UTSA women open in AAC quarterfinals on Monday at noon

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The top-seeded UTSA Roadrunners will play either the UAB Blazers or the Rice Owls on Monday at noon in Fort Worth in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, according to the bracket released by the AAC.

Defending tournament champion Rice is the No. 9 seed, and UAB is No. 8.

Should UTSA win in the quarterfinals it would advance to Tuesday’s semifinals, scheduled for 6 p.m., against either Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, Tulsa or Temple. The highest seeds out of that group would include No. 5 Tulsa or No. 4 Temple.

If the other side of the bracket plays out according to seed, No. 3 South Florida would meet No. 2 North Texas in the other semifinal on Tuesday. Tipoff would be at 8 p.m.

The finals are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, with the winner of the title game earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Games in the AAC tournament will open on Saturday in Denton, with Sunday through Wednesday matchups at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Rice and UAB are scheduled to play Sunday at noon.

The Roadrunners, who enter the postseason at 26-3, finished 17-1 in the regular season. They are undefeated against everyone in the 13-team tournament field except for South Florida.

UTSA beat UAB 67-56 at home on Jan. 1.

UTSA is 2-0 against Rice, having beaten the Owls 67-58 at home on Jan. 8. On Feb. 22 in Houston, the Roadrunners escaped with a 57-55 victory over the Owls when Dominique Ennis missed a three at the buzzer.

Last year, Rice entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed and won four games in four days to win it all. The Owls hoisted the trophy after defeating the ninth-seeded East Carolina Pirates in the finals.

A day earlier, East Carolina ended No. 4 seed UTSA’s season in the semifinals.

The Roadrunners haven’t won a conference tournament in women’s basketball since they did it in both 2007-08 and 2008-09 in the Southland.

No. 16 Memphis men beat UTSA 75-70 to claim share of AAC crown and No. 1 tournament seed

Jonnivius Smith. Memphis beat UTSA 75-70 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jonnivius Smith led the Roadrunners with 18 and hit three shots from behind the 3-point arc as UTSA played Memphis to the wire, only to fall in the final seconds. The Roadrunners dropped to 11-18 on the season and to 5-12 in the American Athletic Conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

This time a year ago, the Memphis Tigers were in the midst of a frustrating collapse.

With one of the most talented rosters in the American Athletic Conference, they started the season 15-2, only to drop eight of their last 15 games.

In the AAC tournament, they entered as the No. 5 seed and then lost to the 12th-seeded Wichita State Shockers in the second round.

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway. Memphis beat UTSA 75-70 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway has guided his team to a 25-5 record, including 15-2 in the AAC. — Photo by Joe Alexander.

Before the NIT even offered them a chance to continue their season, Tigers coach Penny Hardaway stated that they would not play, despite having 22 wins on their ledger.

With a revamped roster and coaching staff this season, the Tigers have made amends. Ranked 16th in the nation in both polls, they claimed at least a share of the AAC men’s basketball title Tuesday night with a 75-70 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners at the Convocation Center.

“It’s a great feeling, coming from where we were last year,” Hardaway said. “Great feeling to have the opportunity to go back home for one more game and have it all.”

If the 25-win Tigers can beat the South Florida Bulls on Friday at home, they will lock up the title outright, a first for the program in 12 years and a first for Hardaway in his seven years as the Memphis head coach.

A close battle, down to the wire, unfolded in the last minute. With Memphis leading a UTSA team playing without senior forward Raekwon Horton by only two points, players from both teams couldn’t capitalize on opportunities to score.

For the Tigers, forward Nicholas Jordain missed a couple of free throws and Dain Dainja turned it over against an aggressive Roadrunners’ defense.

For UTSA, guard Primo Spears missed a driving layup in traffic with about 50 seconds left and hit only the rim on a three-point attempt with 12 seconds remaining.

Later, Memphis guard PJ Haggerty sank six straight free throws in the final 10 seconds to seal it.

“Just a great battle,” Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch said. “First of all, congratulations to Memphis. I do think they clinched a share tonight. A regular season championship. It’s a great accomplishment.

“Coach Hardaway’s done a great job. So to them and their fan base, congrats.”

In facing Memphis, UTSA was attempting to become the first team at the school in 30 years to beat a ranked opponent. The Roadrunners did it in December of the 1994-95 season, when they upset No. 13 Arizona State on the road, 87-85 in overtime, at Tempe.

Claunch said he’s extremely proud to have taken a team that has lost only twice during the AAC schedule right down to the wife.

“That’s a good feeling when you battle a team that is as (highly) regarded as Memphis is, and we’re right there,” he said. “You know, just a couple of shots at the end. One of those goes in and we’re sitting here feeling so different.”

UTSA sophomore Marcus Millender supplied some drama at the end when he hit a pull-up three with a second left to make it a three-point game, giving the Roadrunners hope if they could steal the inbounds.

But Memphis inbounded successfully to Haggerty, who was fouled and made both freebies with five tenths of a second left for the last points of the game.

“It’s one of those things,” Claunch said. “It never feels good to lose, but we understand what lies ahead, and we’re extremely confident, and we’re starting to play our best ball right when we knew we wanted to.”

