Author Archives: Jerry Briggs

Homeward bound: Nina De Leon Negron prepares to play for UTSA in Puerto Rico

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

UTSA graduate senior Nina De Leon Negron is averaging 11.8 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. She’s also making 53.3 percent from three going into two games this week in her hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Ever since Nina De Leon Negron signed with the UTSA Roadrunners last spring, she has been excited for a chance to travel home and see family and friends on Thanksgiving.

The journey is happening, indeed, as UTSA (4-1) will take on the UNC Greensboro Spartans (6-1) on Thursday and the Towson Tigers (0-6) on Friday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat UT-Rio Grande Valley 74-69 in non-conference women's basketball on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Karen Aston has credited her team’s play at point guard this year for her team’s improvement on offense. Nina De Leon Negron and Sidney Love both start and alternate in bringing the ball up as playmakers. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Earlier this week, the Roadrunners’ graduate senior point guard sat and talked at the Convocation Center about how far she has come since she left home five years ago to live in the United States.

As a kid, she once was just another Puerto Rican ball player with dreams.

“It was fun,” she said. “It’s definitely different than the United States. I feel like kids here start training (early) with skills trainers. They’re young and they develop a lot of stuff. Like, they get good when they’re younger. They lift weights and stuff like that.

“In Puerto Rico, we don’t have those big facilities. So it’s kind of like, harder.”

Even though De Leon Negron took a different route to a starter’s role than most athletes in NCAA Division I, she made the most of it.

After a year at Montverde Academy in Florida, she began her college career with two seasons at Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn.

The former U17 player on the Puerto Rican national team then transferred to the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio for another two seasons. Now she’s a key player for the Roadrunners, who are among the favorites in the American Athletic Conference.

Combining with junior Sidney Love to give the Roadrunners a talented dual point-guard look, De Leon Negron has sparked the team to three wins in a four-game streak going going into San Juan.

As the first Puerto Rico native in UTSA women’s basketball history, she’s averaging a robust 11.8 points and 3.8 assists. After sitting out the second game of the season with a heel injury, the 5-foot-6 spark plug has found her offensive groove with games of 14, 13 and 16 points.

Not bad for someone who grew up, basically freelancing, as a young player on the Caribbean island.

“It was fun, but we were mostly playing instead of training,” De Leon Negron said. “You’re playing more than you’re training, which, I don’t think that’s the correct way. But, that’s kind of how it works there. But it was always fun. I always had my parents’ support. They were always like, you want to go shoot? You want to do this? I’ll take you. They were always there for me.

“So I’m definitely excited to go back and play for them.”

For De Leon Negron, another obstacle to achieving success in the college game came in overcoming the language barrier. It was a challenge for the Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican to learn English on the fly, starting in 2019 when she moved to Florida.

“I was not fluent (in English),” she said. “I barely knew (it). I moved to Montverde and, in Florida, there are a lot of Hispanic people in the schools. So I would speak Spanish, and then just English on the court. When I went to my first school, Austin Peay, there were no Hispanics there. I just knew one person who was Hispanic. So, that’s where, like, I learned English.

“I had to. I had no other choice.”

At Austin Peay, De Leon Negron played 55 games, starting all 33 as a sophomore when she led the team in assists (3.4) and ranked second in the Ohio Valley Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.95). Moving on to San Antonio, De Leon Negron took off as a player at UIW.

She averaged 11.7 points in 58 games over a two-year period, at one time scoring 25 in a victory over the Roadrunners as a junior.

Twice, she made all-Southland Conference. De Leon Negron was placed on the SLC second team as a junior and first team last season. Looking for “something new,” she entered the transfer portal last spring and hoped for the best. De Leon Negron found a new home with UTSA.

Initial workouts at the Convocation Center with grad assistant (now assistant coach) Angel Almaguer led to her introductions with all her new teammates.

“I would come in here with him and see the other girls, so I was already creating that bonding,” she said. “And then everyone was really welcoming. Like, the coaches and players … We’d always talk about the goals, to win the championship.

“It was really good, an easy transition,” she said. “Like, I’d been in San Antonio for two years, so it was easy. I like San Antonio, So I really feel comfortable. It was like a home.”

UTSA coach Karen Aston said the team’s appearance at the multi-team event in Puerto Rico was set up more than a year ago, well before De Leon Negron entered the portal.

“Was not aware of her being available or anything like that,” the coach said. “Obviously it ended up being maybe a good recruiting tool for us, because when we started recruiting her, we had the schedule. But it was a stroke of luck, for her, you know. She’s never played in front of her family. Just a wonderful, wonderful opportunity for a young lady … It’s well-deserved.”

When players visit their home locales on road trips, sometimes the emotion of a homecoming can be a distraction for them. But Aston said she’s not concerned about that with De Leon Negron.

“I don’t worry much about Nina,” the coach said. “She came here for legitimate reasons. She wanted a different experience, and she wanted to make the most of her experience, whatever that was. If that was learning something new, learning how to lead a different team, you know, Nina is all in.”

Aston said she doesn’t think De Leon Negron will feel any pressure. Rather, she said she thinks her playmaker will love the experience.

Puerto Rico native Jhivvan Jackson (left) is the all-time leading scorer for UTSA men’s basketball and recently signed to continue his professional career in Germany for the Wuerzburg Baskets. Jackson scored 2,551 points in his UTSA career (2017-2021) to become the all-time leading scorer from Latin America in NCAA Division I. His grandfather, veteran international coach Flor Melendez (right), traveled to San Antonio and attended a few UTSA practices during his grandson’s freshman year. – File photo, by Jerry Briggs.

