

Bailey Maupin led the Big 12 Conference’s Lady Raiders (2-0) with 19 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter.

Snudda Collins added eight of her 16 points in the fourth, when the Lady Raiders broke from a 12-point lead in the game and then ran away with it, 28-13, to the final buzzer.

Junior Idara Udo, who was second team all conference last year when the Roadrunners won the American, led the Roadrunners with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Guard Damara Allen scored 12 while hitting two 3-pointers.

Also, freshman point guard Adriana Robles added 10 points, three rebounds and one assist. Ball movement was a problem all night as Udo, Robles, Allen and Mia Hammonds all had six turnovers.

Notable

Guard Sidney Love sat out her second game for the Lady Raiders because of what was announced on television as a medical condition. Love started the last three years at point guard for the Roadrunners.

Seven scholarship players did not play for the Roadrunners, who have announced that sophomore forward Taylor Ross and freshman forward Sema Udo have suffered season-ending injuries.

Others not playing against Texas Tech included:

–Senior point guard Ereauna Hardaway, a transfer from North Texas who split point guard duties with Robles during preseason practices. Hardaway played on Oct. 25 in UTSA’s 106-51 victory over Texas A&M-San Antonio in an exhibition

–Three returning players from last season, including senior guard Maya Linton, 6-4 forward Nyayongah Gony and guard Siena Guttadauro.

–Also, guard Saher Alizada, a junior college transfer.

With the victory, Texas Tech improved to 15-0 against UTSA all time. The loss extended a long streak for the Roadrunners, who have now dropped 26 games in a row against power conference programs. Aston is now 0-10 against teams from the power conferences going into her fifth year at UTSA. The Roadrunners will play three more power teams in non conference this season, including Houston, Auburn and Baylor.

Quotable

UTSA coach Karen Aston told broadcaster Neal Raphael in the postgame: “I thought we played as hard as we could through some things. Then I think the bucket got a little bit bigger for them in the second half. You know, we couldn’t make shots. We got a young group that is going to have to learn ball reversal, playing inside out. There’s just some stuff that we’re going to go through. I can’t rush what’s going to happen with this team.”

First half

The Lady Raiders knocked down five 3-point shots in the half en route to a 34-26 lead at intermission. Playing to the buzzer with poise, Tech hit from beyond the arc at the end of both the first and second quarters.

In both opening quarters, the Roadrunners played well defensively, rebounded and stayed within one or two possessions the Lady Raiders. But at the end of the first period, Tech’s Denae Fritz buried one out of the corner to make it 17-11.

As the game moved into the second period, the Roadrunners kept coming at the home team. The Lady Raiders led by seven, but UTSA scored six of the next eight points.

Idara Udo hit from inside. Adriana Robles split the defense with a driving layup and Cheyenne Rowe buried a 15-footer from the free-throw line. When Rowe’s shot went down, the Roadrunners pulled to within 27-24 with 3:03 remaining.

From there, the Lady Raiders ratcheted up defensive pressure and forced a series of empty possessions by the Roadrunners. On the other end, Bailey Maupin sank a 12 footer off a drive. Gemma Nunez made a couple of free throws and then Adlee Blacklock sank a triple from the corner.

When Blacklock’s shot splashed, the Red Raiders held an eight-point halftime spread. Tech ‘s defense set the tone in the half, holding UTSA to 29.6 percent shooting and forced 14 turnovers. Udo led the Roadrunners at the half with seven points and six rebounds.

The Roadrunners, with several athletes unavailable, had eight players log minutes in the first half.

For the Lady Raiders, forward Jalynn Bristow led in scoring at the half with eight. She hit three of eight from the field, including a three. Maupin, a veteran guard, scored six. Guard Sidney Love did not play for Tech. Love transferred in the offseason after starting three seasons at UTSA.

Season opener: Record-setting UTSA men roll 97-30 over the College of Biblical Studies

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Kaido Rayfield. UTSA men's basketball beat the College of Biblical Studies 97-30 in the Roadrunners' season opener on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman Kaidon Rayfield started and produced a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds in his first college game. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners called on three freshman to start on opening night, and it a turned out to be a strategy that paid dividends in a record-setting 97-30 victory Wednesday over the College of Biblical Studies Ambassadors.

Kaidon Rayfield, Dorian Hayes and Matheo Coffi all enjoyed their moments in UTSA’s 45th season opener.

Rayfield, a 6-foot-8 forward from Oklahoma City, came up big with 13 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes. Both Coffi, who started at center, and Hayes, a guard, scored 10 points apiece.

Austin Nunez. UTSA men's basketball beat the College of Biblical Studies 97-30 in the Roadrunners' season opener on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Austin Nunez and the Roadrunners will host the SIU Edwardsville Cougars on Friday afternoon. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Macaleab Rich led with 15 points for the Roadrunners, who finished with 51 percent shooting from the field.

The Ambassadors, a third-year program in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association, were held to a UTSA opponent record low in points. They managed only 15 percent shooting on the night.

“A get-your-feet wet type of game,” said UTSA point guard Austin Nunez.

