By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Flanked in the postgame press conference by senior Ereauna Hardaway and junior Idara Udo, UTSA Roadrunners coach Karen Aston on Wednesday reflected on her team’s 59-51 victory over the Temple Owls.

The second-round game in the American Conference women’s basketball tournament wasn’t a thing of beauty. Especially a seemingly endless second-quarter scoring drought for UTSA.

But as for the Roadrunners’ opening-game performance in Birmingham, Ala., on the whole, Aston will take it.

“I’m super proud of our team,” the coach said.

She said it’s always an experience to discover how players, especially the young ones, will respond to the tournament atmosphere and pressure.

“I think the two sitting beside me led the way from an experience standpoint,” Aston said. “They had a lot of calmness about them today. And I just thought they were resilient.”

With the win, UTSA improved to a modest 15-15, which doesn’t reflect on the qualities of grit and toughness it takes to battle through a season with multiple season-ending injuries.

“It’s kind of been the theme of this team,” the coach said. “They’ve been able to bounce back. We went through a stretch in the second quarter that wasn’t really very pretty, and then I thought we regrouped … and played really well in the second half.”

Hardaway had 17 points and six rebounds as the sixth-seeded Roadrunners notched their third win of the season against the No. 7 Owls, advancing to Thursday’s quarterfinals, where they’ll meet the three seed South Florida Bulls.

The matchup promises to be an emotional one, at least for the Roadrunners, who have lost twice this season to the Bulls.

South Florida won the first meeting, 70-53, on Jan 13 in Tampa, building a 25-point lead at halftime and then cruising the rest of the way.

The Bulls also claimed the rematch in San Antonio on Feb. 14, though they had to battle at the end to hold off the Roadrunners, 69-63. Udo said she’s excited about the opportunity to play them again.

“A very physical team,” Udo said of the Bulls, “a team that gets out in transition. Runs the floor well. Runs their lanes well and has players that can score.”

One of the keys against South Florida could center on whether UTSA’s young guards and wings — Adriana Robles, Mia Hammonds and Damara Allen — can play at the same high level that they did against Temple.

“I did want to mention that our young guys did a great job on defense,” Aston said. “(The Owls’) guards are hard to handle. I thought all the young ones, their attention to detail, to me they were the difference in the game.

“I just wanted to give them some props. I thought Mia was terrific. I thought Damara came in and did a great job. (Same with) Adriana.

“That’s something we tried to hone in on, was doing your job and paying attention to detail. I think that’s a little bit of a hidden reason why we won.”

Also for UTSA, senior forward Cheyenne Rowe scored 13 points, including two clutch free throws with 22 seconds left.

Udo finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds and Hammonds scored 10, hitting four of five shots from the field.

As a team, UTSA held Temple to 32 percent shooting and won the battle on the boards, 44-27.

It was the third straight win for UTSA over Temple this season. Previously, the Roadrunners won 50-47 on Jan. 3 in Philadelphia and 52-43 on Feb. 10 in San Antonio.

Tristen Taylor and Jaleesa Molina had 12 points apiece for the Owls, while Kaylah Turner, the leading scorer in the American, was held to 11.

Records

UTSA 15-15
Temple 15-17

Coming up

UTSA vs. South Florida, Thursday, 2:30 p.m.

Notable

A UTSA offense that had a good start in the first quarter shut down completely in the face of a tenacious Temple defense in the final six minutes before intermission.

The Roadrunners failed to score and missed their last nine attempts from the field in the final 6:19 as the Owls took a 26-25 lead into the break.

On the flip side of the narrative, the Roadrunners’ defense didn’t allow much of anything in the way of offense for the Owls in the second quarter, either.

While UTSA recorded 2 of 13 shooting in the period, Temple could only manage 3 of 17.

Wednesday’s Game 1

Former UTSA guard Aysia Proctor led the fifth-seeded North Texas Mean Green with a game-high 24 points in a 80-57 second-round victory Wednesday over the No. 9 FAU Owls.

Proctor, formerly of Clemens High School, played 26 minutes and hit eight of 13 shots from the field, including five of eight from beyond the 3-point arc.

With the win, North Texas advanced to the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded Tulsa.

The American’s five-day event is being played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, with the winner of Saturday’s title game earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

American Conference
Women’s basketball tournament
At Birmingham, Ala.

Tuesday

Game 1 — (9) FAU defeats (8) Charlotte, 74-70, overtime
Game 2 — (7) Temple defeats (10) Tulane, 86-77, overtime

Wednesday

Game 3 — (5) North Texas defeats (9) FAU, 80-57
Game 4 — (6) UTSA defeats (7) Temple, 59-51

Thursday

Game 5 — (5) North Texas vs. (4) Tulsa, noon
Game 6 — (6) UTSA vs. (3) South Florida, 2:30 p.m.