“She has the opportunity to go down there and play in front of probably family and friends,” the coach said. “Her intention is to go right back to Puerto Rico when she finishes her season here and start her professional career. So I think this is just, kind of, a feather in her cap. It wasn’t expected.

“It’s not why she came here. But it’s a little bit of icing on the cake for her last year in college basketball.”

De Leon Negron’s face lights up when she’s asked about playing a college game on her home turf for the first time in her career.

“Yes sir, the first time, and I can’t wait,” she said. “I have all my family and my friends ready to go and watch me and support the team. I don’t know, I’m just so excited for it. I’ve been looking forward to it since coach told me.”

Coming up

UTSA vs. UNC Greensboro, Thursday, 10 a.m.
UTSA vs. Towson, Friday, 1 p.m.
Both games at San Juan, Puerto Rico

Records

UTSA (4-1)
UNC Greensboro (6-1)
Towson (0-6)

UTSA game by game

Nov. 7 — At Texas A&M, L, 51-55
Nov. 9 — UTRGV, W, 74-69
Nov. 14 — At New Mexico State, W, 75-61
Nov. 16 — At UTEP, W, 78-73
Nov. 20 – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, W, 62-43

UTSA men lose again but hope to snap a three-game skid against Merrimack

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Troy Trojans built a 13-point lead at intermission and then shot 64 percent from the field in the second half Monday night in Alabama, rolling to an easy 86-72 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners.

Forward Myles Rigsby scored 17 points, while guard Tayton Conerway and forward Jerrell Bellamy added 15 as Troy (4-2) won on opening night in the Trojan Turkey Tipoff. Guard Cooper Campbell scored 10.

For UTSA, guard Primo Spears scored 20 points. Guard Damari Monsanto hit six 3-point baskets and finished with 19 as the Roadrunners (1-3) lost their third straight game. Forward Raekwon Horton produced a double double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

With the loss, UTSA fell to 0-3 against NCAA Division I competition this season, all by double figures.

The Roadrunners will play again on the Trojans’ home court Wednesday at noon, when they are scheduled to meet the Merrimack College Warriors (1-5).

First-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch lamented how his team has started off playing well in losses to Bradley, Little Rock and Troy, only to allow its opponent to seize the momentum with a flurry of baskets.

“Right now there’s just four- to five-minute spurts in the first half, where teams are going on hellacious runs, 10-0, 12-2, whatever the case may be, and it’s causing these deficits,” Claunch told Andy Everett on the team’s radio broadcast. “Now I was much more pleased with the second half … and how we responded. We got it back to seven.”

Coming off three 20-plus loss seasons in a row under a previous coaching staff, UTSA entered the season picked to finish tied for 11th in the American Athletic Conference. Troy entered picked third in the Sun Belt. Right now, the Roadrunners seem to struggle with consistency at the first hint of adversity.

“We knew this would be a tough test, and certainly we did some good things,” Claunch said. “But there’s an element of basketball toughness that we have to improve on.”

A major change in momentum in Troy’s favor came about five minutes into the second half.

Just as the Roadrunners produced a Horton putback, a steal and then a fast break layup by Spears, pulling to within seven points, the Trojans answered with an 11-2 run.

Campbell, a freshman, sparked the streak with two 3-point buckets. Campbell’s second triple in the sequence pushed Troy in front by a score of 59-43 with 11:27 remaining.

UTSA made another run later in the game, with forward Jo Smith stepping out to knock down a three. After a turnover on the other end, UTSA forward Sky Wicks scored on a breakaway.

When it hit the bottom of the net, the Roadrunners were within 70-60 with 5:10 remaining.

In response, Troy answered with a 3-point bucket by Conerway. Following a UTSA miss, the home team advanced the ball and finished with a resounding dunk by Bellamy. The stuff lifted the Trojans into a 75-60 advantage with 4:26 left.

For the game, the Trojans shot 55 percent from the field and 55 percent (11 of 20) from three. UTSA, by comparison, hit 44 percent afield and 46 percent from behind the arc. The Roadrunners made 13 of 28 triples, with seven players making at least one.

With UTSA missing three players, two injured and one ineligible, Troy dominated in bench scoring (40-16) and points in the paint (34-18).

First half

The Trojans, playing the passing lanes and forcing mistakes, broke open a close game midway through the first half and raced to a 42-29 lead at intermission.

In the early going, the Roadrunners attacked the Trojans with Monsanto hitting threes and Spears popping jumpers.

The third of four first-half threes from Monsanto lifted UTSA into an 18-17 lead with 10:58 remaining. From there, Troy started to become more aggressive. The Trojans kept forcing errors and surged on a 25-11 run to the halftime buzzer.

Myles Rigsby led the Trojans at the half with eight points and three steals. Jerrell Bellamny had seven points and Victor Valdes and Tayton Conerway six. Conerway emerged as a menace defensively with four steals.

The Trojans finished the half with 12 steals and forced 14 UTSA turnovers. They also hald UTSA to 40.7 percent shooting. Monsanto led the Roadrunners with 13 points, hitting four of five from beyond the 3-point arc. Spears had nine points.

Records

UTSA 1-3
Troy 4-2

Coming up

UTSA vs. Merrimack College, Wednesday, noon, at Troy, Ala.

Notable

UTSA starting forward Jaquan Scott and reserve guard Paul Lewis didn’t play against Troy because of injuries, a spokesman said.

Scott averaged 7.7 points and three rebounds through the first three games. Lewis averaged 3.5 points in the first two. He has missed the last two with a foot injury.

Guard Tai’Reon Joseph, who is practicing but is ineligible to play, sat out his fourth game to start the season. He’s expected to be eligible sometime before the start of the AAC phase of the schedule.

