Author Archives: Jerry Briggs

Jenkins scores 27 as UTSA beats New Mexico State, 75-61

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Jordyn Jenkins on Thursday night produced her second double double of the season, exploding for 27 points and 11 rebounds, as the UTSA Roadrunners downed the New Mexico State Aggies, 75-61.

Nina De Leon Negron had 14 points and three assists for the Roadrunners, who won their first road game of the year and improved to 2-1. Despite a shaky start because of foul trouble, center Idara Udo scored 11 on four of five shooting for UTSA.

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

Nina De Leon Negron hit four of UTSA’s nine 3-point field goals. . The Roadrunners made nine of 18 for the game, improving the team to 38.8 percent accuracy on the season. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Not known as a three-point shooting team, the Roadrunners knocked down nine of 18 from outside the arc. De Leon Negron, who sat out UTSA’s last game with a heel injury, made four treys on five attempts.

Guard Molly Kaiser had 23 points, four assists and four steals for the Aggies, who fell to 2-1. Forward Fanta Gassama, who was averaging 18 points and 15 rebounds entering the game, was held to 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Roadrunners played tough defense down the stretch, holding New Mexico State to one field goal in the final 7 minutes and 58 seconds.

A wild sequence ensued just after the start of the fourth quarter. The teams combined to hit four straight three-point shots in the first 1:13.

First, De Leon Negron hit for UTSA. Next, Emma Desovich answered for New Mexico State. On the next trip, Udo — UTSA’s starting center — set her feet at the top of the circle and knocked one down. Undeterred, Desovich made another one for the Aggies.

New Mexico State had some momentum at that point, and Kaiser hit a shot to bring the home team to within four points. In retaliation, UTSA pulled away with a 13-3 run to the buzzer.

Jenkins started the spree with a three, and then she broke away for a fast break layup to open the lead to 67-58. New Mexico State never got closer than seven the rest of the way.

Records

UTSA 2-1
New Mexico State 2-1

Coming up

UTSA at UTEP, Saturday, noon

Notable

Through only three games, UTSA’s 3-point field goal accuracy is a robust 38.8 percent. The Roadrunners have made 19 of 49 on the season. In their last two games, wins over UT Rio Grande Valley and New Mexico State, they have hit a combined 16 of 33 for 48.4 percent. Last year, the Roadrunners ranked near the bottom of the American Athletic Conference in shooting from distance, making 162 of 554 for 29.2 percent.

Quotable

“This is a good road win. I thought they would be tough to beat, and they were.” — UTSA coach Karen Aston, on the team’s radio broadcast.

First half

Holding off a surge by the New Mexico State Aggies in the second quarter, the UTSA Roadrunners hit a couple of three-pointers in the last six minutes to take a 39-33 lead into intermission.

Jordyn Jenkins had 12 points early in the game and the Roadrunners knocked down three threes in the first quarter to go ahead 25-16 after one period.

In response, the Aggies picked up their defense, started to play the passing lanes and forced turnovers to fuel an offense that brought them to within one.

A steal and fast break layup by Anna Czenyi trimmed UTSA’s lead to 34-33 with 2:57 remaining.

New Mexico State continued to scrap, getting a couple of offensive rebounds on an ensuing possession. But in the end, the Aggies turned it over themselves.

UTSA capitalized on its next two possessions. First, Sidney Love drove the left side for a layup with 1:08 remaining. Next, De Leon Negron buried a three for a 39-33 lead.

UTSA women open two-game road trip at New Mexico State

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA women will start a two-game road trip at undefeated New Mexico State tonight, with tipoff at 6 p.m. at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.

The Roadrunners (1-1) suffered shooting woes and lost their opener on the road at Texas A&M last Thursday, falling 55-51. They bounced back behind Sidney Love’s 21 points and 11 assists Saturday at home with a 74-69 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley.

Jordyn Jenkins leads the Roadrunners, averaging 18.5 points, and Love is next at 15.5. But those two may need help on the home court of the Aggies (2-0).

After rolling to a lopsided victory at home in an exhibition game against Division II Cameron, Okla., New Mexico State opened the regular season on the road on Nov. 4 and defeated UC Irvine, 57-49.

Six-foot-one forward Fanta Gassama led the way with 22 points and 16 rebounds to open her second season with the Aggies after two years in junior college. Gassama, from Mataro, Spain, is averaging 15 boards for the season.

Playing at home in their second game last Thursday, the Aggies rolled past Utah Tech 85-63 behind guard Molly Kaiser’s career-high 35 points. Kaiser has 50 points and 11 rebounds in two games.

Records

UTSA 1-1
New Mexico State 2-0

Coming up

UTSA at New Mexico State, tonight at 6 p.m.
UTSA at UTEP, Saturday at noon.

Notable

UTSA beat New Mexico State 58-55 last year in San Antonio. In recruiting, the Roadrunners on Wednesday signed three players for the class of 2025, including 5-5 guard Adriana Robles from Fort Worth Fossil Ridge HS, 6-0 forward Sema Udo from Plano East HS and 6-3 forward Sanaa Bean from Edna Karr HS in New Orleans, La.

Quotable

UTSA coach Karen Aston on starting the season, “I thought it was good to get it kicked off. We played hard and sometimes really, really well at A&M. Fell short. But I think we learned some lessons in that game. And then I thought Saturday against UTRGV was just a well-played game, by both teams. I didn’t think we made a ton of mistakes. I thought it was just two teams that shot the ball pretty well. We were lucky to come out on top on Saturday but I’m pleased to be moving forward, and we have a big week ahead.”

