Author Archives: Jerry Briggs

South Florida starts fast and cruises past the UTSA women

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners traveled into Florida with some momentum, having won three straight and five of their last six.

The Tampa-based South Florida Bulls put a stop to it, blazing to a 25-point halftime lead and then cruising to a 70-53 victory in American Conference women’s basketball.

With their fourth straight win, the Bulls (11-7, 4-1) claimed the first meeting of the season between rivals in the American, with the rematch scheduled Feb. 14 in San Antonio.

In the meantime, the defending regular-season champion Roadrunners (8-7, 3-1) will move on to finish a two-game trip to the Sunshine State when they meet the FAU Owls Friday night in Boca Raton.

For South Florida, the Bulls did most of their damage from beyond the three-point arc, where they made 10 threes.

Freshman guard Jelena Bulajic came off the bench to lead the Bulls with 15 points, all of them on five first-half, 3-point buckets.

Redshirt junior guard Stephanie Ingram also caused problems for UTSA, scoring 14 points, while also helping to defend Roadrunners playmaker Ereauna Hardaway. Guard Edyn Battle scored 13 on the strength of three triples.

South Florida may have caught UTSA by surprise in the first half, with Bulajic and Battle running off picks to the perimeter, where they combined for eight three pointers.

It all came after UTSA built an 11-3 lead in the first few minutes.

“Once the first four minutes were over with and they decided to not let us go anywhere we wanted to go and do whatever we wanted to do, it was not a pretty game from there,” UTSA coach Karen Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s radio broadcast.

The Bulls did a good job defending the Roadrunners, limiting the visitors to 36 percent shooting and forcing 19 turnovers. UTSA could not hit from distance, either, making only four of 16 from outside the arc.

Specifically, the Bulls defended well against Hardaway, taking away her looks at the basket and turning her into a facilitator. The senior and North Texas transfer finished with two of eight shooting, four points and eight assists.

The Bulls also controlled UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe, holding her to eight. Combined, Hardaway and Rowe finished six of 18 from the field.

UTSA sophomores Damara Allen and Emilia Dannebauer led the Roadrunners with 13 points apiece.

Allen, a guard from Aurora, Colo., pulled down 10 rebounds for a double double. Dannebauer, a 6-4 forward from Germany, started for injured Idara Udo and hit five of six shots from the field.

“Their transition game is really good,” Aston said. “They’re really good. I don’t want to take anything away from them and how good they are.

“But we also (had) just a lack of awareness in a stretch where we just didn’t have a sense of urgency or a sense of awareness on where (Bulajic) was, or how to talk to each other and get each other in the right places.

“You know, some of it is youth, and some of it is, they played better than we did.”

Records

UTSA 8-7, 3-1
South Florida 11-7, 4-1

Coming up

UTSA at Florida Atlantic, Friday, 6 p.m.

Notable

Jelena Bulajic, one of 10 international players on the Bulls’ roster, is a 5-foot-10 freshman from Montenegro.

Forward Carla Brito, the preseason player of the year in the American, is from Spain. Brito finished with five points and nine rebounds. She was a two-of-nine shooter from the floor.

South Florida’s interim coach is Michelle Woods-Baxter, who took over in October for Jose Fernandez.

Fernandez led the Bulls to 10 NCAA tournaments in 25 seasons as a coach before taking a job as head coach of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings.

UTSA forward Idara Udo, a second-team, all conference performer on the title team last year, sat out for the fifth straight game with a lower leg injury. Udo averaged 8.1 points and 7.2 rebounds through the first 10 games.

Roadrunners forward Maya Linton, another starter from last year’s squad that finished 26-5, has not played in a game yet but isn’t listed as out for the season on the player availability reports. Linton is on the trip to Florida.

First half

Bulajic came off the bench to score 15 points as the Bulls rolled to a 49-24 lead on the Roadrunners.

Bulajic hit five of six shots from the field and five of five from 3-point distance. As a team, the Bulls shot 57 percent from the floor and 71 percent from the arc in the half.

Combined, South Florida made 10 threes in 14 attempts after coming into the game hitting only 4.5 per game.

The Roadrunners started fast, jumping out to a 11-3 lead in the first five minutes. Damara Allen capped the streak with a three and a jumper.

From there, the Bulls sprinted away on a 16-0 run, with Bulajic knocking down three 3-pointers in the streak. A Hardaway jumper pulled UTSA to within 19-13 at the quarter.

In the second period, it was all South Florida. The Bulls shot 70 percent and knocked down six from long distance in outscoring the Roadrunners, 30-11.

A burgeoning rivalry is renewed as the UTSA women travel to meet South Florida

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Update: UTSA freshman guard Adriana Robles will be available to play tonight at South Florida, according to the player availability report issued Tuesday afternoon. Robles suffered an apparent ankle injury at home Saturday in a 69-63 victory against Charlotte.

All-conference forward Idara Udo will sit out her fifth straight game with a lower leg injury, according to the report. UTSA is 3-1 in her absence, including 3-0 to start play in the American Conference.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Undefeated after three games in the American Conference women’s basketball race, the defending regular-season champion UTSA Roadrunners will play on the road in Tampa on Tuesday night in the continuation of a burgeoning rivalry against the South Florida Bulls.

