Category Archives: College basketball

UTSA opens a new training center for basketball, volleyball

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At UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center.

The long-awaited UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center is open for business. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

When Dr. Taylor Eighmy visited the site of the new $35 million UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center on the west end of campus Tuesday afternoon, he was concerned.

No way, the school president exclaimed, that it’s going to be ready with less than 24 hours remaining before the grand-opening ceremony.

Eighmy was happy to learn Wednesday morning that he underestimated the diligence of the work crews and the staff.

“If you go inside,” Eighmy told a crowd of supporters, “it is totally ready. So congrats to everybody that stayed up all night.”

The training center has been in the works for years.

One former student-athlete who arrived at UTSA in 2021 said she heard about the project when she was being recruited.

The promise of a new facility heightened with a groundbreaking ceremony in April of 2025.

Now it’s complete.

It’s the third major construction project that’s opened under the watch of UTSA’s athletic director, Dr. Lisa Campos.

The $40 million Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence debuted in 2021, followed by the $8 million Park West Fieldhouse in 2023.

In remarks to a crowd of supporters outside the new basketball-volleyball center, Eighmy thanked donors who have supported the project and also officials from the City of San Antonio and Bexar County for their help in financing the facilities.

“What I want to say to all of our friends who care about the future,” he said, “is that this is just a step in our journey towards greatness.”

Eighmy said the school “still has lots to do” on the facilities front in its drive to stay competitive.

“Next, I’m prepared to say to you all that we’ll be investing $20 million in our baseball and a little bit in our softball facilities,” he said.

Eighmy said the school hopes to break ground on the new baseball project in December.

The president said the school “has work to do” on the Convocation Center, the competition site for UTSA basketball.

The building opened in 1975 and has been the home of Roadrunners men’s and women’s basketball since 1981 and for volleyball since 1983.

“We have work to do on making sure the Alamodome is our place to play (for football) for a long time,” he said, “and that that gets upgraded. (We need) to continue to work with the city in that space.”

The Roadrunners have played football in the city-owned Alamodome since the 2011 inaugural season.

Ribbon cutting at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA center Idara Udo gets a hug from school president Dr. Taylor Eighmy at the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Ribbon cutting at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Officials gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Second-floor conference rooms overlook a pair of courts at UTSA’s newest athletic facility. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Boosters and media take to the floor during grand opening. Both practice courts are equipped with eight basketball goals, three on each side of the court and one at each end. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Ceremony at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA president Dr. Taylor Eighmy addresses a gathering of supporters, staff and fans Wednesday morning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Inside the new facility at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Ceremony at UTSA for the grand opening of the UTSA Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Dr. Lisa Campos, UTSA vice president and athletic director, speaks to the crowd of supporters . – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Aston says she’s anxious to test defensive ‘wrinkles’

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA women’s basketball program under sixth-year coach Karen Aston has in many ways been built around a philosophy that defense holds a team together during stressful moments. That it ultimately wins games and leads to championship celebrations.

Karen Aston. South Florida beat UTSA 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Karen Aston took a team seeded sixth into last year’s American Conference tournament and won four games in four days for the postseason title.. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“We’re a program that has an identity of playing defense,” Aston said Monday, in remarks aired on the American Conference’s 2026-27 season preview on ESPN+. “I think it travels.”

After three straight years of appearances in national postseason tournaments, a regular-season conference title in 2024-25 and a postseason crown last year, UTSA has been picked to finish second behind Rice in the American’s preseason poll.

UTSA may need to identify and nurture some consistent offensive weapons in order to make a serious run for a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

But, if everyone stays healthy, the team led by returning starters Idara Udo, Damara Allen and Adriana Robles might be as good on the defensive end as any that Aston has produced with the Roadrunners.

“First thing I’ll say is, I do appreciate the returners,” Aston said. “In this day and age, to return three starters that very well could have moved on, says a lot about our culture. It says a lot about them, personally, in their commitment to wanting to hold up another trophy … for the third year in a row.

“It really says a lot about our (coaching) staff in general. I’m excited about this group. We’re not there right now. But I’m super excited about the wrinkles that we can probably put in defensively. We are hopefully a little deeper (this season).

“We had a ton of injuries last year, and really that was part of our roller coaster we rode on during the conference season.

“We’ve got a little more length than we’ve had in my tenure. So (our) ability to do some different things defensively. We haven’t really had that. We definitely didn’t have it last year. I’m looking forward to kind of playing with that a little.”

Claunch says UTSA men’s basketball ranks last in athlete pay in the American

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Minutes after UTSA coach Austin Claunch acknowledged on Friday morning that his players will pocket less in financial compensation than any other team in the American Conference this season, news broke on another front.