On Sidney Love’s performance against UTRGV: “I thought she was just in control. Sid has been here for three years and has been a three-year starter and someone that we definitely rely upon. But I think also you see the growth in a young lady that has sort of been in the fire and understands the sort of roller coaster you ride in a game. I thought she had some really, really good moments.

“But I thought where she was so impressive was just in her ability to stay connected with our team and to stay focused on … the task at hand … It was probably one of her best performances in what I call keeping the blinders on, and just have tunnel vision in what it was going to take for our team to win the game.”

Asked about junior Alexis Parker getting her fourth career start and freshman Damara Allen her first, “I think it goes back to the summer grind and the offseason grind. As you get ready for season, right now, from a coaching standpoint, you’re looking at who’s been the most consistent from Day One. And who has sort of put their shoes on and laced ’em up and worked every single day.

“I think those two have really shown a level of consistency with how they’re approaching practice every day. I mean, there’s others that have, too. And right now it’s a level of uncertainty, really, with our wing players. Who’s going to be who’s going to be ready to play and who understands the scout. Who understands what we expect, how to get the ball to the right person at the right time. Just a lot of things that go into playing at this level.

“I think it’ll still be kind of a week-by-week situation, just because there are some other players that I think deserve some playing time, too. Emma (Lucio) had some really good minutes and hasn’t played hardly at all. But when you go back to the question … about Lex and Damara, it’s been their level of consistency from Day One.”

Aston made her remarks on Monday on her weekly zoom conference.

Deen-led Bradley spoils UTSA’s first road game, 85-72

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Five-foot-eight guard Duke Deen produced 22 points, six rebounds and five assists Tuesday night as the Bradley Braves, playing at home at in Peoria, Ill., opened a big lead in the second half and then held off the UTSA Roadrunners, 85-72.

Deen hit four of Bradley’s 10 three pointers on the night as the Braves, shooting 52 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from distance, bounced back from a loss to Washington State and improved to 2-1. UTSA, in its first game of the season against NCAA Division I competition, fell to 1-1.

The Braves entered the new year as the preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference and won by 28 points in their opener over Southeast Missouri. Last weekend, they played on the road and lost by 17 at Washington State before returning home to face the Roadrunners, an American Athletic Conference team under the direction of first-year coach Austin Claunch.

In their third game, the Braves won the battle of the boards 48-28 and dominated in the last nine minutes of the first half, opening an 18-point lead at intermission. In full control, the Braves led by as many as 23 points and were up by at least 20 for much of the second half.

Bradley held an 85-65 advantage with 1:20 remaining when UTSA scored the last seven points of the game for the final margin. Deen, a preseason pick for first-team all conference in the Missouri Valley, scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half.

The diminutive guard from Shreveport, La., had substantial help from his friends as forwards Almar Atlason had 18 points and Darius Hannah contributed 17. Guard Zek Montgomery scored 15.

UTSA was led by guard Primo Spears with 20 points, his second game with 20 or more to start the season. Playing hard to the end, forward Raekwon Horton contributed 15 points, six rebounds and five steals. Guard Marcus Millender had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Roadrunners, who opened with a blowout victory at home over Division III Trinity, had an early five-point lead but couldn’t sustain the momentum. They were held to 34.8 percent shooting from the field for the game and 24 percent from three.

Records

UTSA 1-1
Bradley 2-1

Coming up

Little Rock at UTSA, Saturday, 3 p.m.

First half

Trailing by five with 11 minutes left in the half, the Braves started a run that ended with a 48-30 lead at halftime.

The Roadrunners played well early, getting a few defensive stops and forcing a turnover in an 8-0 run. Capping the streak was Jaquan Scott, who threw down a dunk and then hit two free throws for a 16-11 lead with 11:17 remaining.

From there, the Braves got hot, outscoring the Roadrunners 37-14 the rest of the way.

In the half, Spears led the Roadrunners with nine points and two steals. Horton had seven points and three rebounds. For the Braves, Deen scored 15 points and Hannah and Atlason each added 12 points.

Bradley shot 56.3 percent from the field in the half and drilled eight of 14 from three-point distance. Deen was three of five from behind the arc. Atlason was three for three and Hannah two for two.

The game was played at Bradley’s Carver Arena, in Peoria, Ill. It was UTSA’s second overall game this season under new coach Austin Claunch and the first on the road after opening with a blowout victory over Division III Trinity on Nov. 4.

Notable

UTSA center Mo Njie made his regular-season debut after sitting out the opener with a groin injury. Njie, the Roadrunners’ biggest player at 6-11 and 250 pounds, had eight points and four rebounds in 20 minutes. He hit four of six from the field.

The Roadrunners played their second game without high-scoring guard Tai’Reon Joseph, who hasn’t yet been cleared to suit up. UTSA expects Joseph to be eligible eventually, likely sometime before American Athletic Conference play starts. But the timetable for his return has not been announced.

In addition, 6-9 forward Jonnivius Smith, who had 10 rebounds off the bench against Trinity, also did not play.

Explosive Bradley guard Demarion Burch sat out his second straight game with a foot injury. He is expected to be out another two to three weeks.

Quotable

“Both sides of the ball, we got to be better,” UTSA coach Austin Claunch told broadcaster Andy Everett on the postgame show. “Give Bradley a lot of credit. Obviously they’re a team that’s been together. They were picked to win their league for a reason.