Next, UTSA will play its first NCAA Division I opponent of the season against the SIU Edwardsville Cougars of the Ohio Valley Conference.

Former Texas A&M guard Brian Barone coaches the Illinois-based Cougars, who won 22 games last season and advanced to the NCAA tournament. The game will tip off at 12:30 p.m. Friday at the Convocation Center.

There’s no word yet on whether the Roadrunners will have the services of highly-touted guard Vasean Allette for Game 2, as he did not play and apparently was not in the arena for the opener.

Without Allette, the Roadrunners started against the Ambassadors with a backcourt consisting of San Antonio’s Nunez and Hayes, with Jamir Simpson on the wing.

The small lineup featured two young players in Coffi and Rayfield, both of them 6-8, who along with Hayes were playing in their first games for an NCAA Division I program.

After the first four minutes, the Roadrunners started to break the game open. With UTSA ahead by four, UTSA surged on an 18-0 run that pushed the the lead to 22. By halftime, the Roadrunners had played 12 players to build a 56-18 advantage.

Eventually, all 14 men who dressed out in the school’s new Nike uniforms made their way into the box score as the Roadrunners mounted leads as large as 70 in the final minute.

Part of UTSA’s dominance could be attributed to playing the Ambassadors, who didn’t have a player taller than Coach Michael Young, who stands 6-6.

In addition to their size disadvantage, the visitors from Houston were playing their third game against NCAA Division I competition in three days.

Speaking with reporters afterward, UTSA coach Austin Claunch thanked Young and his players for making the trip after a game Monday at Prairie View A&M and Tuesday at Rice.

“Three games in three nights,” the coach said. “Just give them credit for being here and being able to compete.”

Even though it counted as a season opener for the Roadrunners, it also served as an opportunity to make amends after they were humbled 10 days ago in an exhibition at home against the Incarnate Word Cardinals.

“For us, we needed to come out and play well and dominate a game,” Claunch said. “We had a scrimmage (against Stephen F. Austin) and an exhibition (UIW) where we hadn’t done that at a high enough level.

Michael Young. UTSA men's basketball beat the College of Biblical Studies 97-30 in the Roadrunners' season opener on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

College of Biblical Studies coach Michael Young played shooting guard for the famed ‘Phi Slama Jama’ teams at the University of Houston in the 1980s. Young says people still remember those teams. ‘I hear about Phi Slama Jama every day,’ he said. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“What I loved tonight, we did do some things that translate in regards to not turning the ball over. We rebounded at a high level, particularly in the second half. I just love our balance.”

Added Claunch: “I think we got a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. We got a lot of guys that can score (and) pass.”

Claunch said he will take the school record for fewest points by an opponent.

“It’s an accomplishment,” he said. “That’s a pretty cool one, regardless of when it was or who it was against, considering they had played so many games in so many nights.”

Rayfield, who played last year at PHHoenix Prep in Arizona, came to the interview session with a ‘Texas Tough’ cowboy hat. The team awarded it to him for his effort, which included five offensive rebounds.

When asked how he was feeling, he looked up, failing to hide a big grin. “Got our first dub,” he said. “Put a smile on my face.”

He smiled again later when another reporter asked about his rebounding, acknowledging that he takes pride in his work on the boards.

Also, he said it felt good earn a start in his first college game.

“I thank this guy for believing in me,” Rayfield said, looking at Claunch. “And, (with) more wins to come.”

It was also a special night for Nunez, who returns home this season after three seasons at Arizona State, Ole Miss and Arizona State again.

Now he’s back in the city where he grew up and became a dominant player for the Wagner High School Thunderbirds.

“Been a long time since I’ve had an opportunity like this,” Nunez said, “just getting out there and putting the uniform on, playing in front of my family (and) people that care about me.

Macaleab Rich. UTSA men's basketball beat the College of Biblical Studies 97-30 in the Roadrunners' season opener on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Macaleab Rich led the Roadrunners with 15 points on seven for 11 shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Just a great feeling,” he said, “no matter what the outcome was from my individual stats (seven points, four assists in 18 minutes). I was just worried about us getting a win.”

Even though he shot only two for eight from the field, Nunez had a presence. He lent a certain calmness to the offense, moving the ball to the right spots to maintain spacing, just doing the little things to help the flow.

His savvy could have come in handy on Oct. 25 against the UIW Cardinals, who beat the Roadrunners 87-76 in a scrimmage on their home court.

Nunez didn’t play that night, held out in concussion protocol after getting hit in the right eye in practice.

Even though the loss didn’t count in the record, it still haunts the Roadrunners.

“I didn’t do a good job before UIW, having us prepared on either side of the ball,” Claunch said. “I just thought this past week and a half that we’ve had clarity on what we wanted to do offensively (and) how we want to guard.

“I just thought from top to bottom, that was better (tonight).”

Records

College of Biblical Studies 1-3
UTSA 1-0

Coming up

SIU Edwardsville at UTSA, Friday, 12:30 p.m.