The Roadrunners, in only their third season in the American, all under fifth-year coach Karen Aston, have become a challenger to the Bulls for superiority in the conference.

UTSA has won two out of three in head-to-head meetings, including two wins in the 2023-24 season. One of them came in the regular season in San Antonio and another in the conference tournament at Frisco.

The latter, a tense, 58-56 victory in the tournament quarterfinals, ended the season for the Bulls.

Last season, South Florida exacted revenge, winning 75-63 in Tampa and handing UTSA its only loss in a 17-1 regular season.

The Bulls, who finished third at 13-4, won the big prize by sweeping three games in Frisco for the postseason title and a trip to the NCAA tournament.

UTSA bowed out in the quarterfinals and ended up playing in the less prestigious Women’s Basketball Invitational.

This season, the dynamics of the rivalry changed.

Not only did standouts from both teams move on in their careers, but longtime South Florida coach Jose Fernandez left in late October to accept a job with the WNBA’s Dallas Wings.

He won 485 games and went to 10 NCAA tournaments the past 25 seasons at South Florida.

In the wake of Fernandez’ departure, South Florida promoted associate head coach Michelle Woods-Baxter to interim head coach, and the transition began.

After two weeks of conference play, the Bulls are 10-7 and No. 73 in the NET. The Roadrunners, with several players injured and not playing, are 8-6 and 124th, respectively.

In the American, the Roadrunners are tied for first place with the Rice Owls and Tulsa Golden Hurricane at 3-0, while the Bulls are knotted with the East Carolina Pirates and North Texas Mean Green at 3-1.

Records

UTSA 8-6, 3-0
South Florida 10-7, 3-1

Coming up

UTSA at South Florida, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at at Florida Atlantic, Friday, 6 p.m.

Notable

Both UTSA and South Florida have won three straight.

UTSA men lose Macaleab Rich to season-ending surgery

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA forward Macaleab Rich underwent season-ending groin surgery Tuesday morning, Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch announced.

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

Macaleab Rich wowed the crowd at preseason ‘Rowdy Jam’ festivities when he jumped over UTSA coach Austin Claunch and dunked. – File photo by Joe Alexander

As a result, the slumping UTSA men will play the remainder of the American Conference schedule without their best inside scoring threat. The Roadrunners (4-12, 0-4) will carry a nine-game losing streak into a home game Wednesday night against Rice.

“After going through doctor’s appointments and MRIs and X-rays, Macaleab had a partial tear in his groin from the FAU game,” Claunch said on his weekly zoom media conference. “Unfortunately he had season-ending surgery today, and so he won’t be back.

“He really wanted to look at some different options. He really wanted to play and compete. He was really starting to come into his own. So, I hate it for us. But moreso I hate it for him just because he was really starting to turn the corner on how he was playing.”

Rich, originally from East St. Louis, Ill., is a 6-foot-7, 245-pound junior transfer from Kansas State. After playing in a reserve role in the first 11 games of the season, he exploded on Dec. 22 for a career-high 25 points at home in a 71-68 loss to Seattle.

In that game, he muscled inside to hit 11 of 15 shots from the field.

Unfortunately for Rich and UTSA, it would be his last impactful performance of the season. On Dec. 31, in the first game after the holiday break, he played four minutes in the conference opener at FAU before he suffered the injury.

Rich will finish the season averaging 8.1 points and 2.4 rebounds. His shooting percentage of 55.6 is second on the team to forward Daniel Akitoby’s 63.0. His scoring average is third behind Jamir Simpson’s 16.6 and Austin Nunez’ 9.5.

The Roadrunners have suffered their share of adversity in Claunch’s second season at UTSA. After reeling in four players from high-major programs through the transfer portal last spring, only two of them — Rich and guard Austin Nunez — have been able to appear in more than a handful of the team’s 16 games.

TCU transfer Vasean Allette, perhaps the top player out of the portal in UTSA’s signing class, has not and will not play in any games for personal reasons. His loss for the season was announced on New Years Eve.

Also, Duke transfer and seven-foot center Stanley Borden has played a total of 20 minutes in three games. He is currently sidelined with a hand injury.

Rich played in the first 11 games, started two and averaged 15 minutes. Nunez, from San Antonio Wagner High School after transferring in from Arizona State, has started and played in 15 games, averaging 26.7 minutes.

Nunez is the only one of the four expected to start against the Owls.

Aside from the players who joined the team from high-profile programs, the Roadrunners also have missed point guard Pierce Spencer, who played four games before injuring his shoulder. Spencer is also out for the season.

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
UTSA at Memphis, Sunday, 5 p.m.

Records

Rice 7-10, 1-3
UTSA 4-12, 0-4

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Tulane connects on a school-record 19 threes to rout the slumping UTSA men

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Kaidon Rayfield. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman forward Kaidon Rayfield played with energy, contributing nine points, four rebounds and two blocks, to earn the praise of UTSA coach Austin Claunch after the Tulane Green Wave rolled past the Roadrunners, 85-52. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The frustration has deepened for the slumping UTSA Roadrunners.