“That’s not an excuse for us to take some of the shots we did. I want our guys to be aggressive, but I’ve got to do a better job of manufacturing more downhill drives and create open shots. We want to shoot threes, but I actually thought we were getting in the paint a good amount and then maybe not playing with enough poise.

“We’re up five in the first half. They go on that run, and we didn’t respond well. Ultimately, it’s hard to come back down 16 against a team like that.”

The Roadrunners missed 19 shots from three-point distance and hit 20 of 23 from the free throw line, an indication that maybe they could have done more damage from closer range. They also collected 10 steals and forced 18 turnovers, another positive sign.

“We just got to guard the ball better,” Claunch said. “We’ve got to take more pride in guarding the ball, and that starts with me. I want to play fast. We will play fast. But we got to get stops. We got to get stops, and that’s the reward. Then you can run.”

Claunch said he was proud of his players’ effort.

“As we build this thing, we’ve got to have attitude and effort all the time,” he said. “I was at least happy with how we finished the game, how we stayed together.

“Listen, this team’s got … we’ve got high hopes. And this one was a good game. It’s a team that’s about our level, in terms of a good Missouri Valley team that’s trying to make the NCAA tournament.

“So for us to see (that) … we’ve got to get better in a lot of things if we’re going to have the successful season we want to have. But it’s got to happen quickly.”

UTSA prepares for road test against the Bradley Braves

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After a seven-day layoff, the UTSA Roadrunners will play their second game of the season Tuesday night in Peoria, Ill., against the Bradley Braves, the preseason favorites to win the Missouri Valley Conference.

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

First-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch hopes to pick up a road victory toight in Peoria, Ill., against the Bradley Braves. – File photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA comes into the contest at 1-0 on the season to face the Braves, who are 1-1.

Bradley coach Brian Wardle’s program has had winning records in seven of its last eight seasons, including five with 20 or more victories.

Last year, the Braves went 23-12, with a 13-7 mark in the MVC. In the postseason, they entered as the No. 3 seed and reached the semifinals of the conference tournament before getting knocked out by the Drake Bulldogs.

Left out of the NCAA tournament, they accepted a bid to the NIT and reached the second round, where their season ended with a loss to Cincinnati. The Braves ended the year at No. 57 in the NCAA’s NET rankings.

“Coach Wardle does a heck of a job,” UTSA coach Austin Claunch said Monday. “They’ve got experience. They’ve got shooting. It’s just going to be a big-time game.”

The Roadrunners are coming off a string of a dozen seasons in which they have had nine losing records. After three straight 20-loss seasons under the previous coaching staff, they brought in Claunch to turn things around.

Claunch and his coaches have been pleased with the progress thus far. In a couple of preseason games, they played well in long stretches against both Southern Cal and McNeese.

On Nov. 4, they opened the season with a 103-77 victory over Division III Trinity but haven’t played since.

A home game scheduled for last Saturday against North Dakota was postponed because of weather- and travel-related delays for the visitors.

Now they’re faced with testing their resolve on the road against a traditionally-good, mid-major program. To win, they’ll need to earn it on the defensive end, an area that Claunch sees as the “bread and butter” of his team eventually.

“I do think that’s going to be part of our bread and butter, making people miss, and trying to force turnovers within that as well, and doing that as best we can without fouling,” Claunch said on his weekly zoom call.

Claunch said fouling will be a byproduct “a little bit when you’re playing hard and flying around,” but he said that is why depth on the roster is emphasized.

“You know, I don’t want our guys thinking about that too much,” he said. “We’ll let guys play with foul trouble at times. I want us thinking about making it not fun to play UTSA. I want it to be physical. I want our guys to blow up actions and kind of make our name on that side of the ball.”

Bradley opened its season with an 88-60 victory over Southeast Missouri and then lost on Saturday night, on the road, to the Washington State Cougars, 91-74. Trailing by three at the half, the Braves were blitzed 46-32 after intermission.

Fouls plagued the Braves with three starters fouling out of the game. Forwards Christian Davis and Darius Hannah each scored 14 points for Bradley, while guard Zek Montgomery scored 13.

Coming up

UTSA at Bradley, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Little Rock at UTSA, Saturday, 3 p.m.

Love scores 21 in a career performance as UTSA downs UTRGV

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Sidney Love. 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

Guard Sidney Love produced 21 points and 11 assists in 37 minutes. Love had career highs in assists and steals (five). She became the first UTSA player since Monica Gibbs in 2009 to score at least 20 points with double figures in assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After watching the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros knock down three pointers from just about every spot behind the arc through three quarters, the UTSA women had to face facts. Down by five entering the fourth period, the Roadrunners could either start guarding the shooters, or they could fall to 0-2 on the season.

They took the challenge, hit some threes of their own and emerged with a 74-69 victory at the Convocation Center. As a result, they will take a 1-1 record into next week when they play a couple of road games at New Mexico State and UTEP.

Guard Sidney Love led the way against the Vaqueros, playing one of the best games of her career. The 5-foot-8 junior from Steele produced a double double with 21 points and 11 assists. She also five steals and five rebounds.

Damara Allen. 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

Freshman Damara Allen scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds in 27 minutes, in her first collegiate start. – Photo by Joe Alexander

With Nina De Leon Negron injured and not playing, Love logged 37 minutes and hit eight of 13 shots from the field. She had five points, three assists and zero turnovers in the fourth quarter when UTSA made its move to overtake UTRGV, an improved team that beat Houston in its season opener.

“Just playing care free and letting the game come to me,” Love said. “Put in a lot of work, and it’s just fun to be able to play.”

