Author Archives: Jerry Briggs

UTSA takes down Charlotte 81-80 in double OT on Udo’s winner

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UTSA's Idara Udo celebrates after time runs out in the Roadrunners' double-overtime victory. She made the winning basket as UTSA beat Charlotte 81-80 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Idara Udo celebrates after time runs out in the Roadrunners’ double-overtime victory. She made the winning basket as UTSA beat Charlotte 81-80 in American Athletic Conference women’s basketball on Sunday at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Freshman Idara Udo rebounded a miss and hit a short follow-up for the game winner at the buzzer Sunday afternoon, lifting the UTSA Roadrunners to an 81-80, double-overtime victory over the Charlotte 49ers.

With the victory, the Roadrunners (9-7, 3-2) made a statement in the American Athletic Conference. In winning their third straight, they knocked off the 49ers (11-6, 4-1) who entered the contest leading the AAC standings.

UTSA's Idara Udo grabs an offensive rebound and goes back up to score the winning basket with one second left in the second overtime. UTSA beat Charlotte 81-80 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Idara Udo grabs an offensive rebound and goes back up to score the winning basket with one second left in the second overtime. Udo finished with a career-high 26 points. She also had nine rebounds, including six on the offensive end. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I couldn’t be more proud of a group of girls,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “We faced a lot of adversity throughout the game … I thought we were resilient. A lot of players made plays.”

The final minute of the game became an emotional roller coaster for everyone involved at the UTSA Convocation Center.

Charlotte’s Keanna Rembert missed the second of two free throws with 48 seconds left to leave the score tied, 77-all, prompting UTSA to call a timeout.

Afterward, former Judson High School standout Kyra White drove and passed off to the side, where Hailey Atwood made the catch and calmly drained a mid-range jumper for a two-point lead.

Following a 30-second timeout by Charlotte, the 49ers came up with their own big play, with Dazia Lawrence feeding Jacee Busick, who knocked down a three. The shot with 13 seconds left lifted the 49ers into an 80-79 lead.

Pushing the ball up the court, UTSA had White coming at the Charlotte defense again. She fired a jumper and missed. In a battle under the boards, Udo snared the rebound and hit the winner from point-blank range.

“I was just thinking of giving my team an advantage,” Udo said. “I had two opportunities earlier in the regular period and the first overtime to capitalize, and I didn’t. So I knew that whenever I had a chance the third time, I was going to capitalize. Third time’s the charm.”

Aysia Proctor. UTSA beat Charlotte 81-80 in double overtime in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman guard Aysia Proctor produced 17 points and 13 rebounds against Charlotte. – Photo by Joe Alexander

When the horn sounded, UTSA players circled Udo and bounced up and down, with the freshman shouting in the exhilaration of the moment.

Asked about the celebration, White’s comments were measured and were delivered with some humility. She brought up the first two games that UTSA played on its AAC schedule, when the Roadrunners lost at Temple and East Carolina.

“It felt good,” White said of the celebration. “I think our first two conference games, honestly, I’m just going to come out and say that we weren’t prepared for the physicality or what the American conference looked like.

“I think now that we’ve got our feet back under us, just keep ’em rolling, to help us going into the next game against a very good team as well.”

Next up for UTSA is a Tuesday night home game against the South Florida Bulls, the preseason favorite in the conference.

Udo led the Roadrunners in scoring with a career-high 26 points, and she also pulled down nine rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Udo, from Plano, hit nine of 13 shots from the field.

Another freshman, guard Aysia Proctor from San Antonio-area Clemens High School, also produced a strong effort. Proctor had 17 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. She hit five of six from the 3-point arc. Elyssa Coleman, who fouled out, finished with 12.

White nearly pulled off a triple double with nine points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. White played a team-high 44 minutes.

For Charlotte, center Tracey Hueston enjoyed a big day of her own. Hueston scored a game-high 27 points. The 6-foot-2 transfer from the University of Pittsburgh stepped outside to make four of four from beyond the 3-point arc.

Kyra White. UTSA beat Charlotte 81-80 in double overtime in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Kyra White nearly had a triple double with nine points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. She played a team-high 44 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Lawrence and Busick had 12 points each, and Imani Smith had 11. Lawrence entered the game with some notoriety as the AAC’s Player of the Week last week.

She had 24 points in a victory at Rice on Thursday. But UTSA did a good job on her, bringing double-team help even when she was on the perimeter.

Faced with the pressure, she hit only three of 17 from the field. Lawrence’s biggest moment came at the end of the first overtime when she made a 15-footer at the buzzer to tie the game at 68.