Austin Claunch. Seattle beat UTSA 71-68 in non-conference men's basketball on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Third-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch hopes to turn around a program that lost 25 games last season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The revamped Roadrunners have been picked to finish 13th in the 13-team American.

Nevertheless, the embattled Claunch is a fierce competitor by nature, and so it’s doubtful that he will spend too much time dwelling on payrolls and polls as he forges ahead, leading into the third season of his efforts to reverse the fortunes of a sagging program.

At the same time, he doesn’t sugarcoat the issue of burgeoning payrolls around the nation in Division I basketball, and how it adds to the challenge of turning UTSA into a winner.

Claunch didn’t go into specifics, but he did say that his players will be paid less as a group than any other team in the American.

“We’re down there,” he said. “You know, we’re at the bottom. I’ll tell you this now. We are last. But at this point, I don’t even want to think about that.”

At the moment, Claunch is focused on the present. His revamped Roadrunners are preparing to play three closed scrimmages over the next three weeks leading into a regular season that will commence in the first week of November.

Though the UTSA non-conference schedule hasn’t been released, it appears that the Roadrunners will open on Nov. 2 at San Jose State.

For college basketball programs at large, this is the sixth season since the old amateur system started to change in the wake of challenges in the courts.

Initially, schools permitted athletes to earn compensation for sponsorship deals, better known as name, image and likeness (NIL), in 2021-22. Starting in 2025-26, colleges and universities have started to make direct payments to athletes.

Today, dealing with questions about financial compensation has become as much a part of the job for coaches as how they plan to defend the pick and roll.

Claunch addressed the issue in a meeting with The JB Replay.

“I really like the team we have,” Claunch said. “(Players) have all sacrificed a lot to be here. I mean, that just is what it is. Like, to me, (finance in college basketball) is a separate conversation. We’re not going to make excuses for what we don’t have. At the end of the day, it is what it is.

“It needs to get better if we want the expectation to be consistent championships. That’s the reality. If we want the expectation and the consistent championships then we’ve got to improve certain aspects of our program.”

Coming off a 25-loss season, Claunch said he is also looking to improve his own performance.

“Most importantly, I got to coach better,” he said. “I got to coach better than I did last year with what we have, and I can do that, and this is a group that we really like … They play with an edge. They play with a chip (on the shoulder).

“You know, there’s not going to be any excuse when we line up against somebody that, ‘Hey, they have this or they have that.’ It is what it is … We’re three weeks out. It’s time to go win games, and that’s our expectation. When we line up (to play) our expectation is to go win.”

UTSA has 15 players on its roster, with sophomore guard Dorian Hayes the only returning player from a team that struggled to a 1-17 record in conference last year. The other 14 are newcomers, including four freshman, one from junior college and nine from other Division I programs.

Guards Isaiah Watts, who played last year Maryland, and Isaiah Coleman, from Oklahoma State, bring the most experience from high-major teams. But Claunch is high on some of the others, particularly 6-foot-10 junior college transfer Chinedume Okpukpara.

“He’s been incredible,” Claunch said. “I’ve been really impressed with Chin. One of the hardest workers and most coachable guys I’ve been around. Just has a relentless motor – relentless – which he’s going to need, coming up to this level. It’s much different than what he’s used to.

“But he plays so damn hard that he’s going to make up for a lot of things. He’s kind of set the tone for that unit (of centers and power forwards).”

Guards KJ Tenner (Murray State) and Josiah LeGree (Morehead State) are the team’s primary ballhandlers, Claunch said.

“In our system we have a bunch of guys who handle the ball,” Claunch said. “Obviously KJ and Josiah are guys who are our primary ballhandlers. They’ll play together a lot. They’ll play separate a lot. We’re going to play a lot of guys this year.

“So, KJ very steady. Just honestly an everyday guy. He’s got a great basketball IQ and can really shoot it. You know, changes speeds. Josiah is a great athlete. Can really, really create space with the bounce and create shots for himself and his teammates.

“They’re both elite playmakers and passers. But they kind of do it in different ways.”

Notable

UTSA’s win-loss record in 2025-26 has been adjusted to 4-25, down from 5-25. A spokesman explained that the team is no longer counting a season-opening, non-conference victory over the College of Biblical Studies. “We had an eligibility issue during that game and vacated the win,” the spokesman said. As a result, Claunch’s two-year record at UTSA has been adjusted to 16-44.

The Roadrunners are expected to play their first of three closed scrimmages on Sunday in Odessa. The opponents haven’t been disclosed publicly. Claunch says guard Isaiah Watts (wrist), along with forwards Mike Broxton (concussion) and Ashton Smith (Achilles rehabilitation), won’t play.

Smith, a Houston-area player listed at 6-9 and 265 pounds, said he hopes to be cleared for contact in practices by late October or early November. He suffered a torn Achilles last Dec. 4 while playing for the University of South Dakota.