The Roadrunners will play Sunday at Charlotte to close out the regular season before turning their attention next week to the conference tournament.

“Not exactly how we wanted to finish out in the Convo,” the coach said. “But I know these guys are ready to get back out here and get ready for Sunday and then get to Fort Worth and make some noise.”

Records

Memphis 25-5, 15-2
UTSA 11-18, 5-12

Coming up

UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, 3 p.m.

Notable

UTSA senior forward Raekwon Horton apparently did not attend the game, with Claunch saying he was “away on personal leave.”

Asked if he knew whether Horton would be available for the regular-season finale and the tournament, Claunch said he’d have more information in a couple of days.

Playing without a key player in the lineup has been nothing new for the Roadrunners this season. It’s happened at least a half dozen times, when the team has needed to adjust the starting five and the rotation for someone unavailable to play.

Through it all, the team never seems to lose its competitive edge. And, for the most part, things run smoothly with the available players. UTSA could have used Horton against Memphis, for sure. But the Roadrunners played hard and were in it until the end without him.

Claunch, flanked by Jo Smith and Primo Spears in the post-game, said the resilience to play through the setbacks is a product of his players’ collective will.

“It’s these guys,” the coach said, nodding at Smith and Spears. “It’s these guys’ commitment to work and their maturity and their character. Listen, we have a really good team. When someone is out, these guys are capable.

“Like you said, we’ve had different guys out, and we’ve stepped up. That’s a testament to these guys’ commitment to work and belief in each other. And certainly, yeah, you want it always to be 100 percent. But that’s just not realistic.”

Individuals

Memphis — Forward Dain Dainja, a 6-9, 255-pounder, wowed the crowd with a flying dunk off a turnover in the second half and finished with a team-high 19 points. Dainja also was efficient, hitting eight of 12 from the field, and he was physical, pulling down eight rebounds. Guard PJ Haggerty scored 18, making 12 of 13 at the free-throw line. Forward Nicholas Jourdain had a solid line with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Guard Colby Rogers scored 10.

UTSA — Forward Jonnivius Smith came off the bench to lead the Roadrunners with 18 points. With Memphis paying special attention to Primo Spears, Marcus Millender and Damari Monsanto, Smith stepped out and knocked down three of four from the 3-point line. He also had seven rebounds and two blocks. Millender scored 16, Spears 14 and Tai’Reon Joseph 12. UTSA’s three-point specialists — Monsanto, Millender and Spears – hit a combined five of 23 from beyond the arc against the Tigers.

UTSA women pound East Carolina for ninth straight victory

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The American Athletic Conference champion UTSA women’s basketball team rolled to a 28-point lead in the third quarter and then cruised to a 67-48 victory over the East Carolina Pirates Tuesday night.

With the win, coming in a road game at Greenville, N.C., the Roadrunners improved to 26-3 on the season. They finished their remarkable run through the AAC with a 17-1 record, tying a school mark for wins in conference. UTSA is 19-1 in its last 20 games leading into the AAC tournament.

The tournament opens on Saturday in Denton and continues the rest of the way in Fort Worth at Dickies Arena. Second-round games are Sunday, and then UTSA will open play on Monday in the quarterfinals as the tournament’s top seed.

Jordyn Jenkins had 26 points and six rebounds to lead the Roadrunners. Jenkins, a player of the year candidate in the AAC, hit 11 of 14 shots from the field. Forward Idara Udo contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Point guard Nina De Leon Negron had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists as the Roadrunners swept two games this season from the Pirates, who eliminated the Roadrunners at the AAC tournament last year.

UTSA’s Spears developed a ‘fire in his gut’ after a scary elbow injury in high school

Primo Spears. The UTSA men's basketball team beat Trinity 103-77 on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA senior guard Primo Spears likely will play his last home game for the Roadrunners Tuesday night against the 18th-ranked Memphis Tigers. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

I feel extremely fortunate to have seen senior guard Amir “Primo” Spears play basketball this season at UTSA.

As Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch says, Spears likely will be playing the game for “a long time” after he leaves the hills of oak and cedar, so to watch him closely at this stage of his development has been a real treat.

To have the opportunity to sit at courtside again Tuesday night when the Roadrunners are scheduled to host the 16th-ranked Memphis Tigers, in what likely will be Spears’ last home game at UTSA, well, that will be pretty cool, too.

Primo Spears at UTSA men's basketball senior day 2025.

Amir “Primo” Spears holds a framed memento of his No. 1 jersey during Sunday’s Senior Day celebration. His father, Amir “Big Primo” Spears, is third from the left. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Before the Tigers and the Roadrunners tip off, though, I wanted to share some insight into what makes Spears the athlete that we see today. The player who brings constant energy. The guy who has led the team in scoring, dazzling all year long with a variety of drives, spin moves and jumpers.

I mean, we’re talking about a kid who has played four seasons at four different schools – Duquesne, Georgetown, Florida State and now UTSA — and has scored 1,687 points.

Last fall, a few games into his first season with the Roadrunners, I had a chance to chat with him about a harrowing experience he had when he was a prep standout from Hartford, Conn., and how it shaped his career.

A harrowing experience

Here’s what happened: In the summer between his freshman and sophomore year of high school, Spears had already emerged as a highly-rated basketball prospect.