Records

Charlotte 11-6, 4-1
UTSA 9-7, 3-2

Coming up

South Florida at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

First half

Sparked by a Madison Cockrell-led defense, the Roadrunners outscored the 49ers by seven in the second quarter and took a 29-25 lead at intermission.

Cockrell fueled a 6-0 UTSA run in the opening minute and a half of the second quarter. After Coleman hit a jumper to open the period, Cockrell jumped in front of Olivia Porter and drew a charge.

On the other end, Udo sank a 12-foot jumper. Subsequently, Cockrell forced another turnover, which led to another bucket by Udo and a 13-12 lead for the Roadrunners, their first since early in the first quarter.

Udo led UTSA in scoring at the half with 11 points. She hit four for four from the field. Coleman also contributed with eight points on four of seven shooting.

Lawrence and Hueston led Charlotte with six points apiece. Lawrence was limited to one for seven shooting. UTSA at times ran a double team at Lawrence, even on the perimeter.

Hailey Atwood. UTSA beat Charlotte 81-80 in double overtime in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Senior Hailey Atwood took only four shots in the game but she hit a key jumper off the side with 20 seconds left in the game. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Lawrence-led Charlotte 49ers to test the upstart UTSA women

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By Jerry Briggs
Special to The JB Replay

Dazia Lawrence and the Charlotte 49ers are the talk of American Athletic Conference in women’s basketball.

Picked to finish 10th in the league’s preseason poll, the 49ers sit in first place in the AAC with a 4-0 record.

They’re warming up at the UTSA Convocation right now, preparing for a 2 p.m. game against the UTSA Roadrunners women.

Dazia Lawrence, a dynamic guard-forward, leads the 49ers. She averaged 28 points and 5.5 rebounds last week. This week, she torched the Rice Owls for 24 points in a 61-54 victory Thursday night in Houston.

“She’s definitely the head of their team,” UTSA guard Sidney Love said. “We’re just going to have to know that she’s going to hit tough shots. We’re going to have to contain her. We’ll have to adjust to what she can do. But we’ll be all right.”

UTSA has a player in Elyssa Coleman that has been putting up some numbers, as well. Coleman had 32 points and 19 rebounds last week against Wichita State and followed Wednesday night at Florida Atlantic with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

As a result, the Roadrunners have bounced back from an 0-2 start, getting to 2-2 as they prepare to face the 49ers.

“I think we’re coming off two good wins,” Love said. “We started a little slow. But I think we needed that to find a place to pick, to build on. We’re in a good space right now. We’re just building. It’s all positive energy.”

One of the most remarkable aspects of UTSA’s 8-7 season to date has been the team’s resilience in competing without Jordyn Jenkins, the Player of the Year last season in Conference USA.

Jenkins, a USC transfer who averaged 20 points per game last season, hurt her knee last April in the offseason and is still rehabilitating.

That UTSA has continued to progress as a program speaks volumes about the heart of everyone suiting up today against Charlotte.

And, just for the record, Jenkins is in the arena with her teammates as she has been all season, but she isn’t expected to play against the 49ers.

“I like to call it bittersweet, because she’s such a great player,” Love said. “We would do nothing but elevate if we had her on the court. But without her, it’s made people step up and realize that we all need each other.

“We all have to play for each other,” Love said. “We have to be big on the court in certain moments when we need to be big. I just think it’s made the team better, and when she comes back, it’ll be just that much better for everybody.”

Coming up

South Florida at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Charlotte shuts down UTSA 66-58 for first road victory

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PJ Carter. UTSA lost to Charlotte 66-58 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard PJ Carter scored 13 points off the bench, but his performance wasn’t enough as the UTSA Roadrunners lost at home to the Charlotte 49ers. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Charlotte 49ers continued their surprising early surge in the American Athletic Conference, knocking off the error-prone UTSA Roadrunners 66-58 Saturday night at the Convocation Center.

With the victory, the 49ers improved to 9-7 on the season and to 3-1 in the AAC. UTSA, coming off a strong performance Wednesday in a six-point overtime loss at Memphis, fell to 7-10 and 1-3.

Charlotte big men Igor Milicic Jr. and Dishon Jackson led the 49ers to their first road victory of the season. Milicic, a 6-foot-10 Croatia native, hit three 3-point shots and scored 19.

Jordan Ivy-Curry. UTSA lost to Charlotte 66-58 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordan Ivy-Curry scored 20 points on seven of 18 shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Jackson, a transfer from Washington State, had two blocked shots and seven of his 17 points in the second half.

Guard Jordan Ivy-Curry led the Roadrunners with 20 points.