Notable

Vasean Allette, a 6-2 guard from Ontario, Canada, has 51 games of Division I experience, including stops the past two seasons at Old Dominion and TCU.

He played as a starter last year for the Horned Frogs in the Big 12, averaging 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals.

Three weeks ago, the American Conference preseason rankings were published and projected him as a second-team, all-conference player. Without Allette, the Roadrunners had contributions from several players.

Rich, a transfer from Kansas State, had 15 points and four rebounds. He hit seven for 11 from the field. Simpson, who played last year at Southern Utah, had 13 points and seven rebounds. Coffi, from France, scored 10 points on five of five shooting.

Simpson knocked down three of UTSA’s nine 3-pointers, while Hayes and Brent Moss had two each.

Accepting the challenge

The Houston-based Ambassadors are coached by Michael Young, a member of the Houston Cougars’ famed ‘Phi Slama Jama’ teams from the 1980s.

For his College of Biblical Studies team, the UTSA game was its third exhibition against Division I competition in three days in three different towns. On Monday, the Ambassadors fell 95-48 at Prairie View A&M. On Tuesday night, they lost 109-38 to the Rice Owls in Houston.

Before the UTSA game, Young said he wanted to use the three games to see how his club stacked up against higher-level athletes.

“They’re tired, but I want to see how tough we are, how our conditioning is, (how) our mental toughness and focus (is),” Young said. “These are things we need to do to get better. The scoreboard is the scoreboard. But how did we do today as a team? That’s the most important thing.”

Young said he’s enjoying his job in mentoring the Ambassadors.

“I’m really enjoying it,” he said. “I’ve got a great group of young men, very attentive. (They) want to win. They want to do better. It’s like a second-chance ball club for players.

“These guys have played someone else or haven’t had a chance to play, so they’re really working hard. A very good group.”

Freshman guard Trayvon Martinez led the Ambassadors against the Roadrunners, producing seven points, six rebounds and five steals in 27 minutes. The 6-foot-3 Martinez is from Manvel.

Jamir Simpson. UTSA men's basketball beat the College of Biblical Studies 97-30 in the Roadrunners' season opener on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard-forward Jamir Simpson, a transfer from Southern Utah, started in his UTSA debut and contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Playing status for Texas Tech guard Sidney Love unknown

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The playing status for Texas Tech guard Sidney Love is not known going into Thursday’s women’s college basketball game in Lubbock against Love’s former team, the UTSA Roadrunners.

Love did not play in Monday’s season-opening victory for the Lady Raiders.

Asked about Love’s status for the UTSA game and whether she sat out Monday with an injury, a Tech athletic department spokeswoman said in a text to The JB Replay, “I cannot disclose any injury or playing information for the game.”

The Lady Raiders dominated in Monday’s opener, downing North Carolina A&T 78-40 behind Jalynn Bristow’s 19 points and nine rebounds. Gemma Nunez had 15 points and four assists and Snudda Collins also scored 15.

For the Roadrunners, the defending champions in the American Conference, Thursday’s game in Lubbock at United Supermarkets Arena is the season opener.

UTSA sophomore forward Taylor Ross and freshman forward Sema Udo will sit out the season with injuries, Coach Karen Aston announced Monday in a news release.

Ross was considered one of the top players in San Antonio when she came out of Brennan High School.

She played as a UTSA freshman last year and helped lead the team to an American Conference regular-season championship. She had 50 points, 49 rebounds and 12 blocks.

Udo, the younger sister of UTSA center Idara Udo, was set to her first year of college basketball.

She was twice first-team all district at Plano East and was the team’s MVP in her sophomore and junior seasons.

Coming up

Today: College of Biblical Studies at UTSA men, 6 p.m.
Thursday: UTSA women at Texas Tech, 6 p.m.
Friday: SIU Edwardsville at UTSA men, 12:30 p.m.
Saturday: UTSA women at Houston, 7 p.m.

UTSA’s Claunch to open the season against a ‘Phi Slama Jama’ legend

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Thirty-five-year-old UTSA coach Austin Claunch cut his teeth on the game of basketball in Houston, a decade or so removed from the crowd that grew up with ‘Phi Slama Jama’ in the 1980s.

Back in the day, while center Hakeem Olajuwon was perfecting the “Dream Shake” in the post under Coach Guy V. Lewis, he was flanked by the likes of Clyde “The Glide” Drexler, Larry Michaux and Michael Young.

At the University of Houston, the Phi Slama Jama Cougars reached the NCAA Final Four in 1983 and 1984 and established an identity that is remembered fondly today, even in an era when Coach Kelvin Sampson’s team always seems to arrive in March with 30 wins and a No. 1 seed.

All of which brings us around to Claunch and the second installment of his UTSA basketball reclamation project.

Young, once a burly, highly-skilled, left-handed shooting guard for the Cougars, is now in his second year as head coach of the nascent Houston-based program at the College of Biblical Studies.

His team, in its third year of existence, will be the opposition in the season opener for Claunch’s Roadrunners at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Convocation Center. Claunch said it’ll fun for him to coach against a guy with Young’s chops.