Though UTSA’s non-conference schedule hasn’t been announced, the Roadrunners are scheduled to play at San Jose State of the Mountain West on Nov. 2. They’re also set to play on Nov. 11 at Seattle. UTSA apparently is slated to host Texas State on Nov. 15. All three UTSA opponents have announced the games on their respective schedules, with Claunch also confirming that those games would be played.

UTSA’s Udo named as a top five player in the American

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA Roadrunners senior forward Idara Udo has been picked as one of the five best players in the American Conference, a key contributor to a team that ranks behind only the Rice Owls as one of the teams to beat in women’s basketball.

In the league’s preseason coaches’ poll released Friday, the Owls are projected to defend their regular-season title, with the Roadrunners coming in second place. Udo, a 6-1 senior from Plano East High School, was named as one of five members to the all-conference first team.

Rice guard Victoria Flores is named as the preseason player of the year.

American Conference Women’s Basketball
Preseason Coaches Poll
1 Rice (10) 142
2 UTSA (2) 125
3 South Florida (1) 121
4 Tulsa 117
5 Temple 96
6 UNT 87
7 East Carolina 82
8 Florida Atlantic 60
9 Memphis 54
10 Charlotte 44
11 Tulane 41
12 UAB 26
13 Wichita State 19

Note: First-place votes denoted in parenthesis

Individual honors

Player of the Year: Victoria Flores, Sr., G, Rice

All-Conference First Team: Victoria Flores, Sr., G, Rice; Stefanie Ingram, 5th, G, South Florida; Kaylah Turner, Sr., G, Temple; Idara Udo, Sr., F, UTSA; Mady Cartwright, Sr., G, Tulsa

Second Team: Daejah Richmond, Sr., G, Memphis; Tamya Smith, Jr., F, Memphis; Hailey Adams, R-Sr., G, Rice; Saniyah Craig, Sr., F, Temple; Kanija Daniel, Sr., G, Tulane

Preseason poll: UTSA men pegged for last place in the American

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Wichita State Shockers have been picked to win the American Conference men’s basketball race, while the UTSA Roadrunners are ranked 13th and last in the annual preseason poll.

Junior guard Je’Shawn Stevenson from North Texas Mean Green is listed as the conference’s best bet to become Player of the Year in the poll announced on Friday morning.

Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Wichita State (9) 140
Memphis (4) 131
South Florida 118
Tulsa 99
Charlotte 95
UAB 89
UNT 84
Florida Atlantic 75
Temple 61
Tulane 52
East Carolina 34
Rice 22
UTSA 14
(#) first place votes

Preseason honors
Player of the Year: Je’Shawn Stevenson, Jr., G, UNT

Freshman of the Year: Felipe Quinones, Fr., G, Florida Atlantic

All-Conference first team: Kanaan Carlyle, Sr., G, Florida Atlantic; Jayden Reid, Sr., G, Memphis; Je’Shawn Stevenson, Jr., G, UNT; Sonny Wilson, Sr., G, South Florida; Will Berg, R-Sr., C, Wichita State

Second Team: Justyn Fernandez, Sr., G, UAB; Deuce Jones, Jr., G, UAB; Tylik Weeks, Sr., F, Memphis; Derrian Ford, 5th, G, Temple; Gavin Griffiths, Sr., G, Temple; Dillon Battie, Jr., F, Wichita State; Jordan Frison, Sr., G, Wichita State

Karen Aston’s UTSA women hope to build on last year’s run to the NCAA tournament

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Coming off an exhilarating run to last year’s American Conference postseason title and an ensuing automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, UTSA women’s basketball coach Karen Aston says she feels good about the potential of her team leading into the new year. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

As the UTSA women’s basketball team started to win and pick up steam last March at the American Conference tournament, players adopted a mantra.

“We’re not done yet,” they said.

The sixth-seeded Roadrunners kept their word, emerging from the shadows in the middle of the bracket to claim the American’s postseason title.

“I don’t think we’ve had time to really think about it yet,” UTSA senior Idara Udo said in the days after the team returned home. “It’s crazy what we’ve done. It’s exciting what we’ve done. I think we’re still trying to soak in the moment.”

The tournament highlights were mind boggling.

Four wins in four days in Birmingham. Victories over teams seeded third, second and first, respectively, to close it out. A dominant defensive performance in the title game over a Rice University team that had won 28 games.

Six months after it happened, it still doesn’t seem real.

But it is a reality, as the Roadrunners prepare to take a bow on Saturday afternoon at the Alamodome. At halftime of the UTSA-Colorado State football game, players and coaches will receive championship rings for the team’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 17 years.

Fans at the football game will have a chance to cheer one of the fastest-rising programs in the athletic department.