Once again, the Roadrunners fell victim to a team that played a slower pace. On Dec. 21, the Army Black Knights trotted out a similar style and won 63-53 at UTSA. In four outings after the Army disappointment, UTSA averaged 92.5 points.

Asked if Charlotte maintaining its desired pace to the game was the difference, UTSA coach Steve Henson said, “We anticipated that. It’s hard to speed ’em up. We knew it would be a low possession game. Their offense affects that greatly, and then they’re pretty good defensively, too.

“We spent our time in practice trying to handle their splits, the Princeton elements of their offense. And we did a pretty good job of that for the most part. Didn’t give up any back doors. Handled most of their splits.”

On the other end of the floor, the Roadrunners were just too sloppy to win. They committed too many errors that were unforced, especially in the second half.

“The pace, we didn’t anticipate speeding them up much,” Henson said, “but I didn’t anticipate us turning the ball over 17 times. They don’t get out in the passing lanes. They’re not an aggressive team. They don’t trap much, and we were just throwing it all over the gym.”

The story of the game may have been the 49ers’ defense. While UTSA scored 101 points and hit 17 three-point baskets at Memphis, the Roadrunners never could get anything going against Charlotte.

UTSA shot 35 percent from the field and 20 percent on three pointers. The Roadrunners also committed way too many mistakes in a game that wasn’t played at an up-and-down pace.

Three-point shooting? Well, it was subpar, to say the least. Defended well on the perimeter for the most part, the Roadrunners made only five of 25 from the arc.

A key sequence in the second half unfolded when Charlotte center Jackson took it inside to score and was fouled. He knocked down a free throw for a 3-point play.

On the next possession, Charlotte rejected UTSA on a drive at the rim and turned it into three more points, with Daylen Berry running for a layup and drawing another foul.

He hit the freebie, giving the 49ers a 50-37 lead with 12:17 remaining. UTSA never got closer than seven the rest of the way.

Considering Charlotte was held without a field goal for the last eight minutes, it was remarkable that the home team couldn’t make it more interesting.

“We do defend pretty well,” first-year Charlotte coach Aaron Fearne said. “And I knew we really had to control the tempo of the game against this team. We knew we couldn’t let this team get out in transition … I was very proud we were able to do that.”

Records

Charlotte 9-7, 3-1
UTSA 7-10, 1-3

Coming up

UTSA at Tulsa, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Notable

With the loss, UTSA fell to 0-2 at home in the American, with the setbacks coming to the UAB Blazers and now the Charlotte 49ers. The Roadrunners have lost three of their last four at home overall. UTSA is 5-4 at home on the season …

Roadrunners starters struggled as a unit against the 49ers. Big men Carlton Linguard Jr. and Trey Edmonds combined for five points and 1 of 8 shooting. Small forward Dre Fuller Jr. scored two points in 12 minutes. Christian Tucker, the AAC’s assist leader, was held to one assist while making five turnovers. Guard Isaiah Wyatt had seven points and five boards.

First half

Milicic scored 11 and Jackson added 10 as the Charlotte 49ers built a 32-27 lead on the cold-shooting UTSA Roadrunners. The 49ers led by as many as 12 points late in the half.

Milicic nailed four-for-five from the field and Jackson four-for-four. Charlotte hit 12 of 26 from the field as a team for 46.2 percent. Meanwhile, the Roadrunners couldn’t get their offense untracked.

UTSA missed six of its first seven shots and finished the half 11 of 32 for 34.4 percent. Three players who came off the bench led the team in scoring.

Charlotte coach Aaron Fearne. UTSA lost to Charlotte 66-58 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Aaron Fearne’s Charlotte 49ers are playing well at just the right time. After a loss to SMU, the Niners have notched consecutive victories over FAU, Tulsa and UTSA to improve to 3-1 in the American. FAU has most of its players back from a team that reached last year’s Final Four. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Charlotte expected to slow down the pace tonight at UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners are playing a team tonight that likes to use most of the 30-second shot clock on each possession.

In the Charlotte 49ers, they’ll face an opponent that sets picks and cuts and passes and forces the defense to make fast-twitch movements in a confined area.

One wrong movement and a defense that loses focus can give up a back-door layup. Or two. If the trend continues, a team like UTSA that likes to play fast can get frustrated.

“Their style has the (capability) of sucking the life out of the crowd, to suck the life out of the opponent’s defense,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “If you get a little impatient and ratchet up your aggressiveness, then they’ve got you.

“You got to stay true to the game plan. You got to stay beneath them. You’ll have some breakdowns but you’ve just got to keep playing.”