After staying even with Tulane for about nine minutes in the first half Saturday afternoon, the Roadrunners watched as the Green Wave buried them in an avalanche of three-point baskets.

Led by guards Rowan Brumbaugh and Curtis Williams Jr., the visitors from New Orleans knocked down a school-record 19 triples en route to an 85-52 victory at the Convocation Center.

Brumbaugh and Williams made six threes apiece for the Green Wave (12-4, 3-0), who have won five in a row.

As a 6-4 guard from Washington, D.C., Brumbaugh entered the season with considerable hype as the preseason player of the year in the American Conference.

Tulane's Rowan Brumbaugh. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Tulane’s Rowan Brumbaugh finished with a game-high 23 points, to go along with seven assists, five rebounds and four steals. – Photo by Joe Alexander

He lived up to the billing against the Roadrunners, producing 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Brumbaugh also had four steals. Williams had a big day, as well, with 22 points and four assists.

“I’m glad we’re 3-0,” Brumbaugh said. “Still a lot of work to do. But it’s a good feeling being 3-0.”

The Green Wave have been hot and cold from the three-point arc this season, making only 31 percent coming into San Antonio. Against UTSA, they connected on 19 of 42 for 45.2 percent.

“We’ve had games where we haven’t really shot well, but we all know we’re a good shooting team,” Brumbaugh said. “You see it every day in practice. So it feels good to have a game like that where you make 19 threes. I think that’s a school record, so it’s a great feeling for sure.”

For UTSA, it was the team’s ninth straight loss, including eight by double figures. The Roadrunners (4-12, 0-4) haven’t lost this many in a row since the spring of 2023 when they dropped 11 straight.

Austin Nunez led the Roadrunners with 12 points, and Jamir Simpson pitched in with 10. Tulane limited UTSA to 35 percent shooting and 23 percent from the arc.

The Roadrunners hit only five of 21 attempts from three as they finished with a point total in the 50s for the third straight game and for the sixth time overall.

Austin Nunez. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Austin Nunez scored 12 points to lead the Roadrunners, who have finished with point totals in the 50s for the past three games. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Their total of 52 was the second lowest of the season next to the 50 they posted in a 61-50 loss to Abilene Christian on Nov. 24.

The play of freshman Kaidon Rayfield caught the eye of UTSA coach Austin Claunch. Rayfield, who came off the bench, had nine points, four rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes.

Claunch said he liked Rayfield’s aggression, “just put his head down and go play.”

In a high-energy second half, the freshman would drive, draw contact and get to the line. Rayfield made only five of nine, but Claunch was encouraged by the effort.

“We need more of that,” the coach said. “It’s hard to coach … There’s got to be something that we can do to encourage that a little more. I don’t know if it’s encourage or drill.

“I don’t what it is. But obviously it’s my job. That’s what I get paid to do. I got to figure out how to do that better.

“But I thought Kaidon did a good job of that when he got in. He played with some spirit. He plays hard. He’s got to get better at a lot of things. Obviously, he’s a young player, with a really bright future.”

Records

Tulane 12-4, 3-0
UTSA 4-12, 0-4

Tulane coach Ron Hunter. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Tulane coach Ron Hunter won the 546th game of his 32-year career as a college head coach. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

First half

The Tulane Green Wave constructed a 39-21 halftime lead against the UTSA Roadrunners after romping on a 26-10 run in the last 11 minutes.

Brumbaugh scored 14 points in the half for the Green Wave, who shot only 13 of 33 from the field but worked the 3-point line efficiently, knocking down eight of 22 from long distance.

By contrast, UTSA hit only two of 13 from three in the half against a tricky Tulane zone. The Roadrunners were eight of 31 from the field for 26 percent.

Notable

The Roadrunners, who opened a three-game homestand with losses to Charlotte (74-58) and Tulane (85-52), are prepaing to host the Rice Owls Wednesday night.

Even though the Green Wave arrived in San Antonio seven games over .500 for the season, including a 93-90 overtime victory over the ACC’s Boston College Eagles on a neutral site, their NET ranking was 203 out of 365 teams in NCAA Division I. UTSA came in at 330.

The Roadrunners’ last victory at home was Nov. 18 against Southwestern Christian. Their last victory was Nov. 25 in Florida against Georgia Southern.

Matheo Coffi. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman Matheo Coffi totaled six points and 11 rebounds. It was his third double-figure rebounding game of the season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA women win another close one, 69-63, over the Charlotte 49ers

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Ereauna Hardaway. UTSA beat Charlotte 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Ereauna Hardaway produced a season-high 19 points for her seventh straight game in double figures Saturday against Charlotte. – Photo by Joe Alexander


By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Senior guard Ereauna Hardaway scored five of her season-high 19 points and forced two turnovers in the final 1:25 of the game Saturday as the UTSA women stayed undefeated in the American Conference with a 69-63 victory over the Charlotte 49ers.

With the win, the Roadrunners (8-6, 3-0) claimed their third straight conference victory by single digits to open defense of their regular-season title.

Guard Princess Anderson scored 20 points as Charlotte (8-9, 2-2) dropped its second straight on a road trip to Texas.

The fourth quarter was a battle. For the entire 10 minutes, both teams stayed within one or two possessions of one another.