Kierra Merchant at UTSA women's basketball practice on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA senior guard Kierra Merchant is a transfer from the University of Houston, where she averaged 8.7 points and 3.4 rebounds last year. – Photo by Joe Alexander

In 2020-21, the women’s program bottomed out during the COVID pandemic with a 2-18 record.

Coach Karen Aston has since built a consistent winner, leading the Roadrunners to national tournaments in each of the past three seasons, including conference titles in the past two.

The Roadrunners in 2024-25 surged to a school-record 26 wins and the American’s regular-season crown. Last year, Aston assembled a team talented enough to win 20 again, but a rash of injuries in the offseason and during early fall training slowed the momentum.

Nevertheless, with the team struggling at 13-15 heading into the last day of the regular season, UTSA beat first-place Rice on the road, and then proceeded to storm the conference for the postseason crown, downing Temple, third-seeded South Florida, two seed East Carolina and No. 1 Rice over a four-day stretch at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.

In the NCAA tournament, the Roadrunners played on the home floor of the No. 1 overall seeded Connecticut Huskies and fell 90-52, finishing 18-16 for the program’s third straight winning record.

A new season dawning

During summer workouts, the Roadrunners focused on readying a new group that will try to make up for the loss of forward Cheyenne Rowe and point guard Ereauna Hardaway, two senior standouts who led the team during its spirited tournament run in Birmingham.

Both have since moved on to professional careers in Europe, Rowe with a team in Germany and Hardaway linking with a ball club in Lithuania.

Even without those two, the Roadrunners likely will be viewed as one of the favorites again in the American, led by the likes of forward Idara Udo, wings Mia Hammonds and Damara Allen and point guard Adriana Robles.

Praise Egharevba at UTSA women's basketball practice on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Forward-center Praise Egharevba, a transfer from Oklahoma State, is regarded as one of the team’s top newcomers. – Photo by Joe Alexander

All of them played prominent roles last season, with Udo, Hammonds and Allen coming on strong late in the season. The Roadrunners also should be bolstered by the return of three players — wing Maya Linton and forwards Taylor Ross and Sema Udo — who sat out all of last season with injuries.

Transferring into UTSA from Big 12 programs, forward Praise Egharevba (from Oklahoma State) and guard Kierra Merchant (Houston) have emerged as standouts among the newcomers in camp.

A concern for Aston is a lack of experience and depth at point guard. Robles is a sophomore, backed up at the moment by freshman Jana Ros from Mataro, Spain. Ros, who signed late in July, will turn 18 on Saturday.

Asked how she likes her team a little more than a month away from a Nov. 6 opener at UNLV, the coach said it might be too early to state a definitive answer.

“It’s pretty early,” she said. “We have a lot of new pieces, so as I learned last year, when you plug in … players from other programs, you have to de-program whatever they learned where they were, it takes time. I don’t think I have a bead right now on kind of where we are. But I do feel good about the potential of this team, for sure.”

UTSA roster

Sema Udo, 6-0 redshirt freshman forward
Kierra Merchant, 5-9 senior guard
Jana Ros, 5-5 freshman point guard
Damara Allen, 5-10 junior guard
Mia Hammonds, 6-3 junior guard
Amaya McDonald, 6-2 freshman forward/center
Rihyana Kinsey, 5-9 freshman guard
Sanaa Bean, 6-3 sophomore forward
Taylor Ross, 6-1 redshirt sophomore forward
Bhret Clay, 5-9 sophomore guard
Marie Han, 5-3 junior guard
Adriana Robles, 5-5 sophomore point guard
Maya Linton, 5-11 redshirt senior guard
Praise Egharevba, 6-3 redshirt senior forward/center
Idara Udo, 6-1 senior forward
Emily Hunter, 6-7 sophomore center

Non-conference schedule

November
6 – at UNLV
8 – at San Diego State
11 – Incarnate Word
16 – Louisiana
21 – North Dakota State
26 – Binghamton at Bayamon, Puerto Rico
27 – Howard at Bayamon, Puerto Rico
December
6 – at Baylor
10 – at TCU
16 – at Texas State
20 – at SMU

Adriana Robles. UTSA basketball Rowdy Jam on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Adriana Robles played in all 34 games and started 17 as a freshman last year. She’s expected to take on an expanded role as a sophomore for the Roadrunners, who are coming off an NCAA tournament appearance. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Notable

UTSA coach Karen Aston acknowledged that depth, size and talent in the frontcourt should give her multiple options on how to play at those positions.

“Just getting them comfortable in the system and (determining) rotations, those types of things, I think will be important,” she said. “We do have a significant amount of depth once Taylor (Ross) comes back and with the addition of the transfers.”