Guard Jordan Ivy-Curry said the key to speeding up the game centers on playing sound defense and forcing misses.

“We’ve just got to play really good defense and run,” Ivy-Curry said.

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA, tonight at 7, at the Convocation Center.

Records

Charlotte 8-7, 2-1
UTSA 7-9, 1-2

Notable

Playing a team with a slow-down style similar to Charlotte, UTSA suffered a 63-53 loss at home on Dec. 21. On that night, the Roadrunners hoisted 30 attempts from the 3-point line and made only five. Since then, they have come alive with an offense averaging 92.5 points over their last four games. In games against Prairie View, UAB, Rice and Memphis, the Roadrunners have knocked down a total of 52 3-point field goals. The Roadrunners are sizzling from outside the arc during that stretch, hitting 41.3 percent.

Charlotte vs. UTSA weekend looms at the Convocation Center

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Jordan Ivy-Curry had 22 points and eight assists off the bench for UTSA in a 103-89 men's basketball victory over Prairie View A&M on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Jordan Ivy-Curry has averaged a team-high 16.3 points in six games since he became eligible at Oregon State on Dec. 17. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Fans in San Antonio will see a double dip of American Athletic Conference college basketball this weekend at the UTSA Convocation Center.

The Roadrunners men will host the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday at 7 p.m. In a quick turnaround for arena staff, a women’s game featuring teams from the same two schools will tip off at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Elyssa Coleman had 32 points, 19 rebounds and 3 blocks as UTSA earned its first American Conference women's basketball win, beating Wichita State 74-60 at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Center Elyssa Coleman has totaled 48 points and 29 rebounds in her last two games. – File photo by Joe Alexander

For the Roadrunners men, it’s their first chance to get back on the court since they nearly knocked off a top-15 team on the road. The 13th-ranked Memphis Tigers edged past UTSA 107-101 in overtime on Wednesday.

“I feel like everybody’s in a good mindset right now,” UTSA guard Jordan Ivy-Curry said Friday. “We believed (before), but now we believe even more because we competed with the No. 13 team in the nation.

“It’s just like, we have a lot of hope. We know we can compete with anybody in this conference.

“I feel like we have a ton of confidence going into this game. We have a ton of confidence just playing. I feel like it’s going to be a real good year.”

On Sunday, the UTSA women will come in feeling good after back-to-back wins of their own, one at home against Wichita State last Saturday and the other on Wednesday night in Florida against FAU. The Charlotte women will be a good match, given the 49ers’ undefeated record of 4-0 in conference.

UTSA point guard Sidney Love said the Roadrunners are eager to show what they can do against Charlotte, the AAC’s first-place team.

“We’re in a good space right now,” Love said. “We’re just building.”

Charlotte vs. UTSA

Men

Charlotte (8-7, 2-1) will arrive Saturday night with momentum to face off against fast-improving UTSA (7-9, 1-2). After the 49ers lost their AAC opener at SMU, they won back-to-back games at home against the 24th-ranked FAU Owls and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The 49ers feature a milk-the-clock style offense that feeds off the talents of guard Lu’Cye Patterson and forward Igor Milicic. The UTSA men are a team in transition since Ivy-Curry was inserted into the playing rotation just before Christmas. UTSA is 2-4 since he became eligible, but the record is deceiving given close losses to quality opponents at Oregon State of the Pac-12 conference, at home against UAB and on the road at Memphis. At Memphis, Ivy-Curry hit six 3-pointers and exploded for 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Women

Charlotte (11-5, 4-0) has yet to lose an AAC game after victories against North Texas, South Florida, UAB and Rice. Last week, guard Dazia Lawrence was named as the conference’s player of the week. On Thursday night, she played well again, scoring 24 points in a 61-54 road victory at Rice. Lawrence leads the 49ers in scoring at 18.6 per game coming into the Sunday afternoon matinee. UTSA (8-7, 2-2) opened conference with losses at Temple and East Carolina but has rebounded to win at home against Wichita State and on the road against FAU. After center Elyssa Coleman registered a 32-point, 19-rebound performance against Wichita State, she followed with 16 points and 10 boards against FAU. Coleman, a 6-3 junior from Atascocita, leads the Roadrunners in scoring (12.2 points), rebounding (8.1) and blocked shots (1.8). A trio of players out of San Antonio area high schools are in the backcourt, including Kyra White (Judson), Love (Steele) and Aysia Proctor (Clemens).

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No. 13 Memphis survives upset bid, downs UTSA 107-101 in OT

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA men’s basketball team came within a few plays Wednesday night of registering what would have been one of the biggest victories in program history.