“Just understanding what he and those (Houston) teams did for the city,” Claunch said. “I would expect their team to play a lot like he did, just that pace, in that frenetic offensive style.”

“It’s going to be an interesting challenge on night one (for us), where (we’re) still trying to iron out some things defensively, and not turn the ball over … and be clean. I would imagine that they’re going to come in and push the pace.”

With 11 newcomers, the Roadrunners haven’t scratched the surface yet in becoming the team they hope to be.

They’ve lost twice to teams in the Southland Conference, first faltering in a neutral-site, closed scrimmage against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, and then coming up short with a spirited second-half comeback against the Incarnate Word Cardinals.

Claunch said his practices since the UIW exhibition have been good and that he’s excited for the week, which will include a home game Friday against SIU-Edwardsville.

“I just think we have a clear vision of what we need to do,” the coach said. “We’re much more clean on the things we expect. Our non-negotiables. And, obviously, when the lights turn on, you got to go perform. As coaches, we’ve got to have our guys better prepared.

“We certainly want to show that same fire and aggression that we have in practice, show that when the lights come on … I would expect to see that wholeheartedly on Wednesday and Friday.”

One bit of positive news for the Roadrunners has been the return to form of guard Austin Nunez, who sat out the UIW game with an undisclosed ailment.

A 6-foot-2 guard, the Arizona State transfer is expected to give the team a veteran presence, as well as a speed component.

“He’s been in (practice) all week and he looks great,” Claunch said. “He’ll be full go come Wednesday. He’s looked good. Listen, if (the exhibition) had been an NCAA tournament game, we probably would have gotten him out there.

“He really wanted to play, but knowing what we have coming up, what lies ahead, it was important for us to (hold him out). He’s such a competitor, and he’s only got one speed. He’s 100 percent every time he’s in the game.

“So, sometimes as a coach, you got to protect ’em from themself. He’s looked great in practice, and he’s ready to go. He’s excited for Wednesday.”

Nunez came out of high school in San Antonio at Wagner in 2022, when he averaged 28.5 points and 6.2 rebounds.

He spent his first season in college at Arizona State, transferred to Ole Miss the next year and then returned to Arizona State last year.

Coming up

Wednesday – College of Biblical Studies at UTSA men, 6 p.m.
Thursday – UTSA women at Texas Tech, 6 p.m.
Friday – SIUE at UTSA men, 12:30 p.m.
Saturday – UTSA women at Houston, 7 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners men on Friday will host SIU-Edwardsville, an Ohio Valley Conference team that won 22 games and reached the NCAA tournament last season.

UTSA’s Aston hopes for a new arena to bolster her program’s continued success

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Karen Aston. The UTSA women's basketball teams celebrates at the Convocation Center after winning the 2024-25 American Athletic Conference regular-season title on Saturday, March 1, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Karen Aston took over a team in 2021 that had just won two games. Last spring, in her fourth season on campus, the Roadrunners won a school-record 26 and the American Conference regular-season title. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coming off a season that illuminated meteoric growth in UTSA women’s basketball, university officials over the summer awarded Coach Karen Aston with a five-year contract extension that will run through 2029-30.

It was an easy decision to make.

In 2020-21, the year before the coach arrived at UTSA, the Roadrunners were way down with a 2-18 record. Under Aston’s guidance, they won seven games in her first season and 13 more the next year.

The Roadrunners won 18 in 2023-24 and a school-record 26 last year, to go along with an American Conference regular-season title. Obviously, the next big hurdle to clear will be an NCAA tournament berth.

But after what the Roadrunners have accomplished lately, that doesn’t seem like a bridge too far.

Talking with the media on Monday, a few days before her teams opens Thursday night in Lubbock against Texas Tech, Aston outlined areas in which she’d like to see UTSA women’s basketball continue to grow.

The first thing she mentioned was a new competition arena.

“One area, and this is a giant, big-picture item, but obviously I would love to see a new arena one day, or some type of renovation to the Convocation Center, just because I think it would make a considerable difference down the road,” she said.

“However,” the coach added, “short term, we’re going to open up a new practice facility (next year) and I think that’s going to be a huge stride for both basketball programs, not just women. I mean, volleyball included.”

While there aren’t any concrete plans for a new competition arena, the practice facility is scheduled to open next November.

“It’s a game changer for us to have places to practice at any point (in the day) and not have accommodation problems like we do have right now, so I’m thankful that that’s going to open up,” she said. “I think it’s going to enhance our program.”

After setting records for attendance last season, Aston wants her team to remain one that fans continue to embrace.

“Big picture, I think there’s a lot to that,” she said. “You want to stay consistent with how your product looks. Our team is going to look a lot different (this season) as far as the people that are in the spots — the starting spots, the people that come off the bench.

“Our team’s going to look dramatically different because the players are different. But you hope that the style and product … stays the same. (That) people enjoy watching the team play and watching our young ladies compete.”

Over the offseason, Aston lost some key players to the transfer portal, including Sidney Love and Aysia Proctor.

She said she’d like to see renewed emphasis on fundraising to grow the team’s capacity to compensate athletes.