In losses to Bradley, Little Rock and Troy, UTSA is giving up an average of 84 points per game while yielding 53 percent shooting from the field and 48.4 percent from the 3-point arc.

Merrimack (1-5) played Monday night on the road and lost its fifth straight, falling 81-74 to the University of Massachusetts Lowell. After winning at home against Vermont on opening night, Merrimack has dropped games to Virginia Commonwealth, Princeton, 24th-ranked Rutgers, Butler and UMass Lowell.

Merrimack is starting a new era in the program’s Division I history. The Warriors will be playing their first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Merrimack is coming off two straight regular-season titles in the Northeast Conference. The Warriors’ coach is Joe Gallo, who likes to play zone defense.

Against the Roadrunners, the Warriors will be making their debut in the Trojan Turkey Tipoff. The Warriors, based in North Andover, Mass., will play Troy on Friday afternoon.

UTSA men set to take on the Troy Trojans Monday in Alabama

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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

Hard-charging Primo Spears leads the UTSA Roadrunners with 20.7 points per game. UTSA plays Troy on Monday and Merrimack on Wednesday at the Trojans Turkey Tipoff. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Looking for their first victory against NCAA Division I competition, the UTSA Roadrunners will get three chances to reverse their fortunes this week.

First, they’ll play a couple of games in Alabama at the Trojan Turkey Tipoff, meeting the host Troy Trojans on Monday night, followed by a Wednesday afternoon game against the Merrimack Warriors. Next, the Roadrunners will return home to take on the Houston Christian Huskies on Saturday afternoon.

Playing short handed under first-year coach Austin Claunch, UTSA men’s basketball is off to a 1-2 start.

The Roadrunners downed the Division III Trinity University Tigers by 26 in their opener before they lost twice against a couple of solid mid-major Division I foes, falling by 13 on the road to the Bradley Bears and by 17 at home to the Little Rock Trojans.

After losing 81-64 to Little Rock on Nov. 16, the Roadrunners have had more than a week to sort through some personnel issues.

“We played two teams picked to win their conference, and we were a little short-handed in both games,” UTSA senior guard Primo Spears said. “You know, just some bumps in the road. I’d rather have them now than in February and March.”

Spears, who leads the team with 20.7 points per game, said he remains positive about the Roadrunners’ chances for success in the spring when they play their second season in the American Athletic Conference.

“Absolutely,” he said. “We’re going to have growing pains, and I think that’s all this is. We’ve had spurts of playing great basketball, even throughout the USC (exhibition) game.

“I just think we need to clean up a little bit in the second half, around that 10 or 11-minute mark, be a little more efficient with our decision-making and sit down and guard and rebound a little more. I think when we get everyone healthy — we have yet to play with everybody — once we have our full roster, I think we’ll show our full potential.”

Troy, led by former UT Arlington coach Scott Cross, has won 20 games in each of its past three seasons. By all estimations, the Trojans are good again, having been picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference. Troy has won three of its first five games, with its only losses coming on the road against Oregon and Arkansas, two Power Four programs.

Forward Myles Rigsby and Jackson Fields pace the Trojans in scoring, while guard Tayton Conerway leads the team in assists and steals.

Notable

The Roadrunners received a boost last week when forward Raekwon Horton and guard Damari Monsanto, who sat out against Little Rock for non-injury issues, returned to practice. They were both on the floor in a workout open to the media last Wednesday.

Another positive sign for the Roadrunners is that guard Tai’Reon Joseph, who is ineligible and hasn’t played yet, continues to practice with the team. He could be activated within three weeks. Last year, Joseph was the leading scorer in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, averaging 20.5 points at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La.

Injury issues to watch are with forward Jaquan Scott, guard Paul Lewis and forward Jonnivius Smith.

Scott, a starter on the front line, played 10 minutes against Little Rock and then had to come out of the game. He sat with ice on his lower right leg before going in to change into sweats. Lewis, who has been bothered by a foot injury, didn’t play at all against Little Rock. Smith played in the game, scoring seven points and adding eight rebounds, but he did not participate in Wednesday’s open session workout.

Coming up

UTSA at Troy, Ala., Monday, 7 p.m.
UTSA vs. Merrimack, Mass., at Troy, Ala, Wednesday, noon
Houston Christian at UTSA, Saturday, 3 p.m.

Around the AAC

The Memphis Tigers will play the defending national champion and the AP No. 2 UConn Huskies Monday in the Maui Invitational. Both Memphis and UConn are 4-0. Best win on Memphis’ ledger is an 83-75 decision at home over Missouri on opening night. Tulsa transfer PJ Haggerty, a redshirt sophomore from Crosby, Texas, is averaging 22.5 points for Memphis. Tigers guard PJ Carter, who played at UTSA last season, is averaging 4.3 points in 14 minutes off the bench.

The UAB Blazers and the Tigers were picked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the AAC’s preseason poll. The Blazers (3-4) lost Friday and Saturday in the Paradise Jam at St. Thomas/Virgin Islands. UAB lost to Longwood (89-81) in the opener and Illinois State (84-83) in its next game. The Blazers will play the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns on St. Thomas on Monday before returning home. Center Yaxel Lendeborg averages 17.4 points and 9.3 rebounds.

South Florida, Wichita State and Florida Atlantic were the American’s Nos. 3, 4 and 5 picks, respectively, in the preseason. Jayden Reid hit the game-winning jumper as time expired Sunday and South Florida defeated Wright State 73-72 to claim third place at the Myrtle Beach Invitational. The Bulls (now 4-3) fell to the University of Florida Gators 98-83 on Nov. 4, opening night.