The Roadrunners had Coach Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers reeling for much of the game. Memphis fans were stunned when UTSA had a two-point lead with a chance to close out the 13th-ranked team in the nation in the final seconds of regulation.

Just about that time, though, Roadrunners center Massal Diouf was whistled for a moving screen.

A questionable whistle? Replays suggested it could have been a no-call. Regardless, the Tigers knocked down the ensuing two free throws to tie and eventually pushed the game to overtime, when guard Jahvon Quinerly took over and won it for his team, 107-101

Quinerly scored nine points in the extra period, the Tigers survived an inspired upset bid by the Roadrunners and eventually escaped what might have been a disastrous loss for a team looking for a high seed in the NCAA tournament.

UTSA guard Jordan Ivy-Curry, nicknamed ‘Juice’ for a reason, led the Roadrunners with 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists. In an epic shooting performance, he hit six of UTSA’s 17 three-point buckets.

For Memphis, forward David Jones notched a double double with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Quinerly, a transfer from Alabama, finished with 25 points, four rebounds and four assists. Memphis went to the free throw line 43 times and made 30 of them.

As a result, the Tigers improved to 76-10 at home in six seasons under Hardaway, including 8-0 this season.

Records

UTSA 7-9, 1-2
Memphis 14-2, 3-0

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA, Saturday, 7 p.m.

Notable

In his postgame interview with Andy Everett on KTKR-AM 760, UTSA coach Steve Henson took responsibility for the play that resulted in the foul call on Diouf and praised the effort of his players.

“Proud of our guys,” Henson said. “They did a lot of things well in this game. Look at those turnovers (only eight by UTSA). Memphis thrives off turnovers. They need ’em. We reduced ’em. We did a heck of a job in that regard. Players stepped up.

“(Forward) Chandler Cuthrell came in and gave us a huge lift. Different guys did some terrific things in the game. We got to make one more play in regulation and win the game. I made a terrible (decision).”

On the key play, Ivy-Curry had the ball at the top of the circle, guarded by Jones. As Diouf ran out from the post area to set the screen, Jones turned and was picked as the Ivy-Curry pass zipped inside to forward Dre Fuller Jr.

Fuller was about to dunk it for a four-point lead when officials called the foul, stopped the action and sent Jones to the line on the other end.

“We had the ball in Juice’s hand,” Henson said. “I sent Massal out, not trying to pick. Early in the game, we were picking with the five man (the center) involving (Memphis center Malcolm) Dandridge to get by him. In that (last) case, I just wanted to get Massal out of the paint.

“That’s on me. We didn’t get the shot there.”

Quinerly, interviewed in the postgame by a reporter for ESPN, said he is proud of his teammates for sticking together and winning the close games.

“I’m just proud of the guys,” he said. “Another close one. I think our last five have been close games. We found a way to pull it out. So, I’m proud of the guys.”

Coming in, few observers gave UTSA much of a chance against Memphis.

The Roadrunners, picked to finish last in the American Athletic Conference, entered the FedEx Forum rated 285th in the nation on the NCAA’s NET computer. Memphis, picked to finish second in the AAC, was 47th on the NET.

“I know everybody talks down on this conference,” Quinerly said. “But this is a conference where anybody can win on any given day … You know, we got a lot to work on. I’m just happy we were able to pull this one out today.”

Several players emerged to play well for the Roadrunners. Six hit double figures. In the backcourt, alongside Ivy-Curry, Christian Tucker had 14 points, seven assists and a couple of steals.

Forward Chandler Cuthrell, meanwhile, had 13 points in 14 minutes and hit three from distance. Three others finished with 10 points, including starting big men Carlton Linguard Jr. and Trey Edmonds and also guard PJ Carter.

In all, the Roadrunners knocked down 17 of 45 from the three-point arc.

UTSA women down FAU 73-60 for first AAC road victory

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Freshman guard Aysia Proctor led four players in double-digit scoring with 17 points Wednesday night, lifting the UTSA Roadrunners women to a 73-60 victory on the road over the FAU Owls.

Playing in Boca Raton, Fla., UTSA bolted to a 20-11 lead after one quarter and then cruised to its first road victory in the American Athletic Conference.

Proctor, from San Antonio-area Clemens High School, paced the Roadrunners with seven of 11 shooting from the floor and three of four from 3-point distance.

Elyssa Coleman scored 16 points, while guard Kyra White added 12. Maya Linton contributed 10 points off the bench.

Records

UTSA 8-7, 2-2
FAU 5-10, 0-4

Just in time: Shots are starting to fall for UTSA’s Dre Fuller Jr.