“We talk about culture, and that’s an easy word to talk about, but but it’s hard to sustain sometimes. You know, especially with the portal and having new teams just about every year.

“I didn’t even anticipate our team being as new as it is this year. We had some injuries. We had unexpected transfers that I didn’t anticipate. So our team looks a little different.

“You have to maintain a culture that goes along with that. A playing style. A way of doing things. So I hope we can stay consistent with that and stay competitive.”

Aston’s comments on fundraising echoed those offered last weekend by football coach Jeff Traylor.

“I think the last piece of being able to (remain competitive) is continual fundraising. You know, Jeff talks about it. And I think every coach that sits down in the chair that I’m in right now is going to talk about that.

“It’s the landscape that we live in. So I think that for us to stay competitive in the league that we’re in, we have to be competitive with rev share (revenue sharing), and that’s fundraising on everybody’s part, including mine.

“I mean, we have to do whatever the job pertains to, to bring the players in here, or retain players that make big leaps (in performance). You know, I anticipate a couple of (our) players this year making really big leaps.

“For us to stay competitive, we need to retain ’em. So I think that stays in the forefront until something changes in the landscape.”

Women’s college basketball: At least 21 San Antonio area athletes in NCAA Division I

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Mia Hammonds. The UTSA women's basketball team beat St. Mary's 90-38 in an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Mia Hammonds, a 6-3 UTSA sophomore from Steele High School, is expected to play a leading role for the defending champions in the American Conference. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

At least 21 athletes from the San Antonio area are expected to suit up this season in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.

Out of those 21, nine will play for teams in power conferences, including headliners such as redshirt junior Carleigh Wenzel at Virginia Tech, senior Sidney Love at Texas Tech, sophomore Rian Forestier at Southern Cal and redshirt freshman Arianna Roberson at Duke.

Love is a transfer from UTSA in her first year at Texas Tech of the Big 12.

With full disclosure, this list might not be complete with names of every women’s basketball player from the city in Division I. We might have missed a few. At the same time, we feel like we’ve identified most of them, while promising to add names as new information comes to light:

San Antonio area women in NCAA Division I basketball:
2025-26 season

Averi Aaron, Louisiana Tech, 6-1 sophomore forward from Boerne HS

Hailey Adams, Rice, 6-1 redshirt junior guard from Clark HS

Rian Forestier, Southern Cal, 5-11 sophomore guard from Brandeis HS

Mia Hammonds, UTSA, 6-3 sophomore guard from Steele HS

Natalie Huff, Southeastern Louisiana, 5-7 redshirt freshman guard from Clark HS; transfer from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Madison Hurta, Houston Baptist, 5-9 sophomore guard from New Braunfels (homeschool)

Christeen Iwuala, Ole Miss, 6-3 senior forward from Reagan HS, also, Waco Midway; transfer from UCLA

Vivian Iwuchukwu, Southern Cal, 6-2 sophomore forward from Cole HS, also from Montverde, Fla.

Sidney Love, Texas Tech, 5-8 senior guard from Steele HS, transfer from UTSA

Amira Mabry, Tulane, 6-0 senior forward from Judson HS

Kalysta ‘Bird’ Martin, Texas Tech, 6-2 sophomore guard from Providence Catholic School

Mia Ramos, Southeastern Louisiana, 5-7 freshman guard from Brandeis HS

Alexis Parker, Lamar, 5-9 senior guard from Brandeis HS; transfer from UTSA

Aysia Proctor, North Texas, 5-8 junior guard from Clemens HS; transfer from UTSA

Aaliyah Roberson, TCU, 6-2 junior forward from Clark HS

Arianna Roberson, Duke, 6-4 redshirt freshman from Clark HS

Taylor Ross, UTSA, 6-0 sophomore forward from Brennan HS

Jordyn Weaver, Tulane, 5-11 graduate student forward from Wagner; transfer from Queens University (N.C.)

Sedelia Wilson-Larkin, Incarnate Word, freshman forward from Saint Mary’s Hall

Sammie Wagner, Oregon, 6-1 redshirt junior guard-forward from Reagan HS

Carleigh Wenzel, Virginia Tech, 6-0 redshirt junior guard from O’Connor HS and Antonian HS

Men’s college basketball: Identifying San Antonio-area athletes in NCAA Division I

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With the college basketball season set to tip off Monday, it’s time to roll out the annual list of San Antonio-area athletes in NCAA Division I.

Zach Clemence

Zach Clemence, a San Antonio native, scored 20 points in Texas A&M’s 95-88 exhibition victory over Arizona State.