Wichita State (5-0) will take an unblemished record into a Thanksgiving Day matchup against Minnesota. Georgia transfer Justin Hill, a guard, is averaging 17.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Shockers. Hill played in high school at Fort Bend Travis in the Houston area. Junior forward Corey Washington, a transfer from Saint Peters, is second on the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game.

Florida Atlantic (4-4) erased most of a 15-point deficit but lost to Seton Hall, 63-61, on Sunday afternoon in the third-place game at the Shriner’s Children’s Charleston Classic FAU, under first-year coach John Jakus, has played a competitive schedule and has notched victories over Indiana State, Liberty and Oklahoma State. Jakus worked nine years at Baylor as an assistant under Scott Drew and helped the Bears win the 2021 national title.

UTSA turns up the defensive pressure and downs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 62-43

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Nina De Leon Negron. UTSA beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 62-43 in non-conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Graduate senior Nina De Leon Negron tied Jordyn Jenkins with 16 points as the Roadrunners won their fourth straight game. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With most of their shots clanging off the rim, the UTSA Roadrunners turned to a couple of old staples — defense and rebounding — to down the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 62-43 in women’s college basketball Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.

As a result, the Roadrunners improved to 4-1, winning four of their first five games in a season against Division I opponents for the first time since 2007-08. That year, the Roadrunners went 23-10 and reached the NCAA tournament.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 62-43 in non-conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Karen Aston’s Roadrunners play next week in Puerto Rico, on Thursday against UNC Greensboro and on Friday against Towson. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Islanders, with early road wins over Texas A&M and Texas State, lost their second straight and fell to 3-2.

Afterward, Roadrunners coach Karen Aston talked about her respect for the Islanders and coach Royce Chadwick, who led his team to the NCAA tournament last year. She also said she felt like the Roadrunners played “really solid” defensively.

“Didn’t shoot the ball great,” Aston said. “I think we’ve been shooting it better and we are a lot better shooting team than we shot tonight. But I think sometimes that happens. I was most proud of the way we buckled down defensively.

“You know, you have to do that sometimes when the ball’s not going in the hole. We offensive rebounded really well. Pretty good team effort.”

On a night when the UTSA offense went cold with 31.9 percent shooting, Nina De Leon Negron and Jordyn Jenkins led the Roadrunners with 16 points each. De Leon Negron also had three assists and two steals. Jenkins, held to six of 15 from the field, had seven rebounds, four blocks and five steals.

Jenkins entered the game averaging 23.5 points, good for a tie for 11th in the nation. She averaged 28.5 points in wins last week at New Mexico State and UTEP but couldn’t get it going offensively until late in the game.

In the first half, Jenkins missed her first six shot attempts and finally hit one at the end. In the third quarter, she shot two for four from the floor. In the fourth, when the game’s pace quickened as UTSA forced the tempo, she was three for four.

“Whenever shots aren’t falling for me, or whatever, I try to just not let it get in my head and just know that they’re eventually going to fall,” Jenkins said. “Like, you can’t go zero percent unless you stop shooting.

“So I just have to think more and be more logical with my shots whenever I’m being doubled. Maybe catching in the post and throwing out or just try to get more assists and more rebounds. That’ll also get me points.”

De Leon Negron, a newcomer who transferred in the offseason from Incarnate Word, won the “Cash In” gold chain, a team award for playing well and reaping the fruits of your hard work in practice.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 62-43 in non-conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Jordyn Jenkins, who on Monday earned national player of the week mention from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, scored 16 points against the Islanders. She also had seven rebounds, four blocks and five steals. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“This is fun,” she said. “It’s really different to where I was at. I can say that for sure. It’s a different environment … Our teammates, they make the game so much (more fun). When we’re down, we’re like, ‘Let’s pick it up. We’re better than this.’ I don’t know. It’s just fun.”

Defensively, the Roadrunners humbled the Islanders in the second half, holding the visitors to 12 points on 5 for 21 shooting. A&M-Corpus Christi, leading 31-30 at intermission, was promptly stifled in the third quarter and held to three points.

UTSA dominated the rebounding battle all night, sending Idara Udo and Maya Linton to the glass and finishing with a 54-29 advantage. The Roadrunners out-rebounded the visitors 30-8 on the offensive glass. Udo had 10 rebounds, nine on the offensive end. Linton finished with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Forward Paige Allen led the Islanders with 10 points and six rebounds.

Third quarter

Stepping up the defense and crashing the boards, the Roadrunners held the Islanders to 1 of 11 shooting, forced 10 turnovers and carried a 48-34 lead into the final period.

With Idara Udo and Maya Linton on the boards, Sidney Love scored six points and Jordyn Jenkins five in the quarter.

First half

Trailing by 11 points in the first six minutes of the game, the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders packed in their defense, forced the UTSA Roadrunners to take outside shots and watched them, mostly, clang harmlessly off the rim. As a result, the Islanders gained momentum and rallied into a 31-30 advantage at intermission.

Guard Jaeda Whitner led the Islanders offensively with nine points on three treys. Forward Paige Allen shook off a slow start and scored six points. Mireia Aguado, playing the role of distributor, passed for four assists.

Defensively, the Islanders did an admirable job on Jordyn Jenkins and limited the Roadrunners to 30.3 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from the 3-point arc.

Jenkins, who received national player of the week recognition on Monday, missed her first six shots from the field and finished one for seven. She managed only four points. Nina De Leon Negron, who had 10 first-half points, did most of her damage early as UTSA took a 14-3 lead.

Records

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-2
UTSA 4-1

Coming up

UTSA vs. UNC Greensboro, Nov. 28, at Puerto Rico
UTSA vs. Towson, Nov. 29, at Puerto Rico

Notable

UTSA entered the game on a hot streak, shooting 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range. They shot 23 of 72 from the field for a season-low 31.9 percent against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a veteran team that won 23 games last year and played in the NCAA tournament. UTSA’s previous low field goal percentage game came in the season opener at College Station, against Texas A&M, when the Roadrunners shot 33.9.