Friday

Game 7 — Game 5 winner vs. (1) Rice, 6 p.m.
Game 8 — Game 6 winner vs. (2) East Carolina, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday

Game 9 (championship) — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m.

Records

(1) Rice 27-4, 17-1
(2) East Carolina 22-9, 14-4
(3) South Florida 20-11, 13-5
(4) Tulsa 19-11, 11-7
(5) North Texas 18-13, 11-7
(6) UTSA 15-15, 9-9
(7) Temple 15-17, 8-10
(8) Charlotte 14-18, 8-10
(9) FAU 14-18, 7-11
(10) Tulane 11-20, 6-12

Notable

Former UTSA women’s basketball player Nina De Leon Negron is set to represent her native Puerto Rico at the upcoming FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifier tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The UTSA Roadrunners, under Coach Karen Aston, must win four games in four days to win the American Conference postseason title. Their quest begins today in Birmingham, Ala., against the Temple Owls. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The American Conference women’s basketball tournament once was ruled by the University of Connecticut Huskies.

Starting in the spring of 2014, the first year of the league, Geno Auriemma’s Huskies entered as the No. 1 seed every year and won it seven years in a row.

The streak ended only when Auriemma and the Huskies took up residence in the new Big East for the 2020-21 season.

No. 1 seeds won the American postseason crown again in 2021 and 2022 with the South Florida Bulls and the UCF Knights, respectively, taking the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

But since then, the American’s postseason event has evolved into a week filled with surprises.

In the past two years, with the influx of former teams out of Conference USA, it’s been absolutely nuts.

Both years, the finals have featured at least one team that has played its fourth game in four days.

Guard Ereauna Hardaway says UTSA (14-15, 9-9) has the ‘perfect seed’ at No. 6 going into the tournament. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Even with a format change this year giving the top two teams a two-game route to the title, everyone who has ever watched basketball at this time of year knows that anyone can still win it.

Even the sixth-seeded Roadrunners, who open what they hope is a four games in four days ride today against the No. 7 Temple Owls in Birmingham.

Asked if the tournament’s recent history makes her feel more encouraged or optimistic, UTSA coach Karen Aston said she feels that way, anyway.

“Well, I’m encouraged just because I think our mindset is good,” she said. “You know, we got here late (Monday) afternoon and had a good workout. Seemed to be in a really good frame of mind.

“So I have a real positive mindset.”

Two years ago, the Rice Owls, as the No. 10 seed, came roaring through Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, winning four in four days.

As the all top seeds were knocked off, they sauntered into the finals and beat the No. 9 seed East Carolina Pirates.

Last year, the tournament was a heartbreak for the Roadrunners.

As the No. 1 seed, they had a three games in three days route to the title and dropped their first game, falling to ninth-seeded Rice in the quarterfinals.

In the finals, No. 3 South Florida beat Rice.

This year, the calculus is altered with No. 1 Rice and No. 2 East Carolina opening in Friday’s semifinals, needing only to win two in two days to gain the NCAA automatic bid.

Aston said that “everyone thinks” this year is set up for the No. 1 or the No. 2 to win it all.

But as recent history has proven, it only takes one game for a shocking result to crater the bracket.

“An obvious challenge would be if you had to win five,” Aston said. “I think that would probably seem pretty daunting.

“But the fact that we were able to get the bye and get up here and get settled, you know, I think anybody that’s competitive at all (thinks they have a chance).”

UTSA senior Ereauna Hardaway said she likes UTSA’s seeding in that a team that is ready to play can find its groove in the tournament’s early stages.

“To me, in my opinion, it’s better to get the first-round bye and get to play for four days, instead of having to wait all the way until Friday,” she said. “I think we could get a good rhythm. You get your jitters out the first day.

Coach Diane Richardson leads the Temple Owls (15-16) into today’s second-round game against UTSA. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“So I think we’re in a perfect seed.”

It also helps that the Roadrunners have some late momentum.

Even though they have lost four of their last eight, they have won two of their last three, including a victory over the No. 1 Rice Owls last Saturday in Houston.

The question might be whether the Roadrunners can sustain effort for four days in a row.

“Definitely the biggest challenge is taking care of our bodies,” UTSA senior forward Cheyenne Rowe said. “So that’s we’ll have to do in between games, in between days … Definitely go over the scout. At the same time, we’ve played these teams before.

“We know who they are. We just have to play our game. Play the way we play and play for each other.”

Hardaway has played in the last two tournaments for the North Texas Mean Green.

Even though the site of the event has shifted from Fort Worth to Birmingham and the bracket has been altered, it all boils down to which team is best prepared.

“I would just say, everyone has to come to play,” Hardaway said. “Any team can win. You know, even the lowest seed.

“Like, if you watch March Madness, you always usually see (someone) knock out a big team.

“Everybody has to be ready to come to play, because you never know what can happen, because, nobody wants it to be the last game of their season.”