Led by Hardaway, a transfer from North Texas, UTSA pulled it out at the end.

Mia Hammonds. UTSA beat Charlotte 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Mia Hammonds produced 17 points and six rebounds and finished a plus 15 on the plus-minus metrics. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First, she hit a 17 footer off the wing to break a tie, putting her team in the lead by two with 1:25 remaining.

Two possessions later, she drew a charge, stepping in front of a driving Tanajah Hayes. The play stirred her teammates to jump up and scream along with the rest of the crowd.

In retaliation, the 49ers forced the Roadrunners into a turnover, when Asianae Nicholson stole an inbounds pass and raced the other way.

Drawing a foul, she made the first of two free throws, leaving Charlotte down by one at 64-63 with 22 seconds left.

Fouling on the inbounds, Charlotte put UTSA’s Damara Allen on the free throw line. Allen hit both for a three point lead. The exchange prompted the 49ers to call time again.

Their play nearly worked, as the 49ers hit a three off the wing, only to have the tying basket waved off on an offensive foul under the basket. The Niners asked for a review, and the call was upheld.

In the last 15 seconds, Hardaway hit three of four free throws and stole a pass to seal UTSA’s 12 straight victory in conference play dating back to last season.

UTSA pulled out the win after falling behind 9-0 to start the game and then after losing point guard Adriana Robles to an apparent ankle sprain late in the first half.

Robles, a starter, played only one minute after intermission following her injury at the end of the first half.

Cheyenne Rowe. UTSA beat Charlotte 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Cheyenne Rowe had another big day with 16 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Again, I continue to be super proud of this team, just the resiliency that they’ve shown,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “It’s just one of those things where it seems there’s always something, as far as having kids out.

“This one (Hardaway) was out most of the week. Had a couple more kids out, and then Adriana goes down. It’s just a testament, first of all, to our leadership. Cheyenne (Rowe) and (Hardaway) are really leading the way.

“And the young guys are just doing what we’re asking them to do.”

One of the “young guys,” sophomore guard/forward Mia Hammonds, had one of her better games with her defensive effort and with 17 points on six of 10 shooting. Rowe hit eight of 13 from the floor and finished with 16.

For Charlotte, Anderson and Zoe Best did the most offensively. Anderson scored her 20 on nine of 19 shooting. Best knocked down eight of 12 and scored 19. Guard Asianae Nicholson produced seven points and 18 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end.

Janavia Gage also pulled down 12 as the 49ers won the rebounding battle, 47-34.

Records

Charlotte 8-9, 2-2
UTSA 8-6, 3-0

Coming up

UTSA at South Florida, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at Florida Atlantic, Friday, 6 p.m.

Notable

Injured UTSA forward Idara Udo did not play, but in a positive sign, she arrived at the arena without a walking boot that she had been wearing.

Charlotte coach Tomekia Reed. UTSA beat Charlotte 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

The Charlotte 49ers, under coach Tomekia Reed, came ready to play. They scored the first nine points of the game, took a 14-10 lead into the second quarter and held a one-point advantage with 3:39 to play. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The 6-1 junior from Plano sat out her fourth straight game against Charlotte. Also not playing and listed as out for the game were Maya Linton and Saher Alizada. Players listed out for the season were Taylor Ross, Sema Udo and Nyayongah Gony.

Of those six players, only Udo has played this season, which makes it all the more remarkable that the Roadrunners are 3-0 in conference. Last week, UTSA started league play with a 65-63 victory at home against Tulane and followed it with a 50-47 win on the road against Temple.

First half

Rowe turned and fired a 15-footer that swished at the halftime buzzer, lifting the UTSA Roadrunners into a 22-21 lead on the Charlotte 49ers.

The 49ers started fast, racing to a 9-0 lead on the Roadrunners, with guard Zoe Best scoring five of the points.

Charlotte went on to take a 14-10 advantage after one quarter as it held the home team to four of 17 shooting from the field.

UTSA retaliated in the second quarter with a defensive stand of its own. The Roadrunners held the 49ers to seven points on five of 18 shooting.

Mia Hammonds scored seven and Ereauna Hardaway six in the first half for the Roadrunners. Cheyenne Rowe, who didn’t have a shot attempt in the first quarter, scored four points in the second.

Rowe limped to the bench and had to come out for a minute in the first quarter.

Guard Adriana Robles, who helped fuel UTSA’s comeback, had to be helped off the floor in the last minute of the half. She was favoring an ankle.

Basketball doubleheader set for Saturday at UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA will host an American Conference basketball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center, with the women playing the Charlotte 49ers at noon and the men taking on the Tulane Green Wave at 4 p.m.

Women’s game

Coming up — Charlotte at UTSA, Saturday, noon
Records — Charlotte 8-8, 2-1; UTSA 7-6, 2-0
NET rankings – Charlotte 155; UTSA 126.

Charlotte at a glance: The 49ers played Wednesday night in Houston and lost their first game in conference, falling to the Rice Owls, 84-59. Last week, Charlotte opened league play at home with double-digit wins over Memphis and UAB. Princess Anderson, Zoe Best, Tanajah Hayes, Asianae Nicholson, Ja’Navia Gage and Imani Smith highlight the 49ers’ rotation. Coach Tomekia Reed led Jackson State to three NCAA tournaments before taking the Charlotte job. In her first season with the 49ers last year, the team finished 11-21.