Ross, in particular, seemed to have a strong workout in the first practice that The JB Replay has monitored this season. Aston seems confident that both Ross and wing Maya Linton will be ready to play when the season starts.

“Taylor is ready,” Aston said. “Sema (Udo) is still (in the process of) returning to play. Maya will be back. Yeah, Maya is good to go.”

Taylor Ross. 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

Taylor Ross, a sophomore forward from Brennan, returns to play this season after sitting out last year with a leg injury. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Two years ago, the Roadrunners (26-5) surged to a 17-1 record to win the American’s regular-season title behind Jordyn Jenkins and Nina DeLeon Negron. Linton also played a major role and contributed heavily as one of the better defenders in the conference.

Last year, UTSA clearly missed her presence.

If the former Duncanville High School standout can regain top form in her comeback, the Roadrunners might be especially formidable defensively on the wings, given the speed and length of a trio that would also include Mia Hammonds and Damara Allen.

Aston also hinted that she hopes to play Ross at small forward, as well.

“With Taylor, it’s just playing,” Aston said. “She hasn’t played in a year, so she’s going to have growing pains in just remembering how to play. When I say how to play, I’m not talking about basketball. I’m talking about transition defense, what that looks like and going play to play.

“Those things take a little time when you’ve not played the game for awhile. So, where Taylor’s going to make so much progress is just getting to play in the game. It’ll be January before I think she feels super comfortable. But I’m very impressed and enthused about her progress. And (the same) with Maya.

“When you haven’t played, it takes a while to get back in game mode, in game shape.”

Guard Bhret Clay, a transfer from Air Force, is out for the season with an injury. Another guard not practicing Friday was freshman Rihyana Kinsey.

Emily Hunter at UTSA women's basketball practice on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Six-foot-seven Emily Hunter is looking for a fresh start after playing only 14 minutes in eight games last season for nationally-ranked TCU. – Photo by Joe Alexander

ESPN projects UTSA as a No. 16 seed to the NCAA First Four

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Speculation is swirling that the UTSA women’s basketball team might be headed for the NCAA First Four.

The Roadrunners are projected by ESPN’s Charlie Creme to play the Howard Bison in a battle of No. 16 seeds, with the winner moving on to face the No. 1 regional seed Texas Longhorns in the Round of 64.

First Four games will be played either Wednesday or Thursday, with the winners advancing to face No. 1 regional seeds either Friday or Saturday.

The official NCAA women’s tournament bracket reveal is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.

The Longhorns, who have already been named as an NCAA first-weekend host, raced to a 31-3 record on the way to a Southeastern Conference postseason title.

Howard won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference postseason title with a 53-46 victory over Norfolk State (Va.), while UTSA won the championship in the American Conference by defeating Rice, 54-40.

Howard will bring a record of 26-7 into its first NCAA tournament since 2022. UTSA will be playing in the tournament for the first time since 2009.

UTSA entered the American Conference postseason tournament one game under .500, won four straight games in Birmingham and emerged with an 18-15 record for its first NCAA appearance under fifth-year coach Karen Aston.

In 18 years as a college head coach, Aston has taken three teams to a combined eight NCAA tournaments, including one at Charlotte, six at Texas and one at UTSA.

At Texas, Aston worked eight seasons as head coach and led the Longhorns to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 three other times.

Texas did not renew her contract after the 2020 season. UTSA, coming off two wins in 2020-21, hired her for the following season.

Aston is 82-77 in five years at UTSA. She is 62-35 in her last three seasons, with trips to the WNIT in 2024, the WBIT in 2025 and NCAA this year.

American women’s basketball: Resurgent UTSA to face Rice for a postseason title

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA players gathered on the floor at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., late on Friday night, chanting, “We ain’t done. We ain’t done.”

Ereauna Hardaway, Cheyenne Rowe. UTSA beat Memphis 67-55 in American Conference women's basketball on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s 5-1 record this month got started when guard Ereauna Hardaway, wearing the gold chain, led the Roadrunners past the Memphis Tigers, 67-55, on March 1 at the Convocation Center. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Ereauna Hardaway’s long, two-handed, 3-point basket sparked a late run and lifted the sixth-seeded Roadrunners to a 54-44 victory over the No. 2 East Carolina Pirates in the semifinals of the American Conference women’s basketball tournament.

Winners of four straight overall and three in three days in Birmingham, the resurgent Roadrunners (17-15) have advanced and will meet the top-seeded Rice Owls (28-4) for the title on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Rice, playing in the earlier semifinal game on Friday, secured its ticket to the championship round with a 71-67 victory over fifth-seeded North Texas.

The winner between the Roadrunners and the Owls will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

UTSA beat ECU (22-10) and held the Pirates to their lowest scoring output of the season.