First, we’ll take a look at the men, noting as usual that we likely don’t have everyone from San Antonio on this list. At the same time, we feel like we’ve identified most of them, while promising to add names as new information comes to light:

San Antonio area men in NCAA Division I basketball
2025-26 season

L.J. Brown, UTSA, a 6-2 redshirt senior guard from Johnson HS

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Minnesota, a 6-8 junior forward from Warren HS, a transfer from Colorado State; previously at Arkansas-Little Rock

Kendrick De Luna, Cal State-Fullerton, a 6-10 junior forward from TMI Episcopal

Damarion Dennis, Wyoming, a 6-1 sophomore guard from Veterans Memorial High School, a transfer from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Kingston Flemings, Houston, a 6-4 freshman guard from Brennan HS

Caleb Gaston, Houston Christian, a 6-7 junior forward from MacArthur HS

Christian Green, Stephen F. Austin, a 6-6 guard/forward from Veterans Memorial; transfer from Trinity University

Kaden Gumbs, Texas State, a 6-2 junior guard from San Marcos High School

LaTrell Hoover, Texas Tech, a 7-0 freshman forward from Clemens HS

Vincent Iwuchukwu, Georgetown, a 7-1 senior center, formerly of Cole HS, La Lumiere, Ind., Montverde Academy, Fla., Southern California Academy, a transfer from St. John’s; previously Southern Cal.

Langston Love, Georgetown, a 6-5 grad student guard from Steele HS, Montverde Academy, Fla.; a transfer from Baylor

Jordan Mason, Temple, a 6-3 senior guard from Clark HS, a transfer from Illinois-Chicago; previously at Texas State

Former Cole High School standout Vincent Iwuchukwu is playing for the Georgetown Hoyas.

Austin Nunez, UTSA, a 6-2 senior guard from Wagner HS, a transfer from Arizona State; previously Mississippi and Arizona State

Juan Reyna, Santa Clara, a 6-3 graduate senior guard from Antonian; also Duncanville HS; a transfer from Jackson State; formerly of Alabama State, Campbell and UTSA

Aidan Richard, Holy Cross, a 6-6 sophomore forward from Reagan HS

Athletes from San Antonio who played in high school out of the area

Zach Clemence, Texas A&M, a 6-11 grad student forward, San Antonio native, from Sunrise Christian (Kan.), a transfer from the University of Kansas

UTSA’s Claunch laments ‘unacceptable’ effort against UIW

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Dorian Hayes. UTSA men's basketball played Incarnate Word (UIW) in an exhibition game on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman Dorian Hayes started at point guard and finished with eight points and five rebounds. .- Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Austin Claunch started his postgame news conference Saturday afternoon with an admission. “I got to be honest,” the coach of the UTSA men’s basketball team said. “I thought we were going to play better.”

A week after coming up short in a closed scrimmage against Stephen F. Austin, the Roadrunners lost again, this time in front of an announced 1,361 fans on their home court.

In an exhibition billed as the “San Antonio Challenge,” the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals showed they were the best NCAA Division I men’s team in the city at the moment.

Coach Austin Claunch at UTSA men's basketball practice at the Convocation Center on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. - photo by Joe Alexander

Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch wasn’t happy with the outcome of Saturday’s exhibition, saying the Cardinals were better ‘in every facet’ of the game. – File photo by Joe Alexander

They ran up leads as large as 21 points in the first half, fended off a UTSA rally after intermission and won 87-76.

In a surprisingly strong performance from a team in the lower-rated Southland Conference, the Cardinals out-shot, out-rebounded and clearly out-hustled the Roadrunners, who play in the American.

Claunch credited UIW coach Shane Heirman and his players for their effort.

“We knew they were going to be really, really good,” Claunch said. “They’re obviously picked near the top of their league, and (they have) a lot of returners on a team that won (19) games last year, projected to win at least that many this year and be really good.

“But, for us to start the way we did (in) the first eight minutes of the game, there’s no excuse for that, (and) it falls back on the head coach. Falls back on everybody. I mean, it’s everyone involved. I’m the head of the operation, and I’m pissed. I’m pissed, and we need to go meet right now as a (coaching) staff.”

With a smaller team, UIW out-rebounded UTSA, 51-36. In the first half, when they built leads as large as 32-11 and 39-18, the Cardinals shot a sizzling 54 percent from the field. The Roadrunners, in turn, shot only 32 percent in the first 20 minutes.

“We got to do better,” Claunch said. “I mean, this is unacceptable, to have that effort in front of our home crowd. There was a good turnout, too.

“It’s just they were better in every facet of the game. More prepared. Better coached. Tougher. Better disciplined. Better energy.”

The coach ended his opening statement with a vow. “You’ll see a different team in 10 days,” Claunch said.

UTSA opens the regular season on Nov. 5 at home against the Houston-based College of Biblical Studies.

UTSA freshman guard Dorian Hayes said he saw some positives in the experience, knowing that the Roadrunners did make a run in the second half.

“I think some positive takeaway is that when we did go down, we did show some fight,” said Hayes, who finished with eight points and five rebounds in 29 minutes. “So I do think in the future, that could be good for us.

“It shows that we can embrace adversity, and I do think that we do have some guys who came off the bench and really gave us positive minutes. It just shows that they could flourish in their roles, and it doesn’t matter if they’re starting or if they’re coming off the bench.”

According to the statistics, the two most productive players among the Roadrunners were players who didn’t start — shooting guard Brent Moss and power forward Daniel Akitoby. Both led the team in the plus/minus column with a plus seven.