UTSA at a glance: Slowed by injuries to several players in the early going, the defending regular-season champion Roadrunners have started fast in conference, winning games by single-digit margins at home against Tulane and on the road at Temple. Forward Cheyenne Rowe had a blockbuster 14-point, 18-rebound performance at Temple. Emilia Dannebauer has been starting at the other inside position in the absence of Idara Udo, who has sat out three games with a lower leg injury. Damara Allen plays on the wing, with Ereauna Hardaway and Adriana Robles at guards.

Men’s game

Coming up — Tulane at UTSA, Saturday, 4 p.m.
Records — Tulane, 11-4, 2-0; UTSA 4-11, 0-3
NET rankings — Tulane 203; UTSA 330.

Tulane at a glance: The Green Wave come to San Antonio on a four-game winning streak. They opened conference on New Years Eve with a 79-70 victory at East Carolina and followed it on Sunday at home by beating Florida Atlantic, 69-66. Tulane’s zone defense was at its best against FAU by holding the Owls to 17 points below their average. Guard Rowan Brumbaugh, the conference’s preseason player of the year, scored 20 to lead the Wave. Other key players are Curtis Williams Jr., Asher Woods, Tyler Ringgold and Scotty Middleton. Coach Ron Hunter is 492-367 in his 28th season. He’s in his seventh season at Tulane.

UTSA at a glance: The Roadrunners are riding an eight-game losing streak, the longest in the program since an 11-game skid in the 2022-23 season. Five of the losses in the slide have come on the road and three at home. Seven have been by double figures. UTSA hasn’t won a game at home since Nov. 18 against Southwestern Christian (Okla.) UTSA hasn’t won a game, period, since Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla., against Georgia Southern. UTSA guard Austin Nunez is playing well, scoring a combined 50 points in his last three games. Guard Dorian Hayes broke out of a slump Wednesday at home against Charlotte, scoring 15 points.

Charlotte wins 74-58 and sends the UTSA men to their eighth straight loss

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Austin Nunez. Charlotte beat UTSA 74-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Redshirt junior Austin Nunez played hard to the end of another frustrating loss for UTSA, finishing with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists against the Charlotte 49ers. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

They are disappointed, frustrated, you name it.

The UTSA Roadrunners show up for games believing that they’ve prepared as well as they can, and then, wham, the opponent slams them with an extended run or two that sets them back by a double-digit margins.

It happened again Wednesday night when the Roadrunners returned home after playing five of their last six on the road and got walloped, 74-58, by the Charlotte 49ers.

Coach Austin Claunch said in the wake of his team’s eighth-straight loss that his coaches and players will find a solution.

Mo Njie. Charlotte beat UTSA 74-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA senior Mo Njie came off the bench for six points and two rebounds in 11 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

As the coach said, whether it’s a day, a week, or a month, he believes they’re going to start playing better, though the fans are hoping to see improvement by Saturday at home against the Tulane Green Wave.

“One thing that’s been easy with this group, it’s going to be easy to show up tomorrow and see these guys and figure out the solution, come out here against a good team on Saturday and then go win the game,” Claunch said. “That part of it’s not going to change.

“We’re frustrated. I’m obviously very frustrated, and it’s my job to figure something out to help these guys, because they’re willing. They’re able. They’re a group that cares about winning and that cares about each other.

“So, I got to do a better job as head coach, and then we’ll come out and play better on Saturday.”

The losing streak is the longest for UTSA men’s basketball since 2023 when the program lost 11 in a row.

The 49ers (8-8, 2-1) used a late burst to build a 12-point lead at halftime and then rolled to leads as large as 22 after intermission, en route to their second straight victory in the American Conference.

UTSA (4-11, 0-3) lost its first two in conference at Florida Atlantic and Temple and returned home hoping to turn things round.

Charlotte had other ideas, winning the rebounding battle 47-29 and outscoring UTSA 23-8 in points off the bench. The 49ers created multiple second chances by pulling down 15 offensive rebounds.

Ben Bradford scored 18 points to lead five 49ers players in double figures. Bradford took over in the second half with 12 points, including a steal and a fast break dunk.

Charlotte's Ben Bradford. Charlotte beat UTSA 74-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Charlotte’s Ben Bradford hit all five field goal attempts and scored 12 of his team-high 18 points in the second half. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Seven-foot-two center Anton Bonke dominated inside with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Afterward, Claunch said he didn’t try to say anything to his players to try and keep the morale high.

“It’s not high right now, right?” he said. “You know, in all seriousness, it’s like I tell these guys in the locker room. You should be disappointed when you lose. I’m not going to try and cheer them up. They’re competitors.”

“Like I said, ‘Be sad tonight. Come in here tomorrow, wake up and get to work.’

What nags at Claunch is that half a season has been played, and players that expected the team to play well still have only two wins against NCAA Division I programs to show for their efforts.

Two of their wins have come against the Houston-based College of Biblical Studies and Southwestern Christian (Okla.), two non-NCAA teams. The other two against Denver and Georgia Southern.