Banner reminder: UTSA women aiming for greater heights

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Maya Linton. UTSA beat South Florida 65-42 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Maya Linton and the UTSA Roadrunners host the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, a 23-win NCAA tournament team from last year, tonight at the Convocation Center. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Maya Linton, one of Coach Karen Aston’s third-year UTSA veterans, said Tuesday that she looks at the program’s new 2024 WNIT banner hanging on the north wall of the Convocation Center as a sign of progress.

A reminder that hard work pays dividends.

But as the Roadrunners prepare to host the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders tonight, she said the banner unfurled earlier this month has become more of a reminder to her that the team still needs to keep grinding away to achieve the ultimate goal.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Northern Colorado 80-62 in the first round of the WNIT on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins averaged 28.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in two road wins last week to earn mention as a national player of the week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“It’s like, ‘OK, so we can play (in the) postseason,’ ” Linton said. “But, we want to get to where we want to be … and that is in the (NCAA) tournament. We want to go bigger (than the WNIT). We want to go up another level.”

After a season-opening road loss to Texas A&M, the Roadrunners (3-1) have won three in a row to stir their long-range dreams, while the Islanders (also 3-1) have won enough games this season and in the last few to know they can play the role of spoiler.

Last season, the Roadrunners beat the Islanders, 66-59, in overtime in Corpus Christi. It was a game that the Islanders led by 15 points in the third quarter and by 11 entering the fourth, only to see it slip away.

So, tonight’s visitors in San Antonio will have plenty of reasons to play hard.

They also probably have the firepower to win, as well, with the likes of Mireia Aguado and Paige Allen returning from last year’s Southland Conference postseason champions.

Aguado and Allen led an Islanders team that forged a 23-9 record, won the SLC postseason crown and claimed the conference’s coveted NCAA berth.

The two have also sparked early-season victories over Texas A&M and Texas State on the road. The only loss for the Islanders has come in another road test against the 17th-ranked Baylor Bears.

UTSA, behind redshirt senior forward Jordyn Jenkins, is also playing well. After losing by four at A&M, the Roadrunners have knocked off the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at home, followed last week by road victories against the New Mexico State Aggies and the UTEP Miners.

Jenkins, named as one of five athletes to share national players of the week honors by the U.S Basketball Writers Association, is averaging 23.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Her supporting cast is also coming on strong.

On Saturday, the Roadrunners trailed by 11 at halftime and went on a 26-10 run in the third quarter. In the 10-minute period, Jenkins scored 11 points. Also coming alive was Linton, who averaged 3.9 points last season. She had eight in the quarter, including a pair of three-pointers.

Playing small forward this year after working as a post player the past two seasons, she finished the game with 12 points, two assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Linton hit five of eight from the field, including two of three from outside the 3-point arc.

Saying she is “way more confident than last year,” she has embraced the change in position.

“It’s very different, just because I’m getting more touches,” she said. “It’s just how I capitalize off them. Defensive-wise, I’m guarding more guards, faster people. So, it’s different for me. But it’s fine. I’m gritty. I like playing defense.”

UTSA coaches preached defense and rebounding this week, hoping to shore up a couple of areas of concern. Perimeter defense, in particular, has been a problem as opponents are shooting 46 percent from the 3-point arc against the Roadrunners.

So far, it hasn’t hurt the team too much, just because Jenkins has been so dominant, and because the UTSA offense is hitting high percentages, as well. The point guard play of Sidney Love and Nina De Leon Negron has helped the team shoot 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.

De Leon Negron said Jenkins is deserving of the national accolades.

“I feel like not everyone sees how good she can be,” she said. “I know she scores and everyone goes, ‘Whoa, she’s a really good scorer.’ But she does little things that people don’t see, like defensively, when she talks.”

De Leon Negron, a transfer from Incarnate Word, said hearing Jenkins’ calling out keys on the court is important. “Just having that voice as a post player, like, not every team has that,” she said. “We have that. (And) if we keep getting better at it, we can be elite. Playing with her is so good. It makes everyone’s life so much better.”

Records

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-1
UTSA 3-1

Coming up

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at UTSA, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA vs. UNC Greensboro, Nov. 28, 10 a.m., at San Juan Puerto Rico
UTSA vs. Towson, Nov. 29, 1 p.m., at San Juan, Puerto Rico

Notable

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a member of the Southland Conference, has won 19, 19 and 23 games over the past three seasons, respectively. Last year, the Islanders finished in a tie for second in the SLC regular season at 14-4 and then won the postseason title to reach the NCAA tournament. Royce Chadwick is in his 13th year as coach.

Award-winning Jenkins is playing at a high level, and so is the UTSA offense

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

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins is playing at a high level, averaging 23.5 points and 9.5 rebounds through four games. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Update: UTSA redshirt senior Jordyn Jenkins was named Monday as one of five athletes to receive recognition as an Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week, an award sponsored by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Jordyn Jenkins enjoyed a strong two-game road trip even by Jordyn Jenkins standards, and as UTSA’s prodigal power forward rolled along last week in victories over the New Mexico State Aggies and the UTEP Miners, the Roadrunners’ offense as a whole kept on humming, as well.

Granted, it’s early, only four games into the regular season. But the fourth edition of Karen Aston’s program looks pretty good right now and might get even better if they can clean up a few problem areas.

As the Roadrunners prepare to host the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders Wednesday night, Jenkins is playing the way she did a few years ago when she was Conference USA Player of the Year.