How good was he? His father, Amir “Big Primo” Spears, said St. John’s University offered his son a scholarship as an eighth-grader.

Given his burgeoning prowess on the court, “Little Primo” was in New York City in August of 2017 after his ninth-grade year, playing in an all-star game with some of the best ballers in the Northeast as his father watched from the grandstands.

During the game, late in the second half, a player on the opposing team drove down the left side of the lane to the basket. Spears leaped to defend the play and was undercut, causing him to fall.

Marcus Millender and Primo Spears celebrate after Millender made a shot to give UTSA a 79-75 lead with 44.5 seconds left. East Carolina beat UTSA 80-79 at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Marcus Millender (4) and Primo Spears (1) celebrate after Millender made a shot against East Carolina. Spears and Millender, a sophomore, have formed a high-scoring tandem in the UTSA backcourt. – File photo by Joe Alexander

To brace himself, he put his left hand down on the floor, and the impact sent a jolt through his arm that, ultimately, would threaten to alter the course of his career.

Spears didn’t know what had happened initially, but he knew it was bad when he looked at his elbow and saw bone protruding through the skin.

Immediately, “Big Primo” rushed out of the stands at the New York Gauchos’ facility to see what had happened. Shocked at the severity of the injury, father and son tried to sort out their next move.

They decided against seeking help at a hospital in New York and elected to drive home to Hartford, a trip that would take two hours.

“One of the worst days of my life,” “Big Primo” said in a telephone interview on Monday. Asked what he thought and felt immediately after he fell, “Little Primo” said his arm initially just felt numb.

“Somebody tried to help me up,” he recalled. “And when I looked down, that’s when I felt the pain and I (saw) the bone. The pain was just relentless.”

Spears said he didn’t want to seek treatment in New York because he knew he would be uncomfortable coming out of the emergency room, still so far away from home.

As he recalled, he said he instead took “six or seven Tylenol” for the drive back to Connecticut.

When doctors examined him in Hartford, it was determined that he had a “Terrible Triad Injury.” In other words, he dislocated his elbow, fractured the head and neck of his radial bone and ruptured an adjacent ligament.

A ‘devastating’ injury

Kevin Burton, an orthopedist in Hartford who repaired the elbow surgically, said in a video years later that “these are devastating injuries and often can be career ending.”

He said the initial procedure was critical to his patient’s recovery.

Primo Spears. UTSA men's basketball lost to Tulsa 82-77 in American Athletic Conference action on Monday, Jan. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Primo Spears drives the ball on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Jan. 7 at the Convocation Center. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“I was happy to get all the pieces back together,” Burton said in a video taped at the ceremony when Spears signed in 2021 with Duquesne. “That was my goal, and I didn’t have to replace the radial head, which was an achievement for the night.”

At that point, the doctor said, he knew there was a possibility that Spears could come back to play competitive sports again.

Spears said he remembers going through three procedures, or, operations.

The first came on the day of the mishap, to pop the elbow back into place. The second followed some five days later when more extensive repair was done, with the insertion of a plate and four rods.

A third followed a few months later when doctors took bone from his wrist and grafted it to the elbow.

“We had to do a bone graft to get the fracture to heal,” Burton said. “So, fortunately, a few months after that, he did go on to heal and complete the recovery process.”

Burton applauded Spears for doing the work.

“Those are tough injuries,” the doctor said. “Recovery is painful. It’s hard. It’s very hard. And he did the work. It takes a lot of grit and determination to get back from this injury, and defy all those odds, and that’s what he did.”

A proud father

“Big Primo” Spears sat and watched in the Convocation Center on Sunday night as his son hit six three point shots and scored 25 to help lead an 84-56 victory over the Rice Owls. He plans to stay in town to watch the Memphis game, as well.

In a telephone interview on Monday, “Big Primo” said his son’s experience with a major injury and extensive rehabilitation at such a young age, however traumatic, helped him develop “a fire in his gut” for competition.

He said his son suffered in the days after the injury with pain medications and their side effects, which led to stomach aches and a loss of appetite. As a result, his son lost weight.

After the bone graft surgery, the grind continued. He started working with physical therapists on conditioning.

“Through it all, I think it built a lot of character in him,” “Big Primo” said. “Ever since he was three years old, he’s played football and basketball all year long. I think it brought a lot of structure and a lot of character and work ethic.

“When that’s taken from you, you feel like your world’s coming to an end. So , it was tough not to play any sports that year. This happened after his freshman year. He already had his first offer from St. John’s, so it was tough.

“There were doctors who didn’t think they’d be able to put (his elbow) back together to where he’d be an elite athlete again. So, in our minds, he beat the odds. We feel like, in his journey, it built a lot of character and a lot of fire in his gut.”

“Big Primo” said he doesn’t think the injury has limited his son physically in any way.

“No, not at all,” he said. “That arm is about as strong as it’s ever been, thanks to some amazing doctors … from Hartford HealthCare, with Dr. Burton and Jeff Flaks, the CEO. I think he’s stronger than ever.”

Anyone watching Windsor High School athletics teams at that time of his return knew that “Little Primo” was on his way back.

After he was cleared, he played basketball as a junior in 2018-19 and averaged 25.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and two steals, leading the Warriors to a runner-up finish in the Division I state championship tournament.