The Roadrunners capped a gritty defensive struggle with a 17-5 run in the final six minutes. Hardaway scored nine of her game-high 15 points in the closing stretch.

“I just wanted to join the game with (my teammates),” Hardaway joked with an ESPN+ television reporter afterward. “They was playing so good, I had to join in. Why not?”

Asked what it will take to beat the Owls for the championship, Hardaway said, “The mindset. We ain’t done yet. That’s the mindset.”

UTSA coach Karen Aston credited her players’ resolve for just deciding that they wanted to play well in March and to make a run in the tournament.

She said it started after a dispiriting loss at home to Tulsa and before the last game of the regular season at Rice, where they beat the regular-season champions, 61-52.

“(Players) sort of flipped a switch,” Aston said, “and made some decisions to be a little bit tougher and do some of the hard stuff a little bit better.

“I say this all the time, but teams and players are not on your watch sometimes. They’re on their own.

“And when they grow up and mature, is a process, and you never know when that’s going to happen, especially for young players. So I think for some of them, the light has just kind of come on.”

Hardaway’s performance down the stretch was memorable.

With UTSA trailing 39-37 and 6:28 remaining, the senior transfer from North Texas scored seven of her team’s points in a 9-0 run.

Kick-starting the streak, Hardaway hit a layup, and after two Idara Udo free throws, the Roadrunners capitalized when Pirates freshman Olivia Hilliard turned it over.

On the ensuing possession, Hardaway misfired on a 15-footer and then a layup attempt.

After Mia Hammonds snared the offensive rebound, UTSA worked the ball back to Hardaway, way beyond the three-point arc, with the shot clock winding down.

Her teammates were yelling at her to shoot it. Once she got the message, she put up a straight-away, two-hander that swished.

After that, Hardaway turned toward the other basket, smiling, while flashing 3-point signals with both hands.

“It was great to see it go in,” she said.

When it ripped the nets, the Roadrunners had expanded the lead to 44-39 with 4:16 remaining. The Pirates would come no closer than three the rest of the way.

Records

UTSA 17-15
East Carolina 22-10

Coming up

UTSA will play Rice for the tournament championship Saturday at 8:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

First half

The sixth-seeded Roadrunners entered the semifinals of the American Conference tournament coming off wins over No. 7 Temple and three seed South Florida.

For the No. 2 Pirates, drawing a triple bye into the semis, it was their first game of the week in Birmingham, and only their second in two weeks overall

In a first half that evolved into a tense, defensive struggle, the Roadrunners and Pirates battled to a 24-24 tie at intermission.

The second quarter belonged to the Pirates. After falling behind by six points, they kept forcing turnovers and capitalized on the Roadrunners’ mistakes with a 10-0 run.

Jayla Hearp capped the streak with a three-pointer. When it fell with 1:18 remaining, the Pirates held a 24-20 lead.

In the final minute, the Roadrunners scored the last four points as Idara Udo sank two free throws and Hammonds made an aggressive move into the paint for a 12 foot jumper.

UTSA played well defensively for most of the half, holding the Pirates to five of 25 shooting at one point. The Pirates went into the dressing room nine of 32 for 28 percent.

Offensively, the Roadrunners failed to figure out a way to attack the Pirates’ pressure, turning the ball over 12 times. The miscues led to 11 East Carolina points.

UTSA shot nine of 19 from the field for 47 percent in the half.

Roadrunners forward Cheyenne Rowe came out of the game at the end when she was hit in the nose by the forehead of Keanna Rembert, who was called for a charge.

Third quarter

East Carolina freshman Olivia Hilliard buried a 15-foot jumper with four seconds left, boosting the Pirates into a 34-33 lead going into the fourth.

Fourth quarter

During UTSA’s late push, East Carolina found hope when Kennedy Fauntleroy dribbled into the lane and hit a 10-foot floater, trimming the Roadrunners’ lead to 47-44 with 1:15 remaining.

On the inbounds, UTSA experienced trouble against the defensive pressure. A pass from the backcourt into the frontcourt went awry, but Hammonds tracked it down.

After Hardaway air-balled a 3-point attempt, Rowe snagged the ball and sank a short follow shot.

Surging and leading by five, the Roadrunners forced a three by Pirates forward Anzhane’ Hutton that missed.

Damara Allen rebounded, drew a foul, and hit two free throws for a 51-44 lead with 33 seconds left.

The Pirates went scoreless the rest of the way, while the Roadrunners closed it out with three free throws, two by Hardaway and another by Rowe.

Notable

UTSA and Rice split the season series. On Jan. 31 in San Antonio, Victoria Flores scored 33 points to lead the Owls, 65-55.

On March 7, the last day of the regular season, UTSA answered with a 61-52 victory in Houston to snap the Owls’ 22-game winning streak.