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Dre Fuller Jr. UAB beat UTSA 78-76 in the men's basketball American Conference opener on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Over the last three games, Dre Fuller Jr. has come alive as an offensive threat for the UTSA Roadrunners, who play on the road tonight against the Memphis Tigers. – File photo by Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Quietly, one of the key players in the UTSA Roadrunners’ rotation has started to ratchet up his production.

Averaging 16.3 points and 4.6 rebounds over his last three games, Dre Fuller Jr. is doing it with such ease and smooth efficiency that it has almost gone unnoticed.

In that stretch, the 6-foot-6 graduate student from Fayetteville, N.C., has hit 51.5 percent of his shots from the field and 57.9 percent from three-point distance.

He capped the surge with a 23-point effort on the road against Rice last Saturday, a welcome sign for UTSA, which will play perhaps its toughest road game of the season tonight at the FedEx Forum against the 13th-ranked Memphis Tigers.

An all-around player with multiple skills, offensively and defensively, Fuller had been mired in a bad shooting funk, hitting only 7 of 36 from long distance in six games prior to his last three.

Because Fuller does so many things for the Roadrunners, coaches kept his playing time fairly level during the slump, which may have aided the turnaround.

Fuller said he appreciates it that UTSA coach Steve Henson hung in there with him as he worked things out.

“It showed he has the confidence in me,” Fuller said. “He sees me in here every day. So he knows how serious I take it. After the games, he’s telling me, ‘Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Let the game come to you.’ ”

Last year, Fuller went through some hard times while caring for his ailing mother.

He left Central Florida after three seasons, enrolled briefly at Florida Atlantic and then exited Division I basketball altogether when it became apparent that he needed to go home to help his mom.

All last year, he’d play pickup ball wherever he could and then visit with family. Tragically, his mom eventually passed away in March.

Since then, Fuller has been through an emotional roller coaster, first signing with the Roadrunners and then reporting to the UTSA camp in the summer and trying to get his game back together.

Fuller enjoyed a promising start to the season, scoring 16 at Minnesota in the second game and then pitching in a career-high 24 at Houston Christian.

Pretty soon, though, his shot started missing the mark. Fuller was 0 for 6 from three against Incarnate Word. Then 1 of 8 from the field against Lamar. At Oregon State, Fuller was two for 10 afield and 1 of 7 from three.

Frustration mounted.

“I wouldn’t go talk to (the coach),” Fuller said. “(But) I had to ask somebody, ‘What going on?’ He told me. He said, ‘Your day will come.’ (He said) just keep working. What you do in the game, it’s all going to fall in place.

“Listening to family, they’re telling me the same thing. I just tried to settle my body down and just keep playing.”

Heeding the advice has worked. Against Prairie View A&M, he started slowly, taking four 3-point shots and making three of them. Against the UAB Blazers in the American conference opener, he hit six of 12 afield, including another three from long distance.

Then he exploded against Rice on Saturday, knocking down eight of 17, including five of nine from three. Seven-foot power forward Carlton Linguard Jr., a transfer from Kansas State, came alive as well, scoring 24 points on four of eight shooting from distance.

“Those two guys, Dre and Carlton, can and do impact the game in so many other ways,” Henson said. “(If) they make two or three threes in a game, that just adds to it.

“We don’t have to have that for those two guys to make an impact. And now both of those guys have had games where they’ve made four or five (from beyond the arc). And then we’re really in good shape.”

While Fuller sat out last year for personal reasons, Linguard was at UTSA, working on academics to regain his eligibility and rehabilitating some nagging injuries.

Maybe it’s just taken both of them some time to get into their groove? Henson said part of it may stem from coaches just now finding out how all the pieces fit together.

“As we’ve gone along, we’ve learned more about our guys,” he said. “We’ve kept our play book pretty simple. This team doesn’t need or want a big play book. They make enough basketball plays that, we keep it simple, and they can move the ball.

“You call somebody’s number and expect that we’re going to get him the ball in a spot two or three times a game, they like that. We’ve kind of been able to do that.

“We’ve got a handful of plays, we just know, we have to call it two or three times a game, every single night, and something good usually happens.”

Fuller said he likes the flow of the game now because so many of his teammates are getting involved on a nightly basis.

“We have a lot of guys that, once people scout us, they’re like, ‘Ok, there’s not just one person scoring. Everybody is scoring,’ he said. “That’s what makes us a tough. But, like I say, we’re still learning every day. We got 13 new guys.

“(We’re) still learning and hopefully we’ll start picking it up real soon.”