In fact, the 6-0 forward from Washington might be ascending into a new realm as she’s now tied for 11th in the nation in scoring at 23.5 points per game and also averaging 9.5 rebounds. You want efficiency? Jenkins is shooting 57.4 percent from the field. Consistency? How about three double doubles in four games.

“One of the most impressive things about the way she’s playing right now is her composure,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “That’s kind of easier to say than do sometimes when you’re the focal point of someone’s defense and you’re getting a lot of physicality played toward you, sometimes with double teams.

“I think it’s hard to keep your composure sometimes. I think where she’s growing and has grown since she started her career here, is to be able to handle adversity and handle situations where they (try to) — for lack of a better word — maybe get in her head, frustrate her.”

At New Mexico State, Jenkins produced 27 points and 11 rebounds. At UTEP, she took only one shot and scored two points in the first half, and then exploded to finish with 30 points and 12 boards. In the two games combined, she was 19 of 27 from the field and 18 of 20 from the free throw line.

“I thought she kind of took what the game gave her in both of them,” Aston said. “You know, she’s playing at a really high level. As you said, I’ve coached some pretty good ones. But she’s just so efficient with the ball in her hands. I think what’s been better about her is playing out of doubles a little bit better and take some of the physicality and figure out how to embrace it and (let) it make you a better player (rather) than get in your head.

“She’s made significant progress in that area and, yeah, she’s playing at an extremely high level right now.”

So is the UTSA offense as a whole. Last season, for instance, the Roadrunners had a good season and finished 18-15 but sometimes lacked the versatility and finesse on offense that it takes to win close games. UTSA shot 39.7 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from three and 65.2 percent at the free throw line. This year, through a loss at Texas A&M, a home win against UT Rio Grande Valley and two road wins last week, their percentages have soared.

UTSA is hitting 46 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from three and 76.3 percent at the line. As a result, scoring is also up, 64.5 to 69.5 points per game. It seems that just about everyone up and down the roster has shot the ball better. With purpose, and with confidence.

Aston traces some of it to point guard play.

“I think we’ve had a lot of players put in a significant amount of time to get their percentages up and feel more confident shooting the three and shooting in general,” the coach said. “But I also think it’s point guard play. I definitely think you’ve seen an evolution of Sidney (Love). I mean, we’ve all watched it, right in front of us.

“Starting as a freshman, and being a junior right now, and having so much confidence in herself and what her abilities are, but also in the system. I think she understands what we’re looking for and the time and place to do things. That’s a growth step for a young player.”

The coach also pointed to the addition of Nina De Leon Negron as another factor.

“It has given us two really solid choices” at the point, Aston said, “and I think Nina will keep getting better because she’s new to the system. But I think just having leaders at that position and knowing, kind of, timing of when to get the ball and where to (go with) it.

“I still think we’re turning it over too much, and we’ve talked about that. We turn it over a little bit less and our point totals would go up a little bit. But I’m definitely pleased, and I think it’s a reflection of spending time in the gym.”

Coming up

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at UTSA, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

Jenkins is the first UTSA women’s basketball player to be named on one of the weekly Ann Meyers Drysdale lists since the award’s inception in 2009. Other honorees who joined Jenkins this week included Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers, Miami’s Haley Cavinder, Harvard’s Harmoni Turner and Tennessee’s Talaysia Cooper. Jenkins was also named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

Turning 35: Austin Claunch’s birthday allows time for reflection

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

I tried to have some fun with first-year UTSA basketball coach Austin Claunch this morning. So, I opened my questioning on a zoom call by wishing him a belated happy birthday.

He turned 35 on Sunday. Yes, 35.

Austin Claunch. The UTSA men's basketball team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch will lead his team into Alabama next week for games against Troy and Merrimack. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“Would have been a little more fun if the ‘Runners had played better Saturday,” Claunch said.

The Roadrunners lost at home to the Little Rock Trojans, 81-64, on Saturday night. More on that later. What about the birthday?

Did he do anything exciting?

Claunch, one of the youngest head coaches in NCAA Division I, indicated that he didn’t do a whole lot and took part of the day just to reflect.

His birthday, he said, “always allows me to have great perspective, about how lucky I am to coach. Every year, it’s my sixth year now as (an NCAA Division I) head coach, and I’m blessed.

“(Yesterday) my fiancee’ was giving me a hard time (saying) ‘It’s like the first time we’ve ever had a free day on your birthday,’ ” the coach said.

Claunch said the two of them didn’t do much except to kick back and try to enjoy it.

“I watched a little football,” he said. “She made lunch and dinner. Got me a nice new watch. We were just relaxing, man.”

For Claunch, the past seven months been hectic, at times frenetic and, yes, sometimes exasperating. Moving from Tuscaloosa, Ala., to San Antonio last spring and then stepping into the whirlwind of a new job was only the start of it.

Moving into the new season has brought additional challenges. Having the day away from the office and the Convocation Center was much needed.

“We’ve been ripping and running since we got to San Antonio,” he said. “Moving. Building a team. Practice, and everything. You know, it was nice to have a day around the house. Ended up doing a little Christmas shopping. It was a great day.”

Claunch said he didn’t even watch game film. At least not during the day.

“I did watch it last night,” he said, “and I’m excited for practice today, to get out there and improve.”

Notable

The Roadrunners (1-2) have dropped two straight since a season-opening 103-77 victory at home over Division III Trinity.

Since then, they went out on the road and lost at Bradley, 85-72, last Tuesday and then returned home to face the Trojans. Playing without two key players, the Roadrunners fell behind by 22 points in the second half before losing by the eventual 17.