For Love, it was her fifth game as a Roadrunner with 20 or more points. UTSA is 5-0 in those games. Despite her understated brilliance, UTSA very easily could have lost. UTRGV proved to be extremely tough to defend. Seven of their players made three-pointers, and guard/forward Kade Hackerott was nearly impossible to stop.

Hackerott led the Vaqueros with 24 points, knocking down four of her team’s 11 threes. She hit one from the top of the circle at the end of the third quarter, which pushed UTRGV into a 58-53 lead and ignited passion in a group of fans cheering on the visiting team.

“I’m a defense-minded coach,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “At some point, you got to step up. We talked about that at the end of the third quarter when Hackerott hit the three.

“One thing I talked about on that possession was, that was about the best we had defended her.

“For a long span in the third quarter, we didn’t do much to make her uncomfortable. I thought that was our best defensive possession against her, and she hits a three at the buzzer.”

Jordyn Jenkins. 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

Jordyn Jenkins scored eight of her 19 points in the last five minutes of the game, including four of six free throws to seal the win in the final seconds.- Photo by Joe Alexander

In the fourth quarter, the Roadrunners guarded everyone a little better. The Vaqueros were held to three of 10 from the field and one of three from three.

Hackerott finished one for four from the field down the stretch. She hoisted one three and missed it.

“I thought we were a lot better down the stretch and a lot more connected,” Aston said.

UTSA, a team that hit only three of 16 from distance in Thursday’s season-opening loss at Texas A&M, made three of six in the last period against UTRGV.

Love hit one at the outset of the quarter, followed in succession by long balls from freshman Damara Allen and sophomore Emma Lucio. The shots by Allen and Lucio came at critical junctures, with both lifting UTSA out of a deficit and into a lead.

Forward Jordyn Jenkins scored eight of her 19 points in the final five minutes to put the game away.

Third period

The Vaqueros hit 10 of 16 shots and six of eight from three to take a 58-53 lead. Hackerott led the charge with 11 points, including a three at the buzzer, to cap a 10-0 run in the final two minutes.

Halftime

Putting together a run midway through the first quarter and again at the end of the second, the Roadrunners forged a 38-31 lead at halftime.

Jordyn Jenkins pumped in 10 points in the half and Alexis Parker six for UTSA, while Gianna Angiolet scored nine and Kade Hackerott had eight for UTRGV.

During warmups, it became apparent that the Roadrunners would be changing its starting lineup. Nina De Leon Negron, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter at Texas A&M, was on the floor wearing a walking boot.

As a result, Sidney Love moved over to point guard and Allen started at the shooting guard. In another move, Alexis Parker got the start at small forward, with Jenkins playing the power forward and Idara Udo at center.

Records

UTRGV 1-1
UTSA 1-1

Coming up

UTSA at New Mexico State, Thursday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at UTEP, Saturday, Nov. 16, noon

Notable

Before the game, UTSA unveiled a new banner in the Convo to commemorate the Roadrunners’ trip to the WNIT postseason tournament last year. It was UTSA’s first appearance in a national postseason event in 15 years.

The Roadrunners beat Northern Colorado in the WNIT opener and then lost in the second round, falling to Wyoming on the road to finish 18-15.

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

In a pre-game ceremony, UTSA unveiled a banner commemorating the team’s trip to the WNIT last season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Damara Allen, a freshman guard from Aurora, Colo., made her first collegiate start a good one with nine points and five rebounds in 11 minutes. Allen also had a blocked shot and a steal. Sophomore Emma Lucio had six points, two rebounds and an assist.

Aston said she isn’t sure whether De Leon Negron, suffering from a heel injury, can play next Thursday at New Mexico State. The transfer from Incarnate Word was in a walking boot on Saturday. She is believed to have suffered the injury in the third quarter at Texas A&M.

UTRGV ran great offense and hit 26 of 52 shots for 50 percent. Kade Hackerott was eight of 15. Gianna Angiolet was four for four. Jayda Holiman, the sister of former UTSA men’s player Adante’ Holiman, hit three of five and scored seven points.

UTSA’s offense was pretty good, too. After shooting only 34 percent at Texas A&M, they hit 51 percent (24 of 57) against UTRGV.

Elyssa Coleman. 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

Elyssa Coleman applauds as a banner commemorating last season’s WNIT trip is unfurled. Coleman, the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots, retired after last season in the wake of knee surgery. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Love scored or assisted on 19 of UTSA’s 24 field goals.

The junior from San Antonio-area Steele High School also had officials sorting through the school record books later as she became the first with at least 20 points and double figures in assists since Monica Gibbs in 2009. Gibbs, recently inducted into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame, had 20 points and 10 assists against Lamar on Feb. 28, 2009. In addition, she became the first player with double figures assists since Karrington Donald on Jan. 2, 2021 against Rice.

UTSA to unveil banner commemorating last season’s trip to the WNIT

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Siena Guttadauro. 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

Siena Guttadauro scored eight points in 16 minutes off the bench in the team’s opener at Texas A&M. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Update: UTSA, in a pre-game ceremony, will unveil a banner commemorating the women’s basketball team’s trip to the WNIT last season. In addition, it appears that Roadrunners starting point guard Nina De Leon Negron won’t play today. She was wearing a walking boot on her right foot during warmups.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Karen Aston’s UTSA Roadrunners hope to find the winning formula today against the surprising UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.