By the next year, as a senior, he played both football and basketball. In football, he made all state, pulling double duty at both cornerback and wide receiver.

“Little Primo” said he really wanted to play football all four years in high school. When he brought up the idea of playing his junior year, immediately after his year-long rehabilitation, he said his parents were opposed to it.

Told what his son had said, “Big Primo” laughed. “Oh, my gosh,” he said. “He snuck on the football field (as a senior) and by the end of the year he was all state and had Power Five interest.”

“Little Primo” often calls “Big Primo” his best friend.

“He’s the one that put the ball in my hands,” he said.

Leaving a legacy

It’s safe to say that Austin Claunch, in his first year with the Roadrunners, is one coach who is happy that Primo Spears gave up running pass routes on a football field to devote his time to shooting jumpers in a basketball gym.

Even though the Roadrunners haven’t been as successful as the coach has wanted to this point, Claunch applauded the example set by Spears, Raekwon Horton and Damari Monsanto. UTSA saluted those three in “Senior Day” ceremonies before the Rice game.

“Senior Day is always a special moment,” Claunch said. “Especially in (this) being our first year here (as coaches). Those are three guys who could have gone to a lot of places. They took a leap of faith and came here to begin the process of building something.”

Claunch said he knew about Spears’ elbow injury from high school, but he said the two never discussed it at length. One thing he does know is that he will miss his leadership and the way he plays the game.

He’s averaging 20 points, which is a career best. He’s also averaged 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

Showing off his improved three-point shooting — 37 percent for the season — he hit six from beyond the arc against Rice, all of them in the second half, no less. The Owls would try to defend him with different looks, but it didn’t matter.

Sometimes they would switch and send one of their taller players out to meet him. Spears would merely take a step or two back and shoot another rainbow, higher and farther, with the same results.

“You guys see the end product,” Claunch said. “We see him in the gym three times a day. Some of those shots don’t look as open for some people (shooting them), but these are things he’s working on every single day, and I see him make ‘em at a consistent level.”

In the book on Primo Spears, Claunch joked that he’ll probably be mentioned on one “little” page. That may be the case, but, oh, what a story it’s been. I’m just happy to have chronicled some of it.

Records

Memphis 24-5, 14-2
UTSA 11-17, 5-11

Coming up

Memphis at UTSA, tonight, 6
UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, 3 p.m.
(end of regular season)
UTSA at AAC tournament, March 12-16

Notable

A UTSA victory tonight would be the program’s first in 30 years over a Top 25 team. The last time a Roadrunners’ men’s basketball team defeated a ranked opponent, they beat the 13th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils 87-85 in overtime in the 1994-95 season, on Dec. 18, 1994, at Tempe, Ariz.

The 16th-ranked Memphis Tigers hold a one-game lead in the AAC standings with two to play and can clinch at least a tie for the title and the No. 1 seed in the tournament if they can beat the Roadrunners tonight.

It would be the first regular-season title at Memphis for seventh-year coach Penny Hardaway and the first for the Tigers men’s basketball overall since 2013. They close out their schedule on Friday at home against South Florida.

The Tigers are 14-2, followed by North Texas Mean Green at 13-3. North Texas (22-3 on the season) plays at home Thursday night against the Charlotte 49ers and on the road Sunday against the Temple Owls.

Memphis has the head-to-head tiebreaker on North Texas. The Tigers won at home on Jan. 5, beating the Mean Green, 68-64. The Tigers, led by the backcourt of PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers, have won three straight and 11 of their last 12.

Guard PJ Carter, who played last season at UTSA, comes off the bench for the Tigers.

UTSA baseball coach is serving a two-game suspension

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

A UTSA spokesman said in a text that baseball coach Pat Hallmark will serve the second game of a two-game suspension when his team plays on the road tonight at the 14th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies.

The coach was hit with the suspension after his ejection from the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Youngstown State Penguins.

Hallmark served the first game of the suspension on Sunday in the Roadrunners’ victory at home over the Penguins in a weekend series finale.

UTSA swept four games from Youngstown State over the weekend, extending its winning streak to 10 and running its record to 11-3.

The Roadrunners played four games on the road to start the season and went 1-3. Returning home to play their next 10, the Roadrunners won all of them.

The Aggies, ranked No 1 in the preseason, have dropped four straight games, falling to 6-4 and to 14th in the D1 Baseball rankings.

Texas A&M defeated UTSA 6-5 last year in College Station on a bottom of the ninth-inning solo home run by Jackson Appel off Robert Orloski.

The Roadrunners led 5-1 after four innings and couldn’t hold on.

UTSA men just needed to ‘exhale’ before ending their six-game skid

Austin Claunch. UTSA beat Rice 84-56 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch exhorts senior Primo Spears during Sunday night’s blowout victory over the Rice Owls. Spears and sophomore Marcus Millender scored 25 points apiece and combined for nine three pointers. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

For the past few weeks, UTSA coach Austin Claunch has tried to find the key to unlocking his players’ potential as a team. Just how, during a six-game losing streak, could he get them to finish games that they often started so well and then frittered away at the end?