Starters Raekwon Horton and Damari Monsanto didn’t play. Claunch hasn’t specified why. All he would say on Monday was that he expected the two to return to practice today. “I would expect them back and obviously move forward (to) help us win games,” he said.

Little Rock clamps down defensively in an 81-64 victory over short-handed UTSA

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Marcus Millender. UTSA men's basketball lost to Little Rock 81-64 on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Marcus ‘Smurf’ Millender had 12 points and three steals Saturday against the Little Rock Trojans. — Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Little Rock Trojans entered the UTSA Convocation Center Saturday coming off two straight unsightly road losses.

They made sure it didn’t happen again, rolling to second-half leads as large as 20 and 22 points, before holding off the Roadrunners 81-64.

Arguably, Little Rock won the game on the defensive end, limiting UTSA to 30 percent shooting, blocking nine shots and forcing 17 turnovers.

Austin Claunch. UTSA men's basketball lost to Little Rock 81-64 on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Austin Claunch’s Roadrunners played Saturday without starters Raekwon Horton and Damari Monsanto. Without explaining why they didn’t play, Claunch said the team has ‘a standard’ to uphold. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Ante Beljan led Little Rock with a career-high 21 points and guard Mwani Wilkinson scored 19. Also, guards Isaiah Lewis scored 16 and Johnathan Lawson had 15.

Primo Spears finished with 15 to lead the Roadrunners. Marcus Millender added 12, while Naz Mahmoud and Sky Wicks contributed 10 each. The Roadrunners played without forward Raekwon Horton and guards Damari Monsanto and Tai’Reon Joseph.

Joseph is ineligible at the moment, having sat out all three of the Roadrunners’ games. It’s believed he might be out at least another four games before he can return. But the absence of Horton and Monsanto, two starters, came as a surprise.

“We had a couple of guys out,” first-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch said. “Listen, at the end of the day, they’ll be back. We expect all of them back, come Monday. You know, it is what it is. There’s things we want to uphold. There’s a standard we want to uphold.

“Those guys have done it, and at the end of the day, when you don’t do it, there’s certain things (that will happen). You know, it’s a privilege to play at UTSA.”

Claunch didn’t go into detail on why he apparently took actions that left his team short-handed. Instead of specifics, he spoke in his postgame news conference in generalities about how his players “are trying to do something that’s hard … and it gets so frustrating.”

Seated in the interview room flanked by Millender and Mahmoud, Claunch continued, “Sometimes, (players) want to win so bad. These guys sitting next to me and all those guys in the locker room, it takes time, to get to where they want to (go and to realize) the dreams they want to talk about. We talk about winning and cutting down these nets and all that.

“(But) it’s hard to win one game. It’s hard to win one college basketball game.

“And then when you get used to it and you start to get a feel, it becomes a little bit easier each time. But we just got to keep chipping, man. It’s the stone cutter. Right? You don’t ever know. You don’t ever know when the last blow, the last hit, (when) you’re going to find gold over there.”

Records

Little Rock 2-2
UTSA 1-2

Coming up

UTSA at Troy, Ala., Nov. 25
UTSA vs. Merrimack, at Troy, Nov. 27

Halftime

Little Rock entered the game with UTSA coming off losses at Winthrop, S.C., 82-67, and at Arkansas State, 80-63. Sparked by Wilkinson and Beljan, the Trojans surged on a 16-0 run late in the first half to take charge against the Roadrunners.

Primo Spears. UTSA men's basketball lost to Little Rock 81-64 on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Primo Spears led the Roadrunners with 15 points. He’s averaging 20.7 points to lead the team through three games. – Photo by Joe Alexander

After giving up five points to the Roadrunners in the closing few minutes, the Trojans went into the dressing room with a 36-26 intermission lead.

Beljan started the streak, innocently enough, with a free throw. But after that, Little Rock started to roll.

First, Wilkinson hit a three and then Beljan sank a layup. Wilkinson knocked in another three and Beljan followed with another inside move.

Lewis broke loose for a fast break layup and was fouled, and then he hit the free throw. Creed Williamson, the son of former NBA player Corliss Williamson, added a layup with 2:40 remaining for a 36-21 advantage.

Little Rock’s defense limited UTSA to 19 percent shooting (5 of 26) in the first half. UTSA hit 2 of 12 from three. At that juncture, Millender led the Roadrunners with seven points.

For the Trojans, who shot 45 percent from the floor in the half, Lewis had nine points and Lawson eight. Primo Spears, who had scored 47 points combined in the team’s first two games, finished the half with six.

Notable

Little Rock has been without injured star guard Khaleen “KK” Robinson since mid-October and another starter, Jordan Jefferson, sat out against UTSA.

Skylar Wicks. UTSA men's basketball lost to Little Rock 81-64 on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Skylar Wicks produced 10 points and seven rebounds against the Trojans. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The loss of Robinson, a first-team, all-conference player in the Ohio Valley last year, will hurt the Trojans moving forward. He is out indefinitely with a knee injury.

“It happened about two weeks before the season started, we lost our best player,” Trojans coach Darrell Walker said. “We’re still trying to figure our team out, but this was a good road win for us tonight. It really was.”

Walker, in his seventh season at Little Rock, recently received a three-year contract extension. “It’s good to have it, starting off a new season,” he said. “I’m happy that the athletic director had enough belief in me to get it done.”

The Roadrunners started the season on Nov. 4 with a 103-77 victory at home over Division III Trinity University. Their next game, another home date set originally for Nov. 9, was postponed when the visiting the North Dakota Fighting Hawks encountered weather- and travel-related issues.

The two sides have agreed to try and play the makeup on Dec. 13 in San Antonio, but it’s not on the UTSA schedule yet because a contract hasn’t been formalized.