Looking for their first victory after losing their opener by four points Thursday at Texas A&M, the Roadrunners will host the Vaqueros, who registered a stunning upset in their first game.

Tipoff will be at 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

Edinburg-based UTRGV won on the road Tuesday at the University of Houston, 70-68, to cap a dramatic sequence of events in the final seconds. First, the Vaqueros inbounded when they were down by one point. Junior forward Charlotte O’Keefe responded by draining a three from the top of the circle.

Next, Houston pushed the ball up the court, with Gia Cooke shooting and hitting a three that was waved off after a review. Officials looked at the monitors to determine that Cooke released the shot after the buzzer, giving the win to UTRGV.

It was the first victory for the UTRGV program over a team from a power conference since 2003. Two days later, UTSA opened its season in College Station looking for the program’s first power conference win since 2010.

The Roadrunners came close, but they fell 55-51 to the Aggies. Forward Jordyn Jenkins led UTSA with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Sidney Love scored 10. But the Roadrunners, in need of a complement to Jenkins, came up empty on a couple of possessions in the final minute.

Aston told the team’s radio broadcast that UTSA will keep working to find the right chemistry to pull out close games.

“You know, it’s a new team. New chemistry,” she said. “A lot of players are playing different roles on the team. We’ve got to be able to establish those and figure out who we can count on in different moments. That’s going to take some time, I think.”

Coming up

UTRGV 1-0
UTSA 0-1

Notable

UTRGV hit 12 of 27 from behind the 3-point arc at Houston. Kade Hackerott and Sophia Zufelt each connected on three apiece. O’Keefe was two for two.

The Vaqueros are opening a new chapter in athletics with their move into the Southland Conference. They finished 6-23 overall and 5-15 in 2023-24, their last season in the Western Athletic Conference. Their coach is Lane Lord, who is in his seventh season at the school.

The Vaqueros have at least two players with San Antonio connections, including Ja’Shelle Johnson, a sophomore from Johnson High School, and also senior guard/forward Faith Phillips, who played two years at St. Mary’s University before transferring to UTRGV in 2023.

The Roadrunners are coming off their best season in 15 years. They were 10-8 in the American Athletic Conference and took the No. 4 seed into the AAC tournament, where they were knocked out in the semifinals. Earning a berth in the WNIT, they won a game in a national tournament for the first time in school history They finished 18-15 overall.

The UTSA men were scheduled to play tonight following the women for a basketball doubleheader at the Convo. But the game was canceled, with their opponent, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, citing travel and weather-related problems. It’s uncertain whether the game will be made up this season.

North Dakota at UTSA men’s basketball has been canceled

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A men’s basketball game scheduled for Saturday night at UTSA scheduled has been canceled because of weather and travel-related concerns for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

Whether the game can be rescheduled to later in the season is yet to be determined, according to a news release from UTSA.

The UT Rio Grande Valley at UTSA women will play Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center, as scheduled, a spokesman said.

The spokesman said the issue for the men’s game centered on North Dakota having flights canceled because of weather in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. Edinburg-based UTRGV shouldn’t have any travel concerns, the spokesman said.

San Antonio’s Sahara Jones boosts Texas A&M to victory, 55-51 over UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

San Antonio’s Sahara Jones scored five of her team-high 16 points in the last four minutes Thursday to lead the Texas A&M Aggies in their 55-51 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners.

In the Aggies’ second game of the season and the Roadrunners’ season opener, Jones, an A&M graduate senior from Veterans Memorial High School, hit five of 10 shots from the field and also played a solid floor game.

She had six rebounds, two assists and a steal for the Aggies, who won their first game of the season and improved to 1-1. In crunch time, Jones scored five of her points in the final 3:41 when the outcome of a tense struggle was hanging in the balance.

Jordyn Jenkins led UTSA with 18 points and 11 rebounds. But UTSA didn’t get too many other players involved as A&M did a good job defensively on the other scoring threats. In the end, the Aggies held the Roadrunners to 33.9 percent shooting from the field

UTSA had a particularly tough day behind the 3-point arc, hitting only 3 of 16 from long distance. For the Roadrunners, it was a heartbreaker that played out in front of 5,000 school kids in College Station, at Texas A&M’s Reed Arena.

Trailing by four points at intermission after a defensive struggle, the Roadrunners caught a spark in the third period. They opened the quarter with an 11-0 run. When Sidney Love hit a pull-up jumper with 5:56 left, UTSA held a 33-26 lead.

At that point, it looked like the Roadrunners might be able to beat a power conference opponent for the first time in 14 years.

But after having a three-seconds call go against UTSA, A&M guard Janae Kent hit a three to spark a 14-5 run to the end of the period. Jones scored seven points in the run for the Aggies, who took a 40-38 lead into the fourth quarter.

UTSA kept battling, and had multiple opportunities down the stretch. Two free throws by Jordyn Jenkins gave the Roadrunners a 44-42 lead with 5:34 remaining.

From there, A&M started to make all the big plays, with guard Taliyah Parker burying a three, lifting the Aggies into a one-point lead. They would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way.

The Roadrunners had a chance going into the final three and a half minutes but couldn’t pull it off. Jenkins grabbed an offensive rebound off a free-throw miss and put it back to tie the game. Her bucket knotted the score 48-48 with 3:23 remaining.

On the other end, Jones hit a driving layup for A&M.

UTSA responded by setting up in the offense but couldn’t get a good shot, with Idara Udo missing from the perimeter. Parker, in turn, responded with a couple of free throws as the Aggies pushed the lead to four.