If the Roadrunners can beat them again Saturday night, they would advance to the NCAA tournament in women’s basketball for the first time since 2009.

The UTSA women won the Southland postseason titles in both 2008 and 2009 — still the program’s only NCAA bids in 45 seasons.

A win tonight not only would break the NCAA drought, but it would put this team in the record book as the only one in program history to claim a conference tournament title with four victories in four days.

Even if the Roadrunners lose, their season might not be complete as they will be under consideration for a bid to the WNIT, a school spokesman said.

Among UTSA individual standouts against East Carolina, Ereauna Hardaway had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Forwards Cheyenne Rowe scored 11 and Idara Udo 10. Though both combined for 15 rebounds, the major contributor on the boards was guard Damara Allen, who snared 10.

Small forward Mia Hammonds played well again with nine points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.

Also, with UTSA holding a three-point lead late, she retrieved an errant pass from a teammate to save a possession.

For East Carolina, guard Kennedy Fauntleroy scored 12 points to lead three players in double figures. Guard Jayla Hearp contributed 11 and forward Keanna Rembert 10.

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

Tuesday

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

Wednesday

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

Thursday

Game 5 — (5) North Texas defeats (4) Tulsa, 76-73
Game 6 — (6) UTSA defeats (3) South Florida, 62-51

Friday

Game 7 — (1) Rice defeats (5) North Texas 71-67
Game 8 — (6) UTSA beats (2) East Carolina, 54-44

Saturday

Game 9 (championship) — (1) Rice vs. (6) UTSA, 8:30 p.m.

Records

(1) Rice 28-4, 17-1
x-(2) East Carolina 22-10, 14-4
x-(3) South Florida 20-12, 13-5
x-(4) Tulsa 19-12, 11-7
x-(5) North Texas 19-14, 11-7
(6) UTSA 17-15, 9-9
x-(7) Temple 15-17, 8-10
x-(8) Charlotte 14-18, 8-10
x-(9) FAU 14-18, 7-11
x-(10) Tulane 11-20, 6-12

x-eliminated

American women’s basketball: Top-seeded Rice wins and advances to the finals

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

San Antonio’s Hailey Adams produced 17 points and 14 rebounds in the top-seeded Rice Owls’ 71-67 victory over the No. 5 North Texas Mean Green Friday night in the semifinals of the American Conference women’s basketball tournament.

Victoria Flores scored 21 and Dominique Ennis had 19 as Rice (28-4) advanced to the finals for the third year in a row. Rice won the tournament championship in 2024 and finished as runner up to South Florida last season.

The Owls took control of the game in the third quarter when they outscored the Mean Green 27-11 for a 59-48 lead.

The Mean Green rallied and cut the deficit to two with 11 seconds remaining. But Flores went to the free throw line and made both with 6.1 seconds left for the game’s final points.

San Antonio’s Aysia Proctor had 12 points and six rebounds for the Mean Green.

She had to leave the game in the third quarter after taking a spill and hitting her head on the floor, but she returned to play and knock down a three in the last half of the fourth period.

All-conference forward Megan Nestor paced North Texas with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Chania Price scored 10.

First half

The top-seeded Owls entered the tournament on a triple bye, starting Friday night in the semifinals at Birmingham, Ala.

The No. 5 Mean Green came into the semis on a roll after routing the nine seed FAU Owls 80-57 on Wednesday and then knocking off No. 4 Tulsa Golden Hurricane 76-73 on Thursday.

Despite falling behind by eight at the end of the first quarter, the Mean Green started playing harder in the second and raced to a 37-32 lead at the half.

Nestor and Proctor led with nine points. Nestor, the nation’s top rebounder, battled against Rice’s big frontcourt and pulled down six boards.

North Texas excelled defensively in the second quarter, holding Rice to two of 12 shooting from the field.

The Mean Green outscored the Owls 22-9 in the quarter, with Nestor producing seven.

Records

North Texas 19-14
Rice 28-4

Coming up

Rice vs. UTSA or East Carolina in the championship game, 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Notable

Proctor had to come out of the game with 34 seconds left in the third quarter after hitting her head on the floor in a battle for possession near the baseline.

After leaving the bench area to receive attention from the training staff, she re-entered the with less than five minutes left in the game.

Proctor played in high school at Schertz Clemens and in her first two years of college at UTSA. She received second-team, all-conference honors this season for the Mean Green.

Rice last played on March 7 in Houston when the Owls lost the regular-season finale 61-52 to the UTSA Roadrunners.

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

Tuesday

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

Wednesday

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

Thursday

Game 5 — (5) North Texas defeats (4) Tulsa, 76-73
Game 6 — (6) UTSA defeats (3) South Florida, 62-51

Friday

Game 7 — (1) Rice defeats (5) North Texas 71-67
Game 8 — (6) UTSA vs. (2) East Carolina, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday

Game 9 (championship) — (1) Rice vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m.

