By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
UTSA will host an American Conference basketball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center, with the women playing the Charlotte 49ers at noon and the men taking on the Tulane Green Wave at 4 p.m.
Women’s game
Coming up — Charlotte at UTSA, Saturday, noon
Records — Charlotte 8-8, 2-1; UTSA 7-6, 2-0
NET rankings – Charlotte 155; UTSA 126.
Charlotte at a glance: The 49ers played Wednesday night in Houston and lost their first game in conference, falling to the Rice Owls, 84-59. Last week, Charlotte opened league play at home with double-digit wins over Memphis and UAB. Princess Anderson, Zoe Best, Tanajah Hayes, Asianae Nicholson, Ja’Navia Gage and Imani Smith highlight the 49ers’ rotation. Coach Tomekia Reed led Jackson State to three NCAA tournaments before taking the Charlotte job. In her first season with the 49ers last year, the team finished 11-21.
UTSA at a glance: Slowed by injuries to several players in the early going, the defending regular-season champion Roadrunners have started fast in conference, winning games by single-digit margins at home against Tulane and on the road at Temple. Forward Cheyenne Rowe had a blockbuster 14-point, 18-rebound performance at Temple. Emilia Dannebauer has been starting at the other inside position in the absence of Idara Udo, who has sat out three games with a lower leg injury. Damara Allen plays on the wing, with Ereauna Hardaway and Adriana Robles at guards.
Men’s game
Coming up — Tulane at UTSA, Saturday, 4 p.m.
Records — Tulane, 11-4, 2-0; UTSA 4-11, 0-3
NET rankings — Tulane 203; UTSA 330.
Tulane at a glance: The Green Wave come to San Antonio on a four-game winning streak. They opened conference on New Years Eve with a 79-70 victory at East Carolina and followed it on Sunday at home by beating Florida Atlantic, 69-66. Tulane’s zone defense was at its best against FAU by holding the Owls to 17 points below their average. Guard Rowan Brumbaugh, the conference’s preseason player of the year, scored 20 to lead the Wave. Other key players are Curtis Williams Jr., Asher Woods, Tyler Ringgold and Scotty Middleton. Coach Ron Hunter is 492-367 in his 28th season. He’s in his seventh season at Tulane.
UTSA at a glance: The Roadrunners are riding an eight-game losing streak, the longest in the program since an 11-game skid in the 2022-23 season. Five of the losses in the slide have come on the road and three at home. Seven have been by double figures. UTSA hasn’t won a game at home since Nov. 18 against Southwestern Christian (Okla.) UTSA hasn’t won a game, period, since Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla., against Georgia Southern. UTSA guard Austin Nunez is playing well, scoring a combined 50 points in his last three games. Guard Dorian Hayes broke out of a slump Wednesday at home against Charlotte, scoring 15 points.