Since December, the schedule has included the likes of Alabama, Colorado and Southern Cal, all three of them high-major programs.

Seven of the eight losses have been by double digits, including one by 42 against Alabama and another by 40 in the conference opener last week against Florida Atlantic

“I’ve been on both sides of this and I can tell you that it’s not fun,” Claunch said. “I know for the players it’s not fun to be on this side, because they have one year together, like, the exact group … and so, obviously halfway through the season, this is not what you envisioned it to be.”

Austin Nunez paced the Roadrunners against the 49ers with 16 points, followed by Dorian Hayes with 15 and Jamir Simpson 11. Hayes matched a season high in point production but scored only four in the second half.

Austin Claunch. Charlotte beat UTSA 74-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch continues to say he believes the team will turn the corner on a season that has started with a 4-11 record, – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA played short-handed with nine active players, including only eight on scholarship. Macaleab Rich, a 6-7, 245-pounder, and 7-foot Stanley Borden were both on the bench nursing injuries.

For the most part, the Roadrunners were no match physically for the 49ers, who started a 7-2 center, a 6-10 power forward, a 6-7 small forward, a 6-5 shooting guard and a 6-3 point guard.

They battled for stretches but could not sustain complementary play on both ends of the floor, which allowed the 49ers to go on streaks that could not be matched.

Nunez said he hopes players focus on reaching the conference’s postseason event in Birmingham, Ala. Once there, they can re-set for a run at the NCAA tournament, if they can just get hot over a three- or four-game stretch.

“Right now, we’re on an eight-game losing streak,” Nunez said, “but if we sit back and think about that, it’s not really going to help us. So, like coach said, having a mindset of showing up every day, listening to what the coaches are telling us and trying to compete and get better (is important).

“Not just trying to get the 90 minutes over, but trying to get better with whatever it is that we’re struggling with right now.”

For the most part, the Roadrunners are struggling to find consistency with their offense. They entered the Charlotte game in last or near last in every major offensive category. It was the same story against the 49ers, as they shot 35 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point territory.

Moreover, they seemed frustrated at times in absorbing contact by the 49ers and not being awarded with free throws. But then, when they did hear the whistle, they went to the line and hit only seven of 12.

Part of the problem could be that the Roadrunners play with a nine-man rotation that just doesn’t have much experience in playing extended minutes at this level. Three players in the rotation were in high school last year. Several were in programs where they didn’t play much.

Charlotte assistant coach Trevor DeLoach. Charlotte beat UTSA 74-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Charlotte assistant coach Trevor DeLoach returned to the Convocation Center where he worked last season as an assistant under UTSA’s Austin Claunch. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Perhaps Jamir Simpson, the team’s leading scorer, is the only one that has played through an NCAA Division I season in which he has been asked to play a high volume of minutes.

Whatever the case, the Roadrunners have a little more than two months to figure it out, starting with a home game on Saturday against Tulane.

Said Claunch, “When you have kind of these years, it challenges your character. It challenges your habits. Can you continue to push forward when you seemingly have done that, and it’s not getting better? You keep pounding the rock. You keep chipping away.

“We got a group that’s going to do it. I believe that wholeheartedly, and it’ll turn. Tomorrow. A week. A month. I’m going to show up and be the same coach, and I have a feeling that (the players) are going to turn up and do the same thing.”

Records

Charlotte 8-8, 2-1
UTSA 4-11, 0-3

Coming up

Tulane at UTSA, Saturday, 4 p.m.

Notable

UTSA forward Macaleab Rich (groin) and center Stanley Borden (hand) did not play.

Rich, a Kansas State transfer who averages 8.1 points on 55 percent shooting, has sat out two straight games since he suffered the injury on New Years Eve at Florida Atlantic. He is the team’s best inside scoring threat.

Borden, a 7-foot forward, has played only three games this year. No word yet on when either might be available. But, Borden was on the floor shooting the ball during pre-game warmups.

Guards Vasean Allette and Pierce Spencer are out for the season.

First half

Coming out with a distinct size advantage and plenty of offensive weapons, the 49ers took a 34-26 lead into the dressing room at intermission.

Charlotte held UTSA to 29 percent shooting, out-rebounded the home team 29-15 and brandished scoring threats up and down the bench.

In fact, the 49ers bench out-scored the Roadrunners 17-5, with guard Damoni Harrison leading the team with eight points in only 10 minutes.

UTSA men hope to stop their slide against the Charlotte 49ers

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Update: Injured UTSA forward Macaleab Rich will not play tonight against the Charlotte 49ers, according to the player availability report published Wednesday afternoon. In the team’s first conference game last Wednesday, he played four minutes before suffering a groin injury in a 110-70 loss at Florida Atlantic. On Saturday, Rich sat out the second game of the road trip, a 76-57 loss at Temple. Rich, a 6-7, 245-pound forward from East St. Louis, Mo., is averaging 8.1 points on 55 percent shooting.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Riding a seven-game losing streak and winless after two games in the American Conference men’s basketball race, UTSA Austin Claunch says he still believes in his team.