Following a loss in overtime last Sunday at East Carolina after they led by nine with 13 minutes left in regulation, they came home and, basically, did nothing for three days. They rested and recharged. Then they returned to work on Thursday to open a stretch of three straight days of practices.

Back together again, they preached composure. Talked about keeping a cool head while playing their frenetic style. The strategy worked well on Sunday night as they blew out the Rice Owls in the second half of an 84-56 victory at the Convocation Center.

Marcus Millender celebrates after hitting a second-half 3-pointer. UTSA beat Rice 84-56 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Marcus Millender made nine of 10 shots from the field en route to 25 points against Rice. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Afterward, guards Marcus Millender and Primo Spears flanked Claunch in the post-game press conference, and the coach talked with some passion about how the team managed to climb out of its funk to start the last week of its run through the American Athletic Conference schedule.

“I’ve been through a similar stretch,” Claunch said. “Listen, at the end of the day, these two guys (Millender and Spears) are every day guys. They’re going to play basketball for a long time. There’s going to be other years that maybe it doesn’t go exactly as it’s planned and what’s been frustrating about this stretch is, you don’t even feel like you’re close. You feel like you’re there.

“You just got to make one more play. But, again, it says a lot about these guys’ character, and how they were raised and who they are. You guys see all the close games, but you don’t see, like, we’re having great practices. And that is why we’re in these games even when we’re losing.

“That’s why we had three incredible days of practices (leading into the Rice game). Obviously we’re the last team with the bye (into the upcoming AAC tournament), and we had three days off. We didn’t do anything Monday through Wednesday, and, you know, these guys just need to exhale a little bit.

“Tonight was just a product of three really good days (of practice) and then just trust and leadership, starting with these two, but everyone. Damari (Monsanto), it’s not always about shooting threes, he’s plus 19 out there. He was the Texas Tough winner.

“And I thought Tai’Reon Joseph, Jo (Smith), the bench, just came in and provided incredible energy.

“It’s about time Bab (freshman Baboucarr Njie) dunked one. I’ve been giving him a hard time. So, again, it’s just a total team effort, and it’s fun. You know, that was complementary basketball (tonight). Defense to offense. Offense to defense. And we’re going to need more if we’re going to make a push for this thing.”

Baboucarr Njie. UTSA beat Rice 84-56 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Emblematic of solid bench play for UTSA, freshman Baboucarr Njie dunks in the second half of UTSA’s 84-56 blowout victory over Rice. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Spears and Millender scored 25 points each, and the Roadrunners exploded past the Owls 53-33 in the second half. With the win, UTSA gained a confidence boost leading into a Tuesday night home game against the 18th-ranked Memphis Tigers.

For the second time this season, Spears and Millender confounded the Owls. Spears had 26 points and Millender 25 on Jan. 14 in a 90-84 win at Houston.

The two heated up again in the re-match against their in-state rivals. Millender hit nine of 10 shots from the field, including three of four from three-point territory. He also passed for seven assists.

Spears was nine of 16 afield and six of nine from deep. The senior from Hartford, Conn., one of the day’s honorees on Senior Day, scored 19 of his points in a sizzling second half.

So, with 174 points scored against the Owls in two games, the opening question in the post-game news conference centered on why the Roadrunners’ offense seems to flow so well against their AAC friends from Houston.

“Our offense has been like that all season,” Millender said. “In practice, we go hard every day. We know where our spots are going to be at all times, especially me and Pri — the dynamic duo. The past two times we’ve seen Rice, we both combined for 50 plus. So, we just went out there and played hard.”

Spears, whose parents made the trip to San Antonio for Senior Day, said it felt good to snap the losing streak.

Jonnivius Smith. UTSA beat Rice 84-56 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jonnivius Smith produced 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks off the bench. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“(It means) everything, especially going into Tuesday, giving us a little confidence,” he said. “I thought we’ve just been playing really well. Even with the win column not looking as good as it is, I think we’ve played really well for 35 minutes of game time.

“So in this week off, we stressed being composed in the last five minutes of the game. I thought me and No. 4 (Millender) did a great job.”

Caden Powell scored 12 points to lead the Owls.

Records

Rice 13-17, 4-13
UTSA 11-17, 5-11

Coming up

Memphis at UTSA, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, March 9, 3 p.m.

First half

Millender scored on a drive and then hit a three to spark a 9-2 run late in the first half as the UTSA Roadrunners broke open a close game and moved into a 31-23 lead at intermission.

Two UTSA seniors went down and limped off late in the half. First, Spears came off with less than five minutes left, appearing to favor his left leg or foot. He returned a few minutes later and scored on a driving layup.

In the last few seconds of the half, Monsanto leaped to make a play on the defensive end and came down hard, hitting the floor in front of the UTSA bench. He, too, was helped off as the team walked toward the dressing room at intermission.

UTSA’s defense kept Rice from getting much momentum started, as the Roadrunners held the Owls to 26.7 percent shooting from the floor. UTSA, in shooting 37.5 percent, made three from beyond the 3-point arc.

Monsanto hit two of the triples and Millender stroked the other. Meanwhile, the Owls hit only one of 11 shots from outside the arc, some of them uncontested that must missed.