UTSA had perhaps its last breath of life when Siena Guttadauro drilled a three off an assist from Jenkins. As Guttadauro’s shot hit the bottom of the net, A&M’s lead had been trimmed to 52-51 with 1:53 remaining.

Once again, however, Jones answered for the Aggies

Her driving layup boosted A&M into a 54-51 lead. The Roadrunners, who missed a couple of free throws that could have made it a one-point game with 15 seconds left, never got any closer.

For the Aggies, who play in the Southeastern Conference, one of four power conferences in NCAA Division I, it was a bounce-back win after losing at home Monday to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. UTSA, picked to finish fifth in the American Athletic Conference, will return home to play UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday.

Records

UTSA 0-1
Texas A&M 1-1

Coming up

UT Rio Grande Valley at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners had a chance but fell short, extending their losing streak against power conference programs to 24 games. Coach Karen Aston, in her fourth season, is now 0-8 against teams from the NCAA Division I conferences that generate the most revenue. UTSA hasn’t won a game against a power program since Dec. 16, 2010, when they beat the Big 12’s Kansas State Wildcats, 72-55, at home in the Convocation Center.

Quotable

“I thought we played hard,” Aston said on the team’s radio broadcast. “I don’t think it was that we didn’t play hard or didn’t want to win. So I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed for the kids. But they just executed some things better down the stretch than we did.”

Speaking to UTSA radio voice Neal Raphael, Aston continued: “(They) got to the free-throw line more than we did. It hurt us in the first half. Got out-rebounded. That’s not normal for our team. Free throws ended up being a little bit closer, but we just didn’t shoot the ball great today.

“They were just a little bit, I don’t want to say tougher … But in some moments, they were just a little bit tougher at getting where they wanted to get on the floor than we were.”

Aston acknowledged that A&M’s defense made it difficult for players other than Jenkins to find a rhythm.

“For sure, and we’ll find that,” she said. “You know, it’s a new team. New chemistry … A lot of players are playing different roles on the team. We’ve got to be able to establish those and figure out who we can count on in different moments. That’s going to take some time, I think.”

The Aggies out-rebounded the Roadrunners, 40-37. Offensive rebounds were tied, 15-15. But it seemed that the Aggies made the most of opportunities at critical times.

For instance, when A&M’s Sole’ Williams misfired on a jumper with a little less than five minutes remaining, Parker snared the offensive board. The play led to 6-foot-5 center Lauren Ware’s put back for a two-point A&M lead.

“I just thought they did a better job down the stretch,” Aston said.

Individuals

UTSA — Jenkins, the team’s starting power forward, scored 18 points on seven of 15 shooting. Guard Sidney Love added 10 points and Siena Guttadauro eight. Idara Udo, Cheyenne Rowe and 6-foot-4 newcomer Nyayongah Gony all had tough nights offensively. Combined, they were 1 for 12 from the floor and scored three points. Point guard Nina De Leon Negron had four points and one assist. Playing 20 minutes, De Leon Negron suffered an injury late in the third quarter. She was lifted with a minute remaining in the third and didn’t play in the fourth.

Texas A&M – Jones scored 16 points on five of 10 shooting, including one of three from long distance. She made five of eight at the line. Returning all SEC second-team player Aicha Coulibaly was held to eight points on three of nine shooting, but she had seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Forward Jada Malone had six points and six boards, while center Lauren Ware had five points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Jordyn Jenkins will lead UTSA into season opener at Texas A&M

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners will open their season on Thursday morning in College Station with heightened expectations, hoping to get things rolling with a victory over the Texas A&M Aggies, a Power 4 team from the Southeastern Conference.

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

Forward Jordyn Jenkins scored 23 points on 10 of 11 shooting in an exhibition game against the St. Mary’s Rattlers. – File photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins isn’t shying away from talking about the hype surrounding the Roadrunners, who have been mentioned as a potential dark horse candidate to win the American Athletic Conference. Asked recently about the challenges that come with expectations to win, Jenkins offered a philosophical reply:

“I think (the challenges) are just within ourselves,” she said. “…If anything it’s going to be us that (will) hold us back. We have a lot of talent and some newcomers that really get our chemistry going. I think we’re going to do really well. Whatever happens, it’s up to us.”

Today, the Roadrunners will meet the Aggies at 11 a.m. at Reed Arena.

Both teams will bring star power to the floor. A&M (19-13 last season) is led by Africa native and 6-foot guard Aicha Coulibaly, who has played one season for the Aggies and the previous three with the Auburn Tigers. UTSA (18-15 last year) counters with Jenkins, a 6-0 power forward from Kent, Wash.

In 2021-22, Jenkins’ sophomore season with the Southern Cal Trojans, she started making headlines up and down the West Coast. She averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Trojans and made first-team all conference in the Pac 12. In the offseason, she elected to hit the transfer portal in order to find a new direction.

She found it at UTSA, where she immediately was noticed in summer 2022 as a dynamic scorer. Jenkins always seemed to be on balance in the early workouts, capable of explosive bursts to the hoop or hard-to-handle, mid-range jumpers.

Opening 2022-23, her first season with the Roadrunners, she exploded, averaging 20.6 points and 7.5 rebounds. Displaying impressive speed for a power forward, she often beat her opponents down the floor and finished averaging 49 percent shooting.

Conference USA Player of the Year? It was an easy pick. It was Jenkins. But just as she seemed to be reaching her potential, the Roadrunners’ season ended in the semifinals of the C-USA tournament. And about a month later, adversity struck when she suffered a knee injury in a workout on campus.