He knows his program needs to do quite a bit of housekeeping to clean up the problems that have plagued the Roadrunners in the first few months of the season.

But as they prepare to open a three-game homestand against the Charlotte 49ers on Wednesday night, Claunch wants his players to understand that they just need to stay with the process.

Just keep chipping away each day with an eye on making the conference tournament, which will play out in Birmingham, Ala., in March.

This season, the conference will be inviting only 10 of its 13 teams for the postseason event, so there is some urgency for those projected to finish near the bottom of the standings.

But the Roadrunners keep coming to practice with a good attitude, willing to learn.

“What I love about this group is that there’s no finger pointing,” Claunch said. “There’s not going to be excuse making. We’re going to come in here and work and we’re going to try and get better.

“We’ve got 16 games (remaining, and) we got to continue to build and get ourselves to Birmingham with a chance to make the NCAA tournament.”

UTSA (4-10, 0-2 in the American) and Charlotte (7-8, 1-1) will tip off at 7 tonight at the Convo.

The Roadrunners will host the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday and the Rice Owls on Jan. 14 in an effort to get the ball rolling their way.

“Obviously we love being home and we love our practices here,” Claunch said. “Now we got to come out and play better on Wednesday.”

Records

Charlotte 7-8, 1-1
UTSA 4-10, 0-2

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Tulane at UTSA, Saturday, noon
Rice at UTSA, Jan. 14, 7 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners’ losing streak matches a seven-game skid from the 2023-24 season in the last year of former head coach Steve Henson’s tenure. UTSA dropped 11 in a row in 2022-23.

UTSA hasn’t won since since Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla., against Georgia Southern.

Since then, the Roadrunners have dropped games to South Alabama, Alabama, Colorado, Southern Cal, Seattle, Florida Atlantic and Temple. The South Alabama and Seattle setbacks came on UTSA’s home court. The others were on the road.

Charlotte started conference play last week by splitting two games at home. First, the 49ers lost 76-73 to the Temple Owls. Next, they won a thriller, rallying from double digits to win 104-100 in two overtimes against the Wichita State Shockers.

Guard Dezane Mingo had 26 points and 10 assists in the victory. Both Mingo and guard Damoni Harrison, who scored 22, came off the bench for the 49ers against the Shockers.

The 49ers trailed by 18 points with 15 minutes left in regulation and rallied to tie, 80-80, going into the first overtime.

Charlotte is led by Australia native Aaron Fearne, in his third year as head coach of the 49ers. Trevor DeLoach, a member of Claunch’s UTSA staff last season, is in his first year as a Charlotte assistant.

While the Roadrunners haven’t reached an NCAA tournament since 2011, it’s been even longer drought for the 49ers, who made their last trip in 2005. Charlotte, led by Cedric ‘Cornbread’ Maxwell, reached the NCAA Final Four in 1977.

UTSA’s Claunch says he’ll support Allette ‘every step of the way’ moving forward

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA men’s basketball coach Austin Claunch vowed on Monday that he will stand behind junior guard Vasean Allette “every step of the way” in his career even if he never plays for the Roadrunners.

The coach made his remarks Monday on a zoom conference after the program announced last week that the team’s top offseason pickup in the transfer portal would not play this season.

Allette had already sat out the first 12 games of the season before last week’s announcement on the American Conference’s new player availability notes.

With the Roadrunners on a seven-game losing streak going into a Wednesday night home game against the Charlotte 49ers, his name and biography remain on the program’s athletics website.

“Obviously, Vasean is somebody that we all — including him — had really high hopes (for),” Claunch said. “I want to be clear. It’s not a .. legal situation or anything like that. And I don’t want to dive too much into it.

“But, for him, (it’s) just trying to get himself back in the best place, to be ready to be him, and play basketball at a high level. Obviously, we’re here for him every step of the way and helping him figure out what his next steps are in his basketball journey — here, elsewhere — whatever the case may be.

“He won’t suit up for UTSA this year. And, obviously, I’m not going to dive too much into everything. Certainly he has our support in whatever he needs, to help him get back on his feet and get back to who he’s been, and play basketball.”

Claunch said he doesn’t know yet whether Allette will take classes at UTSA in the spring semester.

Record

Charlotte men 7-8, 1-1
UTSA men 4-10, 0-2

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA men, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Tulane at UTSA men, Saturday, noon

Notable

Because of commercial airline flight delays, the UTSA women’s and men’s teams spent the night in the DFW airport Saturday and didn’t arrive in San Antonio until around 7 a.m. on Sunday.

Both teams played Saturday afternoon at Temple in Philadelphia.

Claunch said forward Macaleab Rich is nursing a groin strain and did not practice Monday. His status for the Charlotte game is uncertain.

On Dec. 22, Rich scored 25 points on 11 of 15 shooting in a 71-68 loss to Seattle at home in the Convocation Center. In the team’s first conference game last Wednesday afternoon, he played four minutes before suffering the injury in a 110-70 loss at Florida Atlantic.

Rich did not play in a 76-57 loss at Temple in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.

“Hard to win on the road and we didn’t do enough in either game to justify getting that result,” Claunch said. “FAU unfortunately reminded me a lot of the Tulane game last year (a 92-63 road loss). A lot of young players against a talented team and we were not prepared for the onslaught that they brought offensively.