Records

UTSA 7-8, 1-1
Memphis 13-2, 2-0

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA, Saturday, 7 p.m.

UTSA men will face 13th-ranked Memphis on the road

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Carlton Linguard Jr. UTSA defeated Incarnate Word (UIW) 90-80 in a non-conference men's basketball game at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Carlton Linguard Jr. scored a career-high 24 points against the Rice Owls last Saturday. He’s averaging 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds going into Wednesday night on the road against Memphis. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Clearly, the UTSA Roadrunners can live with slightly erratic ball handling on occasion, such as last Saturday afternoon when they committed 17 turnovers and still won on the road against the Rice Owls.

In defeating the Owls 89-82 in overtime, UTSA knocked down 14 3-point field goals, competed well on the boards and came up with some key defensive stops for a historic first victory in the American Athletic Conference.

But as the team prepared this week for a Wednesday night AAC road test against the 13th-ranked Memphis Tigers, limiting turnovers emerged as a key focus.

“We have to take care of the basketball,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “On the year, we’ve been respectable in that area. Coming off a game when where we did turn it over a lot — we had too many against Rice — we got to take care of it.”

The coach expressed the idea that if they aren’t careful in making good decisions, it could be a long night for the Roadrunners (7-8, 1-1) against the Tigers (13-2, 2-0) at the FedEx Forum.

“We want some pace,” Henson said. “You know, we’re not afraid to get up and down the floor. That’s kind of who we are. We’re good in that regard, but we can’t have chaos. We can’t have them running off turnovers.”

Fifteen games into the schedule, the Roadrunners remain as something of a mystery.

Though they played poorly a few weeks ago in losing to Army at home, they have notched three decent games in a row, scoring 103 points in a win over Prairie View A&M, losing by two at home to UAB and then rallying from a 10-point deficit in the second half to beat Rice.

Against Rice, 7-foot power forward Carlton Linguard Jr. and Dre Fuller Jr. led the way offensively. Both of them streaky shooters, Linguard scored a career-high 24 points and Fuller added 23. Moreover, Fuller knocked down five 3-pointers and Linguard four.

A few weeks ago, Fuller was at the end of a shooting slump in which he had hit only seven of 36 from the arc over a span of six games. In his last three outings, he has heated up considerably, making 11 of 19.

Linguard, by contrast, has been a respectable percentage shooter from distance (.349) for the season. But in three games before Rice, he had made only 1 of 13 from outside the arc. Against the Owls, he knocked down 4 of 8, including three straight at one point in the first half.

“He’s super talented,” Henson said. “When he knocks down a few shots early, his confidence just grows. We have several guys like him who are a little too hard on themselves at times when things don’t go right and they have a setback. But he’s a talented guy.”

Notable

Dre Fuller Jr. has seen a lot of the Memphis Tigers over the years.

As a player for the UCF Knights from 2019-2022, he played against the Tigers seven times. Memphis was 6-1 against UCF in that stretch, but Fuller had his moments, including 14 points in 25 minutes in the AAC tournament at Fort Worth in 2022. Fuller has played at the FedEx Forum in Memphis three times.

“What stands out is the atmosphere,” said Fuller, in his first season at UTSA. “Like, their home court is crazy. It’s loud. It’s going to be rocking in there. Every turnover or missed shot, they’re going to be screaming.

“So, one thing for sure (I remember) is the home court advantage. All I remember is that they play hard and run. We got to match their energy. If we match their energy and play a little bit harder, then we’ll be good.”

Memphis is 120-54 under sixth-year coach Penny Hardaway, including 75-10 at home.

Records

UTSA 7-8, 1-1
Memphis 13-2, 2-0

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA, 7 p.m.

Coleman dominates as UTSA claims its first AAC victory

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Elyssa Coleman had 32 points, 19 rebounds and 3 blocks as UTSA earned its first American Conference women's basketball win, beating Wichita State 74-60 at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Center Elyssa Coleman led the UTSA Roadrunners to their first victory in the American Athletic Conference Saturday at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

For the past few seasons, center Elyssa Coleman has made a name for herself as one of the steadiest players on the UTSA Roadrunners, a reliable source of defense, blocked shots and rebounds.

On Saturday afternoon, the 6-foot-3 junior from Atascocita stepped it up, unleashing a dominant performance on both ends of the floor with career highs of 32 points and 19 rebounds. She also had three blocks.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Wichita State 76-60 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston said she thinks her team played with more ‘purpose’ in downing the Wichita State Shockers. – Photo by Joe Alexander

As Coleman asserted herself, the Roadrunners made history by winning their first American Athletic Conference game, running away in the fourth quarter and downing the Wichita State Shockers 74-60 at the Convocation Center.