After a torn anterior cruciate ligament that required knee surgery, she had to regroup, going through rehabilitation and strengthening workouts just to be able to start to shoot the ball during summer drills. She didn’t start contact work in practice until mid-way through the 2023-24 season.

Stepping up for the team, she played the Roadrunners’ last 12 games, averaging 17.1 points in 22 minutes. Her contribution was crucial to UTSA reaching the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament and then, later, the second round of the WNIT.

This past summer, Coach Karen Aston told her star forward that she wanted her to work on conditioning, setting as a goal trying to hit peak conditioning by the season opener.

“I’ve been working hard in trying to (be ready to) play a 40-minute game,” Jenkins said. “I know that’s what coach is expecting of me. Being a fifth-year senior, I should have my conditioning up. I know I need to be in the game, and getting in the extra conditioning, whether it’s after weights, during my rehab, just whatever I can do to stay on the court (is important).”

Her goal is to play in the WNBA, eventually. But she also has some unfinished business with the Roadrunners leading into her final season. Jenkins scored 23 points on Nov. 1 as the Roadrunners stormed to a 90-38 exhibition victory over Division II St. Mary’s University.

“I’ve definitely tried to bump up my leadership,” she said. “(I) just have a way more grateful attitude towards this because it’s my last year, especially after seeing my teammates grow. I see in them (as) myself when I was younger.

“Just to kind of lead them as positively as I can, I feel like that will help my mental game, as well as my physical game.”

Against the Aggies, who are 0-1 this season after Monday’s home loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Roadrunners will bring a new look with a raft of speed and long-armed players. Two of the most intriguing new faces include speedy point guard Nina De Leon Negron and Nyayongah Gony.

Immediately, Jenkins hit it off in summer conditioning with De Leon Negron. The 5-6 UIW transfer does a good job running the offense, driving and finding players in the paint with touch passes. Gony, 6-4, who transferred from Mississippi State, defends the basket and runs the floor with long, loping strides.

Gony even leads the fast break, bringing it up court on the dribble.

“She’s very versatile,” Jenkins said. “You know, I’ve actually witnessed her getting down the court in about four dribbles. Jumping from the wing, with her Euro step. She’s really good and adds a whole new dimension to our team, especially offensively. I hope it’ll be really tough (for opponents) to guard a really big lineup with our team.”

UTSA’s rise to respectability after years of lackluster play has caught the attention of the home fans. A core of supporters has been with the program since Aston’s first season. They turn out for preseason meet-and-greet sessions with the team and showed up a few hundred strong for the St. Mary’s exhibition.

The increased attention at UTSA coincides with a national trend, with spikes in popularity at both the NCAA and WNBA levels.

“With all the viewership that’s getting bigger, I think San Antonio will have a really good time watching us,” Jenkins said. “Because, like you said, women’s sports are getting bigger – and so is this team. I think it’s going to be great for us this year.”

Aston calls Jenkins “a very unique talent” and compares her to one of her former players with the Texas Longhorns, Ariel Atkins.

“I think that she’s a very unique talent in a sense of efficiency,” Aston said. “Her production and the efficiency that she plays the game with (are) as good as I’ve ever seen. I have another (former) player, Ariel Atkins of the Washington Mystics, she was just so efficient you just got lost in that.

“They don’t over-exert their energy. They’re very efficient basketball players. Their percentages are normally high. I think that if she can just stay the course … It’s her last year, and I think she understands that. She’s anxious to get on the floor and have a full season again.”

Records

UTSA 0-0
Texas A&M 0-1

Coming up

UTSA at Texas A&M, Thursday, 11 a.m.
UT Rio Grande Valley at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Notable

Texas A&M guard Aicha Coulibaly had a career game in the SEC tournament against top-ranked South Carolina last season. Coulibaly scored 32 points against the Gamecocks, who beat the Aggies 79-68 and went on to win the national championship. The Aggies lost 61-59 to Nebraska in the first round of the NCAA tournament…

The Roadrunners have a long losing streak going against teams from the power conferences. A check of the records indicates that the UTSA women have lost 23 straight against teams from leagues that generate the most revenue in NCAA Division I. The Roadrunners haven’t won a game against a power program since Dec. 16, 2010, when they beat the Big 12’s Kansas State Wildcats, 72-55, at home in the Convocation Center.

Even though UTSA coach Karen Aston is 0-7 against power conference foes in her previous three seasons, the Roadrunners have been competitive in those games lately, losing by five points on the road at Texas Tech, by two at home against Houston and by 13 on the road at Oregon. In 2022-23, UTSA played one power team on its schedule and lost on the road at TCU by seven. In Aston’s first season with the Roadrunners, in the fall of 2021, UTSA lost by 29 at Minnesota, by 24 at Arizona State and by 26 at Texas A&M.

The Power 4 this season consists of the Southeastern Conference, the Big Ten, the Big 12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Previous to this season, the Power 5 consisted of teams from the four conferences listed above, plus the Pac 12. The Pac 12 mostly dissolved this season during realignment…

Aston said sophomore guard Aysia Proctor “has taken a step away” from the UTSA program. “She’s going to take care of some off-court challenges,” the coach said. “I do not have a timetable on her return to play.”

Claunch wins in UTSA debut, 103-77, as his Roadrunners roll past Trinity in second half

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Guard Primo Spears hit four straight shots, including three jumpers in a row, as UTSA pulled away down the stretch to register a 26-point victory over Trinity. Spears finished with a team-high 27 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The first regular-season game in Austin Claunch’s career as UTSA’s men’s basketball coach was definitely not an easy victory over a cupcake, as the final score might suggest.