American Conference
Women’s basketball tournament
At Birmingham, Ala.

Tuesday

Game 1 — (9) FAU defeats (8) Charlotte, 74-70, in overtime.
Game 2 — (7) Temple defeats (10) Tulane, 86-77, in overtime.

Wednesday

Game 3 — (9) FAU vs. (5) North Texas, noon
Game 4 — (7) Temple vs. (6) UTSA, 2:30 p.m.

Thursday

Game 5 — Game 3 winner vs. (4) Tulsa, noon
Game 6 — Game 4 winner vs. (3) South Florida, 2:30 p.m.

Friday

Game 7 — Game 5 winner vs. (1) Rice, 6 p.m.
Game 8 — Game 6 winner vs. (2) East Carolina, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday

Game 9 (championship) — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m.

Records

(1) Rice 27-4, 17-1
(2) East Carolina 22-9, 14-4
(3) South Florida 20-11, 13-5
(4) Tulsa 19-11, 11-7
(5) North Texas 17-13, 11-7
(6) UTSA 14-15, 9-9
(7) Temple 15-16, 8-10
(8) Charlotte 14-18, 8-10
(9) FAU 14-17, 7-11
(10) Tulane 11-20, 6-12

San Antonio’s Hailey Adams has emerged as one of the key players for the top-seeded Rice Owls, who will open play in the tournament on Friday needing just two wins for the title. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA’s season is over.

It’s also over for the Rice Owls, who built an 18-point lead in the first eight minutes of the game and then held on at the end for an 80-71 victory over the Roadrunners in an American Conference men’s basketball finale Sunday in Houston.

Both teams finished in the bottom three in the 13-team conference and thus will not play in the postseason tournament, which opens Wednesday in Birmingham.

Freshman Matheo Coffi emerged as a bright spot against the Owls with 12 points and 14 rebounds as the Roadrunners finished 5-25 overall and in last place in the American at 1-17.

“He’s really played great down the stretch,” second-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch said on team’s radio broadcast. “Obviously we’re really excited about him as a freshman.

“He’s got a chance to be a good player in this league.”

Junior guard Brent Moss also enjoyed a solid game with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Baboucarr Njie scored 16 and guard Jamir Simpson 11.

Because of injuries, UTSA played only seven players against the Owls.

For the Owls, Jalen Smith scored 25 points and Nick Anderson 20. The two guards combined to hit 11 of the team’s 12 three-pointers, with Anderson making six.

Rice’s hot-shooting start proved to be the difference in the game.

“You can’t give ’em an 18-point lead in the first half, right,” Claunch said. “You get it back to whatever it was, nine or 10, but it’s just hard, playing a team on the road. They played great.

“They played well (on) Senior Day. You expect them to come out and play well. Their guards played with great poise and purpose. I’m proud of how we fought back. But now we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Despite a 17-game losing streak and 22 losses in 23 games to close the season, Claunch said he is proud of his team.

“It’s bigger than basketball,” the coach said. “I’ve coached some of these guys for the last time. These guys are always part of my family, part of our family.

“I got to look back and figure out why we didn’t have the year we wanted to have on the court. But it’s still a special group of young men.

“They’re going to do a lot of good things past this, and I’m proud of ’em.”

The UTSA men had trouble from the beginning fielding a healthy, cohesive lineup.

By the time conference play started, the adversity had reached crisis proportions.

Claunch said the plague of injuries was the worst he has endured in seven seasons as a head coach, including five at Nicholls State and two at UTSA.

Injuries decimated UTSA’s frontcourt, knocking out, at various times, Duke transfer and 7-foot center Stanley Borden, 6-11 forward Mo Njie and 6-7 forward Macaleab Rich.

Borden played in only three games and Rich in 11, while neither made an appearance in an American Conference game.

Arizona State transfer Austin Nunez, meanwhile, made it to Feb. 7 before a hard fall under the basket in a home game against North Texas ended his season.

Nunez, averaging 9.8 points, played only 22 games.

Perhaps most disappointing of all, TCU transfer Vasean Allette never played at all for personal reasons.

Combined with a midseason shoulder injury to freshman guard Dorian Hayes, the adversity proved to be too much to overcome, and the Roadrunners played with anywhere from six to eight healthy players for most of the last two months.

Looking ahead to next year, the Roadrunners hope to build around this season’s young core of sophomore Baboucarr Njie, plus freshman Dorian Hayes, Kaidon Rayfield and Coffi.

Nunez and Moss, both juniors, also have eligibility remaining.

Records

UTSA 5-25, 1-17
Rice 13-18, 7-11

Notable

The Roadrunners’ win-loss record in conference play (1-17) is the worst in program history.

Their 5-25 overall record matches the program record for fewest wins in a season and ranks second in most losses.

In 2015-16, Brooks Thompson’s last team at UTSA finished 5-27 and 3-15 in Conference USA.