Notable

In the pregame, UTSA honored Primo Spears, Damari Monsanto and Raekwon Horton on Senior Day. Monsanto had six points and three rebounds, but was, as Claunch mentioned, a robust plus 19 on the plus-minus chart. Horton had two points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes.

PJ Haggerty scored 25 points, including 17 in the final 12 minutes, as Memphis came back from an 11-point deficit to beat UAB 88-81 on Sunday in Birmingham.

With the win, the Tigers (24-5, 14-2) moved closer to an AAC regular-season title. Memphis leads North Texas (21-6, 12-3) by one game in the loss column. UAB (19-10, 12-4) fell two games back.

Tuesday’s game will mark the return of former UTSA guard P.J. Carter, a key reserve for the Tigers. Carter played for the Roadrunners last season. He is averaging 5.4 points in 14.1 minutes for Coach Penny Hardaway in Memphis.

Primo Spears. UTSA beat Rice 84-56 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Connecticut native Primo Spears hit six three-point baskets and scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half for UTSA. He said he was inspired by the presence of his parents, who attended on Senior Day. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA set to honor Horton, Monsanto and Spears on Senior Day

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Raekwon Horton, Damari Monsanto and Primo Spears will be honored today on Senior Day as the UTSA Roadrunners host the Rice Owls at 5 p.m. in American Athletic Conference men’s basketball.

A spokesman said the ceremony will be held on the court at the Convocation Center before the game.

The Roadrunners also will try to snap out of a six-game losing streak as they move into the final week in the regular season.

During the skid, UTSA has lost three of the games at home and three on the road. Two of the losses have been by one point, two more by four and one by five.

The Roadrunners, in their last outing a week ago today, took a one-point lead at the intermission and built it to nine with 13:30 left in the second half but couldn’t hold on, dropping a 96-89 overtime decision to the East Carolina Pirates.

In today’s matchup, UTSA and Rice are battling for favorable seeding going into the AAC tournament, which is scheduled March 12-16.

The first day of the tournament is set to be played Denton between the 12th and 13th-place teams in the final standings. The remainder of the tournament is scheduled to be held in Fort Worth at Dickies Arena.

Right now, UTSA is in 11th in the AAC standings with three to play, including two at home, today against Rice and Tuesday night against the first-place Memphis Tigers. They’ll close out the regular season next Sunday at last-place Charlotte.

Rice is currently 12th.

Records

Rice 13-16, 4-12
UTSA 10-17, 4-11

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, today, 5 p.m.
Memphis at UTSA, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, March 9, 3 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners beat the Owls 90-84 on the road Jan. 14 as Primo Spears scored 26, Marcus Millender 25 and Raekwon Horton 20. It was one of the better games of the season for Millender, a Houston native, as he knocked down five of six from three-point range. He also had four assists and three steals. UTSA leads 14-11 in the series.

Raekwon Horton, from Santee, S.C., has been an all-purpose standout for the Roadrunners, averaging 12.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.7 assists. He’s played previously for NCAA tournament teams at the College of Charleston and James Madison.

Damari Monsanto is from Pembroke Pines, Fla. He came to UTSA this season from Wake Forest University. With averages of 11 points, four rebounds and 1.2 steals, Monsanto is known as one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the American, hitting 42 percent from behind the arc.

Former Hartford, Conn., prep standout Primo Spears has averaged 36 minutes and a team-leading 19.8 points per game, which is 21st in the nation. Previously, Spears has played in college at Duquesne, Georgetown and Florida State. In four seasons, he’s scored 1,662 points.

UTSA women clinch an AAC regular-season title and a No. 1 tournament seed


Jordyn Jenkins. 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

Jordyn Jenkins finishes cutting down the net at the Convocation Center after UTSA clinched the 2024-25 American Athletic Conference regular-season title on Saturday. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Forget about all those losing seasons in years past. Turn down all the negative vibes. As of about 2 p.m. Saturday, the UTSA Roadrunners became champions. Undisputed champs. For real. They donned championship hats, danced in sprays of confetti and then cut down the nets at the Convocation Center.

Led by a subtle tour-de-force showing from star forward Jordyn Jenkins on Senior Day, the Roadrunners downed the FAU Owls 60-42 to win the American Athletic Conference women’s basketball title outright, establishing school records for wins in a season (25) and single-game attendance (2,250) in the process.

With only a Tuesday night road game at East Carolina remaining before the AAC tournament, the Roadrunners improved to an eye-popping 25-3 overall and to 16-1 in the conference. In addition, the team added to its burgeoning legacy in the program’s history by finishing the home schedule undefeated (13-0) for the first time since 1984-85.

“I think we all want to take a deep breath right now,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “It’s been a long journey, for sure. A lot of pressure, to be honest with you. Three quarters of the way through (the schedule) I think we knew we had a shot at this thing. I know the players have felt pressure.

“It’s been a pretty wonderful journey — and we’re not done yet. This is a pretty unbelievable experience for all of us.”

Next week, UTSA will enter the AAC tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Roadrunners have earned a double bye and will open play in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 10, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

In Fort Worth, they likely will need to win three games in three days to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament, which has always been the team’s ultimate goal. But for now, the Roadrunners will savor the present. And, by all measure, they have earned that luxury after winning eight games in a row and 18 of their last 19.