“Our offense didn’t help our defense whatsoever. We gave up way too much (in the) paint, just in general … giving up too many layups, too many free throws.”

Claunch said the Roadrunners played “much better” against Temple before the home-team Owls pulled away in the last five minutes.

“We’ve got to manufacture better shots,” the coach said. “I thought we had good ball movement. Now within our ball movement we’ve got to do a better job of being aggressive to go create and score. Defensively it was much improved. We’ve got to continue to value our paint and value our ball offensively.”

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA women, Saturday 4 p.m.

Records

Charlotte 8-7, 2-0
UTSA 7-6, 2-0

Cheyenne Rowe’s ‘monster’ game leads the UTSA women past Temple, 50-47

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Short-handed in the front court with an injury to Idara Udo and others, the UTSA Roadrunners found a way on Saturday.

They held on at the end of a tense struggle in Philadelphia to beat the Temple Owls, 50-47, behind a 14-point, 18-rebound performance from senior forward Cheyenne Rowe.

It was Rowe’s third double-double of the season and her second in two close American Conference victories.

“I thought she was a monster,” UTSA coach Karen Aston told the ESPN broadcast team. “She was very determined, on the boards, in particular. We’re obviously short-handed, and she was a beast.”

UTSA (7-6, 2-0) has won its first two games in American without Udo, who has been out for the past three games, and without three other power forwards who are out for the season.

The Roadrunners escaped the Liacouras Center victorious with a strong defense, holding the Owls (6-7, 0-1) to 27 points on 9 for 44 shooting through three quarters.

UTSA, the defending conference champions, built a 14-point lead late in the third and then fended off a charge at the end to claim its 11th straight regular-season conference victory dating back to last season.

Last year’s team won the conference with a 17-1 record.

“I thought we played really (resiliently) today,” Aston told the ESPN broadcasters. “We’ve had a lot of adversity this year. We’ve got kids out. You know, this group is growing up. We’re really super young. A lot of them haven’t been in this moment before.

“…I can’t say enough about how great my staff is doing with the preparation and how locked in the kids are. I mean, they’re really trying. They really want to be good.”

UTSA won in spite of some poor offensive execution. The Roadrunners shot only 34 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from the three-point line. From three, they hit only two out of 14.

At the end, in the final nine seconds, the Roadrunners missed three out of four free throws, leaving the door open for the Owls to send the game into overtime.

With Temple down by the eventual final score, the Owls failed to capitalize. Coming out of a timeout, they got the ball to guard Tristen Taylor, who missed a long three-pointer at the buzzer.

Rowe was the difference for the Roadrunners, as the senior from Canada made four of 13 from the field and six of six at the free throw line. On the boards, she pulled down four offensive and 10 defensive boards for her career high.

Damara Allen finished with 12 points, and Mia Hammonds and Ereauna Hardaway added 10 apiece.

For the Owls, Taylor scored 18 points and Drew Alexander added 11, including nine in the fourth quarter on three 3-pointers.

Kaylah Turner, the leading scorer in the conference, averaging 17 points per game, couldn’t get going. She was held to seven points on 3 for 18 shooting. One of the most prolific three-point shooters in the nation, Turner hit only one of seven from beyond the arc.

Records

UTSA 7-6, 2-0
Temple 6-7, 0-1

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA, Saturday, Jan. 10, noon.

First half

Rowe asserted herself with six points and four rebounds in the second quarter, leading the Roadrunners into the dressing room with a 25-18 lead at intermission.

With UTSA outscoring Temple 18-10 in the second, Damara Allen, Mia Hammonds and Adriana Robles also played key roles.

Allen scored four points on a couple of strong moves to the rim with left-handed layups. Hammonds also had four points in the period, one on a drive through traffic for a layup.

On another play, Robles and Hammonds trapped Temple star Kayla Turner and forced a turnover. Robles picked up the loose ball and tossed ahead to Hammonds for a layup.

The Owls made a play at the end to stem the Roadrunners’ momentum, with Turner getting a steal off Ereauna Hardaway and driving for a layup with one second left.

For Turner, the leading scorer in the American Conference, it was only her second field goal. The Roadrunners held her four points on two of 10 shooting.

Neither team could execute in a first quarter that ended with the Owls holding an 8-7 lead. Temple shot 4 of 19 in the period to UTSA’s 3 of 15.

Notable

Once again, the Roadrunners started the game with a two point-guard lineup, with both Ereauna Hardaway and Adriana Robles on the floor, along with Damara Allen on the wing.

Starting forwards were Cheyenne Rowe and Emilia Dannebauer.

Cleared to play for the first time this season, UTSA guard Siena Guttadauro played seven minutes off the bench and misfired on all three field goal attempts, including two 3-pointers. She sat out the team’s first 12 games. Guttadauro gave birth to a son, Dante, on July 24.

With Guttadauro in the lineup again, it left the Roadrunners with six scholarship athletes on the inactive list. Besides Udo, power forwards who are out for the season include Nyayongah Gony, Taylor Ross and Sema Udo.

Sema Udo is Idara Udo’s younger sister.