Moss, a 6-6 junior transfer from Barton College (Kan.), finished with a team-high 14 points on five of 11 shooting from the field. The native of The Bahamas, who moved to Lima, Ohio six years ago, also had a couple of rebounds to go along with three steals.

Akitoby, a 6-9 transfer from Morgan State, had eight points and four rebounds in only 10 minutes.

Among the UTSA starters, guard Jamir Simpson scored 12 points and Kaidon Rayfield added 10. Simpson hit a couple of threes from beyond the arc.

“I think Brent played really well tonight,” Hayes said. “He’s the one that really got us going defensively. Like, as far as energy, he’s the one that really stepped up. He forced a backcourt (violation) and got a couple of steals, hit some big-time shots. I really think he was the spark for today’s game.”

Highly-touted TCU transfer Vasean Allette, battling through illness and injury recently, finished with two points and six assists in 16 minutes. Austin Nunez, a former schoolboy star at Wagner High School in San Antonio, was out with an undisclosed injury and did not dress out.

Love Bettis led five UIW players in double figures with 16 points. Davion Bailey added 15, including four of nine from three-point range. The Cardinals shot 44.9 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from distance.

First half

Led by guards Davion Bailey and Harold Woods, the fast-breaking Cardinals raced to a 49-33 halftime lead.

UIW controlled the pace with its hustling style, out-rebounding UTSA, forcing mistakes and then running off their defense.

The Cardinals held an 18-7 lead at intermission on fast break points. In rebounding, they led 24-16.

Bailey led the Cardinals in the half with 13 points. The 6-foot-4 guard hit four of his eight attempts from beyond the three-point arc.

Woods, a 6-5 senior, scored 10 points on five of nine shooting. For the half, the Cardinals shot 54.5 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from distance.

Starting lineups

The Roadrunners started guards Dorian Hayes and Jamir Simpson, forwards Kaidon Rayfield and Macaleab Rich and center Stanley Borden.

The Cardinals went with Marcus Glover, Tahj Staveskie, Davion Bailey, Jordan Pyke and Harold Woods.

Nunez and Pierce Spencer, two point guards, are both expected to be ready to play for the season opener. Nunez has played previously at Arizona State and Ole Miss. Spencer played for Claunch at Nicholls State.

UTSA romps to a 106-51 victory over Texas A&M-San Antonio

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Mia Hammonds. UTSA women's basketball beat A&M-San Antonio 106-51 in an exhibition game on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Mia Hammonds, a sophomore from Steele High School, led UTSA with 24 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Sophomore forward Mia Hammonds scored a game-high 24 points Saturday as the new-look UTSA women’s basketball team stormed to a 106-51 exhibition victory over the NAIA Texas A&M-San Antonio Jaguars.

UTSA is opening a new era in women’s basketball, playing without Jordyn Jenkins, a two-time conference player of the year. Jenkins played out her eligibility after last season, when the Roadrunners won a conference title and constructed a 26-5 record.

“Hard to believe it’s already basketball season,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “It came pretty fast for us. We were really looking forward to playing in a game today … In my opinion, we’re kind of a blank canvas. I think we’ll kind of make our own path.

“It’ll be different than last year. I’m looking forward to seeing how they grow.”

Third quarter

With the UTSA defense continuing to pressure A&M-San Antonio into mistakes and missed shots, the Roadrunners rolled 25-10 in the quarter behind sophomore center Emilia Dannebauer’s seven points.

UTSA, limiting the visiting team to 25 percent shooting for the game, took an 81-41 lead into the fourth period. It was the game’s largest lead to that point. The Roadrunners were shooting 37.1 percent through three periods.

Halftime

UTSA sophomore wing Mia Hammonds came alive with 12 points in the second quarter as the Roadrunners expanded their lead to as many as 29. They went into the dressing room at intermission leading 56-31.

Jayda Holiman hit a three-pointer off the wing and Idara Udo muscled inside for a layup to cap a decisive 22-2 run late in the quarter.

First quarter

The Jaguars jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the opening two minutes, only to see the Roadrunners retaliate. By the end of the period, the Roadrunners had pushed out in front, 25-18, behind six points each from senior Cheyenne Rowe and freshman Adriana Robles.

The Roadrunners started the game with Ereauna Hardaway at point guard. Damara Allen and Mia Hammonds played on the wings, with Cheyenne Rowe and Idara Udo down low.

Pregame

The UTSA women are on the court, preparing to host the NAIA Texas A&M-San Antonio Jaguars at the Convocation Center. The game is part of the San Antonio Challenge, with the UTSA men set to host Incarnate Word later this afternoon.

Notable

UTSA had nine players dressed and warming up to play in the pre-game, including Emilia Dannebauer, Damara Allen, Mia Hammonds, Sanaa Bean, Jayda Holiman, Adriana Robles, Cheyenne Rowe, Idara Udo and Ereauna Hardaway.

Not dressed were Sema Udo, Siena Guttadauro, Saher Alizada, Nyayongah Gony, Taylor Ross and Maya Linton.