Earlier this week, on Tuesday night, the Roadrunners played their first road game of the season and lost 85-72 to the Bradley Braves. Now, after the loss to the Trojans, UTSA remains winless against NCAA Division I competition at 0-2.

Quotable

“Give Little Rock a lot of credit,” Claunch said. “They out-played us. Out-toughed us. You know, we did some good things early on, again, similar to the Bradley game. And then at some point, they went on that run. We got to be able to withstand those a little bit better.”

Nazar Mahmoud. UTSA men's basketball lost to Little Rock 81-64 on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Nazar Mahmoud scored a career-high 10 points and pulled down six rebounds, including five off the offensive glass. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Once again, shooting woes plagued the Roadrunners, who are hitting 38 percent from the field through their first three games.

“I just thought in the first half we missed some shots that we normally make, and that sort of got us out of rhythm. I mean, we were 10 of 31 from two(-point range). We probably made a couple late. At one point, we had nine field goals with like 15 minutes left in the game. They’re a good shot-blocking team. You look, percentage-wise, they’re top 20 in the country. I just thought we missed a couple of chippies that we normally make.”

In addition, the Trojans hit 52.7 percent from the field, meaning that UTSA is now yielding 51.1 percent per game for the season.

“I was really proud of these guys, coming out today short-handed and battling the way that they did,” Claunch said. “We had to battle through some things today, and when you’re trying to build and work on things, that’s part of it. You know, you got to go through tough days. There’s going to be high days. You don’t get there without the low days. This is certainly not how we wanted to perform at home, in front of our fans.

“Now, the good news is, we have some time, and we get a little over a week to go to Troy and play two really good teams. We didn’t do ourselves any favors (today). It’s not going to get any easier. Troy obviously is picked top two in the Sun Belt (Conference). Merrimack (transitioning into its first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) has won that (Northeast) league a couple of years. So, we got to be ready to go.”

Jenkins-led UTSA rallies from 11-point deficit to down UTEP, 78-73

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Jordyn Jenkins erupted for 28 points in the second half Saturday as the UTSA Roadrunners, down by 11 at intermission, rallied for a 78-73 victory over the UTEP Miners.

Jenkins, a senior from Kent, Wash., produced a season-high 30 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for her third double double in four games.

With the victory, the Roadrunners swept a two-game road trip. They beat New Mexico State on Thursday night and then came into El Paso for a morning tipoff on Saturday to win again.

The Miners played with a passion in the first half, registering a strong second-quarter performance to take a 38-27 lead at intermission.

Ivane Tensaie led the Miners with 27 points, including seven three-point baskets. The Miners were 9 of 14 from three.

“We didn’t look locked in, in the first half,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said on the postgame radio broadcast. “This reminded me of our exhibition game where we got so many hand-checks (fouls). We just didn’t adjust.

“The refereeing was what it was. I didn’t think, first half, like anybody on the team adjusted. I’d put one in and they’d make the same mistake as someone that was coming out.”

Aston said the Roadrunners played early like a team “that was tired of being on the road trip, ready to get home and thought it was going to be easy. I think it was a lesson learned. Hopefully we’ll be better next time we get into this type of a situation.”

Guard Nina De Leon Negron and forward Maya Linton played well. De Leon Negron had 13 points and eight rebounds. She hit five of 10 shots from the field. Linton scored 12 points on five of eight shooting.

In the third quarter, Jenkins scored 11 points and Linton had eight as the Roadrunners surged on a 26-10 spree that put the Miners on their heels.

Records

UTSA 3-1
UTEP 2-1

Coming up

Texas A&M Corpus-Christi at UTSA, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

UTSA women prepare for early tipoff in El Paso against UTEP

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA women’s basketball team faces a quick turnaround from its last game as it prepares to meet the UTEP Miners today in El Paso at the Haskins Center.

Less than 48 hours ago, the Roadrunners polished off the New Mexico State Aggies, 75-61, in Las Cruces. Now they’re suiting up to play the Miners in the second game of a road trip. Tipoff is at noon central time at UTEP.

The Roadrunners (2-1) started practicing this summer thinking that they might have a deep pool of talent to meet the challenge of their fourth season under head coach Karen Aston.

After three games, their depth is paying off in solid play from several players.

Everyone knew senior Jordyn Jenkins would be good coming into the season, and she has been. A preseason first-team all-American Athletic Conference selection, she’s averaging 21.3 points and 8.7 rebounds.

Jenkins has been a model efficiency on the offensive end, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 80 percent at the free throw line. In Las Cruces on Thursday night, she was at her best, producing 27 points and 11 rebounds.

But just as the Aggies started to feel the brunt of Jenkins’ play in the paint — she scored 12 in the first quarter — everyone else started to click, as well.

New Mexico State attacked with Molly Kaiser, but UTSA responded with play from the likes of Nina De Leon Negron and Sidney Love. De Leon Negron had her best game of the season with 14 points. Love had eight points and seven assists. As a team, the Roadrunners hit nine of 18 from three-point distance.

In all, six UTSA players hit threes.

Today in El Paso, the Roadrunners’ depth will be tested again. The Miners (2-0) are a grind-it-out style team that has played well defensively in victories over Tarleton State and Morehead State. They’re holding opponents to 45 points per game on 29.9 percent shooting from the field.

The Miners’ offensive threats include 5-7 guard Ivane Tensaie, who averages 15 points. Others are 5-6 guard Portia Adams and 6-1 forward Luisa Vydrova. Both are averaging 11 points. The Miners are in their 20th season in Conference USA and in their second under head coach Keitha Adams.

Records

UTSA 2-1
UTEP 2-0

Coming up

UTSA at UTEP, today at noon
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at UTSA, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.