“I think this has been a goal of ours from the very beginning,” Jenkins said, “so finally tasting it is, like, surreal. I mean, like, confetti. What? But, no, it’s cool. Cutting the net down? All that. We kind of manifested this and have been working toward this goal. We’re now just living it.”

The festivities started early in the morning at the Convocation Center, with fans sitting in the parking lot, cooking food and listening to country music. A blow-up house in which kids could enter and bounce up and down on a sunny morning was part of the scene.

Inside the building, there was a distinctive bounce to the atmosphere, as well. By the time officials saluted seniors Jenkins and Nina De Leon Negron in a pre-game ceremony, fans had jammed the seats in the lower section.

Some were even watching from the upper section of seating, which has been unheard of at UTSA women’s basketball until this season, when the Roadrunners have suddenly become a talking point on social media.

Marketing has also been in overdrive, promoting the regular-season home finale as “The Last Dance,” with an image of Jenkins and De Leon Negron on a poster.

“I mean, I just feel like just celebrating this moment,” De Leon Negron said. “And, like, every single emotion I’ve been feeling, I feel like I never felt ’em before. It just feels like everything’s worth it. I’m just happy. I’m just really happy.”

Watching her teammates rolling on the floor in the confetti and all the fans mingling, shaking hands and making cell-phone photos, UTSA junior Sidney Love had a wide grin on her face, saying the championship had a spiritual meaning for her.

“It feels amazing,” Love said. “All our hard work just paid off. This is just a testament to that. We give all our glory to God, though. We got God first. It’s just an amazing feeling. He led us all the way here, and we’re going to keep going.”

For the Roadrunners, winning 89.3 percent of their games this season hasn’t always been as stress-free as Saturday’s clincher against the AAC’s last-place Owls, who never led. In fact, UTSA has won three in conference by two points.

In another, on the road against the second-tier Memphis Tigers, they trailed by 11 with 3:44 remaining, started a furious rally and ended up winning by nine. Reporters have asked the Roadrunners a compelling question in the wake of these gut-it-out victories. What makes them so tough?

“I don’t know,” Love said. “I just think we all have our eyes on the prize, and we’re all really determined to get to that goal.”

In the 68-team NCAA tournament, teams have two avenues into the field — either with an automatic bid as a reward for winning a conference tournament, or with an at-large bid.

In the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings published Saturday morning, UTSA was ranked 73rd in the nation, with 20 non-power conference programs ranked higher, so it might be a long shot to think that the Roadrunners would have a realistic chance of getting an at-large bid.

Aston said UTSA and other top teams in the AAC should get consideration if they come up short of winning it all Fort Worth.

“I think the American is too good for a one-bid league,” she said. “I’m sorry. I can’t buy that, and I hope we get some recognition somewhere along the way.”

Regardless, the coach of the Roadrunners said she believes her team will be ready after being ousted in the semifinals last year. Aston’s best player said she is ready.

“I’m excited,” Jenkins said. “I know it’s going to be tough. Three games in three days. But, I played two games in two days twice this year. I feel like my body’s ready to get a third one in there.”

Records

Florida Atlantic 10-20, 2-15
UTSA 25-3, 16-1

Coming up

UTSA at East Carolina, Tuesday, 5 p.m.
(end of regular season)
UTSA at AAC tournament, in Fort Worth, March 10-12

Notable

The Roadrunners flexed their muscle as one of the top rebounding teams in the nation statistically, out-boarding the Owls 43-28, including 21-9 on the offensive glass. Because of the rebounding disparity, and also because of 19 FAU turnovers, UTSA took 20 more shots than the visitors. The Roadrunners were a modest 23 of 63 from the field. But the Owls were even more modest, 15 of 43.

Individuals

FAU – Guard Stefanie Ingram led the Owls with 17 points on six of 11 shooting. She hit four of six from three. The rest of the team couldn’t find the mark from behind the arc, shooting just two of 16. The Owls had only 10 players warming up before the game and all played

UTSA – Forward Jordyn Jenkins finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes. She also had two steals and two blocked shots. With Jenkins drawing attention from the defense, small forward Maya Linton hit three of the team’s seven three-point baskets and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Linton pulled down five boards on the offensive end. Sidney Love scored 10, all in the third quarter. Nina De Leon Negron, heralded in Senior Day ceremonies, finished with three points, six rebounds and three assists. Idara Udo and Cheyenne Rowe, key members of UTSA’s powerful frontcourt, each scored nine. Rowe hit three for five from the field, boosting her field goals to 12 for 20 over the last four.

First half

The Roadrunners hit four of their last six shots from the field to open up a 29-18 lead at halftime. Included in the spree were three three-point shots, one each by Maya Linton, Cheyenne Rowe and Jordyn Jenkins.

After Senior Day a Senior Day ceremony in the pre-game, one of the seniors, Jenkins, produced nine points, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the half. The other, Nina De Leon Negron, had three points, four rebounds and three assists.

UTSA celebrates women’s basketball regular-season title: photo gallery

Jordyn Jenkins and 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

Jordyn Jenkins and the UTSA women’s basketball teams celebrates at the Convocation Center after winning the 2024-25 American Athletic Conference regular-season title on Saturday.