“It’s always a good thing to win, but getting our first American win is a big deal for us,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “A bigger deal is that we played with a lot more purpose, I guess is the best way I can describe it.

“I thought we were very good defensively in the first and the fourth. Which has kind of been a little bit of our personality, defensively, is to turn it back on and clamp down in the fourth, and I thought we did a good job with that.

“In particular, I thought our post players did a great job on theirs. Really it’s a team defensive concept when you’re trying to stop that high-low game that they play … Just excited to get a win.”

In UTSA’s first home game in 23 days, Coleman scored her career high in points on 14 of 20 shooting from the field. UTSA’s San Antonio-area backcourt of Sidney Love and Kyra White also played well for the Roadrunners.

While Love was notching 16 points and six assists, White showed up all over the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Roadrunners (7-7, 1-2).

Sidney Love. UTSA beat Wichita State 76-60 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Point guard Sidney Love had 16 points and six assists against only one turnover. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Shockers (5-10, 1-2) couldn’t hit a shot early in the game and fell behind by 10. But they rallied to win the second and third quarters and made it competitive. Aniya Bell led Wichita State with 16 points. Daniela Abies had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

In UTSA’s first 13 games this season, Coleman averaged 10.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Her 14th outing was 14K golden, particularly the fourth quarter, when she scored 15 points on seven of 11 shooting.

“I think coach has been on us to just give it our all and really sell out,” Coleman said. “Me and my position coach (Cameron Miles) were talking yesterday about how I wasn’t playing my best and wasn’t putting out my full effort and (would) still get decent games, stat-wise.

“(We talked about) what would happen if I actually put my all into it. So, that’s what I tried to do.”

All sports at UTSA became members of the AAC last summer after 10 seasons in Conference USA. UTSA women’s basketball entered its season last fall without much fanfare, picked eighth in the 14-team league.

Though they played well in nonconference, going 6-5, they failed to gain traction when they entered AAC competition last weekend. In a pair of road games, they were humbled, once at Temple in Philadelphia and also at East Carolina, in Greenville, N.C.

Kyra White. UTSA beat Wichita State 76-60 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Kyra White produced 12 points and season-highs of nine rebounds and eight assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Game 2 on the conference slate was particularly grim, as they lost to the Pirates by 28. As a result, they first tried for a little while to process the disappointment, and then they attacked workouts coming into the Wichita State game with intensity and resolve.

“I feel like we were definitely due for a win, especially on our home court,” Love said. “In a new conference, you just want to build on something. None of us wanted to go 0-3. We decided to play like we wanted to get a win, and we did that tonight.”

Records

Wichita State 5-10, 1-2
UTSA 7-7, 1-2

Coming up

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

Notable

UTSA’s schedule has been tilted toward road games — nine of 14 away — and yet the Roadrunners have come out of it at 7-7 in wins and losses. They are 3-2 at home and 4-5 on the road. Eight of their next 14 games will be at home.

Guard Aysia Proctor sat out her first game of the season at East Carolina with an injury. She bounced back to start and play 22 minutes against Wichita State. It wasn’t her best performance, but she contributed with six points, three rebounds and two assists.

Wichita State is led by first-year head coach Terry Nooner, who played guard for Roy Williams at Kansas from 1997-2001. It’s the first head-coaching job for Nooner, who worked for Karen Aston at Texas in 2019-20.

He has also served as an assistant at Kansas, Maryland, Alabama and Southern Illinois, as well as one season as a player development coach with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.

First half

Playing with defensive aggression early, the Roadrunners surged into an early lead of double digits and then held off the Shockers at the end of the half for a 33-30 advantage at intermission.

Love scored 10 points and Coleman produced nine and 11 rebounds for the Roadrunners. UTSA jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first five minutes and held Wichita State to eight points in the first quarter.

After that, the Shockers found their groove. They surged behind Abies and Bell in the second quarter to make it a one possession game in the final seconds of the half.

Bell found the range from long distance, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 11 to lead the team. Abies battled inside for nine points and seven rebounds. She was four-for-five from the field.

Elyssa Coleman had 32 points, 19 rebounds and 3 blocks as UTSA earned its first American Conference women's basketball win, beating Wichita State 74-60 at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Elyssa Coleman takes aim at the rim against the Wichita State Shockers. She finished with career highs of 32 points and 19 rebounds. Her scoring total topped her previous best of 23 against UTEP last Dec. 3. Her previous best rebound total was 13 on Dec. 17 at Oregon. – Photo by Joe Alexander