For one thing, the Trinity Tigers weren’t a cupcake at all. They played a sweet offensive style that kept them in the contest well into the second half.

For another, it took all of the Roadrunners’ will and resilience to claim a 103-77 victory on Monday night at the Convocation Center.

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

Austin Claunch coached his first game at UTSA and got the win but said later that his team has plenty of things to correct. -Photo by Joe Alexander


Guard Primo Spears and small forward Raekwon Horton ignited a late 17-2 run by UTSA to salt the game away.

“Anytime you win, it’s good,” Claunch said. “I tell these guys all the time, I want to win every game, (by) one point, 10, whatever it is. You got to find a way to win. Give Trinity a lot of credit. They do a hell of a job. Jimmy (Smith) is an excellent coach.

“There’s a reason they’re top ten in the country (in D-III). They got a real chance to compete for a championship.”

In the first half, Trinity sophomore Christian Green and junior Ty Williams started off as hot shooters, pacing the Tigers to an early five-point lead. After a turnover, Williams drove for a layup and a 12-7 advantage five minutes into the half.

A little more than 10 minutes in, Green popped a 10-footer off the side, and Carter Ruck followed with a three to make it 25-23 in favor of the visiting Tigers, a non-scholarship program located off Hildebrand Ave. and IH 37 in central San Antonio.

In the second half, playing against the city’s major Division I program on the northwest side, the Tigers kept hanging around. With 14:42 remaining, Jacob Harvey hit a long three from the top of the circle. The shot put Trinity up by one point, and Harvey celebrated the moment by pausing to make a face at some of the UTSA fans.

A few minutes later, Trinity was still in the game. Will Brunson hit a step-back jumper, pulling the Tigers to within one with 12:14 left.

Around that time, Spears took charge. He sliced his way through the Trinity zone to find open spaces and scored eight points over the next few minutes, allowing UTSA to expand its lead to 81-65 with 6:16 left. Trinity never got closer than 14 the rest of the way.

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

Trinity’s Christian Green is a sophomore from Veterans Memorial High School. He finished with 15 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Just attacking,” said Spears, a 6-foot-3 transfer from Florida State in his first game at UTSA. “You know, I try to get to the paint as much as I can. Not only for myself, but for others. I thought we shot the ball well at the end of the game. I opened up the floor and got to the paint and, you know, got to my spots.”

Horton helped ignite the rally, as well with a couple of steals that led to baskets. On one play, the 6-6 James Madison transfer stole an inbounds pass and hit a layup to help break the Tigers’ spirit.

“I was in his ear every huddle, every media (timeout), just saying, it starts with him,” Spears said. “He had a tough night in the paint but that’s not like him. I just wanted to emphasize that he’s a big part of this team, and he showed it. He got four or five steals in the second half, and I’m proud of him.”

Before the game started, there was a tension in the UTSA camp. Claunch went out for a two-mile afternoon run to clear his head. The players, all except Naz Mahmoud playing for the first time at home for the Roadrunners, might have been a little tight.

“Probably nerves but good nerves,” Horton said. “Everybody was excited to play. Amped up. I think it was just nerves at the beginning of the game. Like I said, we had to just settle in.”

Records

UTSA 1-0
Trinity 0-0
The game counted as an exhibition for Trinity

Individuals

Trinity – Jacob Harvey, scored 17 points and hit five of nine from three. Christian Green, had 15 points and five rebounds. He knocked down six of 10 from the field.

UTSA – Primo Spears scored 27 points, including 19 in the second half. Marcus “Smurf’ Millender had 19 points and seven assists. The two starting guards combined on 15 of 27 shooting from the field. Center Jaquan Scott produced 16 points and six rebounds. Damari Monsanto, 12 points on four of 10 shooting from three. Jonnivius Smith came off the bench for nine points, 10 rebounds and four steals.

Notable

UTSA shot 52.4 percent from the field in the second half. For the game, the Roadrunners shot 47.4 percent, had 21 steals and forced the Tigers into 28 turnovers. UTSA outrebounded Trinity 37-35 but dominated on the offensive glass with 17 boards.

The Roadrunners played without two key players, guard Tai’Reon Joseph and 6-foot-11 center Mo Njie. Joseph is ineligible over what is believed to be academic issues. It’s uncertain how many games he will need to sit out. Njie, with a groin injury, did not suit up. Guard Paul Lewis missed some practice last week but rallied to play 12 minutes.

Coming up

North Dakota at UTSA, Saturday, 6 p.m.

Halftime

The UTSA Roadrunners arrived at the Convocation Center ready to run for first-year Coach Austin Claunch. Surprisingly, the Tigers were more than up to the task. Trinity held its own for the first 20 minutes of the game before the Roadrunners forged a 43-41 lead at intermission.

Scott, Spears and Millender carried the load offensively for the Roadrunners. Scott, a 6-8 forward, made five of six from the field and scored 12 points. Spears had nine points and Millender eight. Millender passed for five assists and Spears three.

Green led the Tigers with 10 points. He hit four of eight from the field for the Tigers, who shot 48 percent from the field and 60 percent from three. In three-point shooting, Trinity was more effective and more efficient, hitting six of 10 to UTSA’s six of 19.

UTSA center Jaquan Scott works inside for a basket late in the first half. Scott led the Roadrunners with 12 points at intermission. – Video by The JB Replay