A&M-San Antonio established its athletic program in 2020. The Jaguars played their first season of men’s and women’s basketball last year. A&M-San Antonio women finished 18-12 and 14-10 in the Red River Athletic Conference. The Jags’ coach is Chris Minner.

Face in the crowd

Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox attended the game and sat in one of the courtside seats. He spent most of the intermission taking pictures with fans.

UTSA men try to reverse fortunes by following ‘the code’

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Baboucarr Njie. UTSA basketball Rowdy Jam on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA sophomore Baboucarr Njie and his older brother, Mo, are two of UTSA’s four players returning from last year. UTSA finished 12-19 in 2024-25, in Austin Claunch’s first season as coach. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Over the past few weeks, members of the UTSA men’s basketball team have talked about what has been described as their three “pillars” philosophy.

“Embrace adversity. (Strive to) be a great teammate,” they say. And, finally, “earn the right to win every day.”

It’s what one player has called “the code” to live by as the Roadrunners try to reverse the fortunes of a program that has suffered through four straight losing seasons.

“At the end of the day, we want to be able to win a championship and make it to March Madness,” UTSA sophomore Baboucarr Njie said at the American Conference tip-off event a few weeks ago. “I feel like living by the code each and every day, we’ll be able to get there.”

Most players this year are new to UTSA.

On the 15-player roster that will be unveiled Saturday afternoon in a home exhibition against the University of the Incarnate Word, 11 have never suited up in a game for the Roadrunners.

Playing the second game of an exhibition doubleheader — the UTSA women will tip off against Texas A&M-San Antonio at 1 p.m., followed by the men against UIW at 3:30 p.m. — the team will take the floor at the Convocation Center.

It’ll be opening day in an effort to convince skeptics in their own fanbase that they can re-write a troubling narrative that has been dogging Roadrunners men’s basketball for more than a dozen years.

Ever since UTSA started football and departed from the Southland Conference, men’s basketball has struggled.

The Roadrunners, starting in 2012-13, have stacked 10 losing seasons out of 13 in leagues ranging from the Western Athletic Conference (for one year), Conference USA (for 10) and the American (for the last two).

Even though most players in coach Austin Claunch’s second year on campus have just arrived on campus, at least one player says that they all know the story.

“Obviously UTSA hasn’t had very great seasons in the past couple of years, and our team knows that,” former San Antonio schoolboy standout Austin Nunez said. “So, we’re trying to (come in) with a different mentality, of just trying to go at whoever is in front of us.”

The game against UIW will not count on UTSA’s record. But it’s a jumping off point to the regular season, which will open Nov. 5 at home against the College of Biblical Studies.

The first game against NCAA Division I competition will come on Nov. 7 against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Ever since the release of the American’s preseason poll a few weeks ago, UTSA players have been irritated with being picked 11th.

“My expectations are to win 20 games,” said Nunez, an all-state player at Wagner High School. “And, you know, you win 20 games and you’re in a great spot. That’s definitely the goal.”

The Roadrunners won 12 games last year and only 43 over the past four years, so a 20-win season would be a breakthrough.

“That’s something the school hasn’t done in a long time,” Nunez said. “Getting there is going to put us in the spot that we want to be in. And from there, we got to just take care of the rest.”

Claunch said his players, who have been together practicing since June, are eager to get their season started.

“Guys are just ready to go,” Claunch said. “Guys are ready to play. It’s kind of time of year that you’re in that scrimmage-exhibition kind of mode, and guys are excited to see somebody else (on the court).”

Mo Njie, a 6-foot-11 grad student, returns as one of the leaders of the team.

After going through Claunch’s offseason last summer, Babourcarr Njie’s older brother knows all about the pillars of success and, particularly, about the meaning of embracing of adversity.

He sat out most of last year with a foot injury.

Asked to explain the second pillar, to describe what it means to be a good teammate, center Mo Njie said it mostly boils down to just doing the right things on a day-to-day basis for the benefit of everyone in the locker room.

“Really, it goes on and off the floor,” he said. “Looking out for each other through ups and downs. Somebody dives on the floor, be the first person to sprint over and pick him up. Clapping for them, your know.

“Whether you’re playing or not, having a good mentality. Being positive. Have positive body language. Just being a good person overall. It doesn’t really take much to be a great teammate, but it’s something that is very under mind for a lot of people.”

What about earning the right to win, and doing it on a daily basis?

“You know, winning is not easy,” Mo Njie said. “You got to be able to come in every single day. You got to be disciplined. You got to be consistent and you got to be able to do whatever it takes to win. That means the little things, too.”

The little things?

“Guys got to get into the gym every day and get extra shots,” he said. “Communicate with each other on an elite level in practice. It’s going to mean a lot in the big games.

“Like, we got a lot of big games coming up in Alabama, Colorado and whatnot, so, going into those environments, we’re going to have to do the little things to put us on top in those games.”

Coming up

The San Antonio Challenge will tip off on Saturday at the Convocation Center, with Texas A&M-San Antonio playing the UTSA women at 1 p.m., followed by Incarnate Word against the UTSA men at 3:30 p.m.