The UTSA women’s basketball team danced in the confetti and cut down the net on Saturday at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners are the American Athletic Conference regular-season champions.

UTSA women hope to clinch AAC title outright on Saturday

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Tulsa 64-53 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Jordyn Jenkins is averaging an AAC-leading 18.7 points for the Roadrunners, who have forged a 24-3 record with two games remaining in the regular season. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

In a pre-game ceremony set for 11:40 a.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center, the UTSA Roadrunners will honor forward Jordyn Jenkins and guard Nina De Leon on a Senior Day spiced with championship implications.

Afterward, the UTSA women will tip off at noon against the Florida Atlantic University Owls, hoping to win and clinch sole ownership of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the AAC tournament.

If they beat the Owls, they could lose in the regular-season finale on Tuesday at East Carolina and still finish ahead of both the South Florida Bulls and the North Texas Mean Green in the standings.

Nina De Leon Negron. UTSA women's basketball beat Sam Houston State 79-36 on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Point guard Nina De Leon Negron has contributed 9.6 points, 5.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds for the Roadrunners, who have already clinched at least a share of the AAC regular-season title. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Earlier this week, the Roadrunners claimed at least a share of the championship, and now they want it all in front of a crowd that school officials hope will eclipse the school record attendance of 2,000.

Jenkins, who is making a strong bid for AAC Player of the Year honors, ever-so-cautiously declined to speculate on how it would feel to clinch at home.

“I would always say I’m trying to stay grounded and stay in the present, because it’s easy to get ahead of myself and already see confetti and already (see myself holding) the trophy above my head,” she said Friday afternoon. “So, I just try to think about what I’m going to have for dinner tonight.”

The AAC women’s tournament opens in Denton at the Super Pit on March 8. It will shift to Fort Worth and Dickies Arena on March 9. UTSA, with a double bye through the first two rounds, will open in the quarterfinals on March 10.

What the Roadrunners have accomplished is nothing short of remarkable. Picked in the preseason to finish fifth in the AAC, they have won 17 of their last 18 games for a 24-3 record. Their record in conference is a robust 15-1. Moreover, they’re 12-0 at home going into their final regular-season home game.

Still, they won’t be assured of an NCAA tournament berth unless they can win three in a row in Fort Worth for the automatic bid. It’s a thought that is troubling to coach UTSA coach Karen Aston.

“After going through this, I think it is tragic that conference (regular-season) champions don’t get automatic bids,” she said. “I mean, I’ve been processing all of this. Like, how do you keep us out of the tournament, if we don’t win the conference tournament?

“This is a team that has sustained excellence for a really long period of time, which is how you win a conference. You (probably need) some luck somewhere along the way. Which, we probably did at Memphis. But you also have something in you, to get through this whole 18-game process.

“I think that’s what I appreciate the most (about the Roadrunners). I want for them to win the (AAC) tournament. I want them to go to the NCAA tournament so bad, for them. But I am more proud of this. Because it’s so difficult … It takes a really special group to do what we’re doing.”

Aston said she doesn’t even want to start thinking about what it will be like once the season is over and Jenkins and De Leon Negron have moved on in their careers.

While Jenkins bounced back from a knee injury that caused her to sit out all but the final 17 games last year, De Leon Negron traveled a hard road, moving from her native Puerto Rico to the United States as a teenager, speaking mainly Spanish at the time, and then forging her college career at three schools.

Last summer, De Leon Negron joined the UTSA program as a transfer from the University of the Incarnate Word, from one San Antonio-based NCAA Division I program to another.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the journey with this group,” Aston said. “It’s one of those teams you’re going to look back on and, like, they don’t make ‘em like this very often. This is a group that I told (them) a month or two ago that they better enjoy this, because it just doesn’t come around like this very often.

“What I will appreciate most (about Jenkins and De Leon Negron) is their leadership, and it’s been constant,” the coach added. “It’s been Nina coming in and getting her feet wet and understanding what the team needed and Jordyn becoming Jordyn again, really, after what she went through (last year).

“They almost like met in the middle. In the middle of the summer, and they realized that we could be special and that they were going to take the reins of that. I mean, it’s their leadership Their numbers are great. Their performances are great, and all of that. But what I will appreciate most are the efforts they’ve made off the court to make this team really special.”

De Leon Negron lauded Aston, describing her as a caring mentor for everyone on the team.

“I want to shout out coach,” De Leon Negron said. “And I know Jordy feels the same way. Because we talk about this all the time. But with transfers … and experiencing different coaches, I always tell the girls, like, we get (to have) a good year.

“We have a coach that just cares about everybody.”

Speaking directly to the coach in the news conference, De Leon Negron told Aston, “It’s kind of like I want to tell you, I really appreciate you and every time I feel like I’m not good mentally and I come into your office, you always make me feel better. So, just never change . So always keep being that person for everybody.”

Blushing at her lead guard’s comments, Aston said, “I’m too old to change.”

Records

FAU 10-19, 2-14
UTSA 24-3, 15-1

Coming up

UTSA at East Carolina, Tuesday, 5 p.m.
(end of regular season)
UTSA in AAC tournament quarterfinals, at Fort Worth, Monday, March 10, opponent and time, TBA