Records

(1) Rice 28-4, 17-1
(2) East Carolina 22-9, 14-4
x-(3) South Florida 20-12, 13-5
x-(4) Tulsa 19-12, 11-7
x-(5) North Texas 19-14, 11-7
(6) UTSA 16-15, 9-9
x-(7) Temple 15-17, 8-10
x-(8) Charlotte 14-18, 8-10
x-(9) FAU 14-18, 7-11
x-(10) Tulane 11-20, 6-12

x-eliminated

American women’s basketball: UTSA upsets South Florida in the quarterfinals

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Cheyenne Rowe celebrated her 22nd birthday in style Thursday, helping the sixth-seeded UTSA Roadrunners upset the No. 3 South Florida Bulls 62-51 in the American Conference tournament quarterfinals.

In the game played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Rowe led the Roadrunners with 25 points and 11 rebounds as they pushed past the Bulls and into the semifinals against the second-seeded East Carolina Pirates.

“Just a tremendous performance for our team,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “It’s hard, not to let ’em get too high, and all that kind of stuff. But it was such a great performance and a total commitment to four quarters of basketball.

“We were pretty relentless defensively, and I thought our team shared the ball well. Made the right decisions and they hung in there defensively all night long. You know, I couldn’t be prouder.”

Rowe put on a performance reminiscent of former UTSA standout Jordyn Jenkins. Meaning, she did just about everything and was extremely efficient.

The 6-foot-2 forward didn’t take a three-point attempt, instead working around the basket and in the mid-range with a variety of drives, turnarounds and face-up shots.

Rowe hit 11 of 17 shots from the field.

Her performance punctuates the Roadrunners’ rise from inconsistency to a 4-1 record in their last five, including victories over 27-win Rice on the final day of the regular season and then tournament wins over Temple and 20-win South Florida.

After helping defeat Bulls, who had beaten the Roadrunners twice during the regular season, Rowe talked about what it meant to see her team fight through so much adversity and then make such a robust turnaround in March.

“We have faced adversities and it’s just amazing to see how we’ve pushed through them,” she said. “It’s great to see everyone, like, playing together. Playing with each other. Playing to have fun.

“Basketball is supposed to be fun. We play with each other to have fun. And we want to win. Everyone does. So, I’ve got to say, I’m very proud of everyone.”

South Florida had beaten UTSA twice in the regular season but could not get it done for the third time in a row.

The Roadrunners (16-15) made it happen mostly with defense, holding the Bulls to 33.9 percent shooting from the field.

The Bulls (20-12) were completely stifled at the end of the game, outscored 11-2 in the final 4:44.

After Roadrunners sophomore Mia Hammonds slashed to the basket for a bucket with 3:08 remaining, the Roadrunners led 53-49 and then had a couple of lapses on their next two offensive possessions.

One was an offensive foul call and the other a turnover by Ereauna Hardaway.

“As far as that timeout,” Aston said, “(the message) was just finish. We played so well the whole game. Let’s not get rattled or get down on ourselves at this point. Let’s just finish the job.”

Coming out of the timeout, Hardaway responded with a 14-foot jumper, boosting the lead to six points. Following that, UTSA knocked down three of four free throws for a nine-point lead.

On the next South Florida possession, Hammonds blocked a shot by Bulls star Carla Brito, setting up another offensive possession for the Roadrunners.

Hardaway sank one of two free throws with 37.5 seconds remaining for a 10-point lead. South Florida never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

For the game, Hardaway produced 12 points and five rebounds. Idara Udo had 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Among the younger UTSA players, Hammonds had eight points on three of four shooting and four rebounds. She also had the key block at the end of the game.

Sophomore Damara Allen had nine rebounds.

Freshman point guard Adriana Robles started for the fifth straight game and had two points, five rebounds and two assists. UTSA is 4-1 in those five games.

Records

UTSA 16-15
South Florida 20-12

Notable

UTSA women’s basketball has advanced into a conference tournament semifinal for the first time since the 2024 (in the American) and for the 12th time overall.

If they win, they’ll make their sixth conference championship appearance.

The Roadrunners have won two games in a tournament for the first time since 2023.

Against East Carolina, UTSA will try to win a third game in the same tournament for the first time since 2009.

In both the 2008 and 2009 Southland Conference postseasons, the Roadrunners went 3-0 each time to reach the NCAA tournament.

This week, the Roadrunners will need to win four games in four days for the NCAA automatic bid.

First half

Rowe had 14 points and seven rebounds in the first half as the UTSA Roadrunners took a 30-22 lead at halftime against the South Florida Bulls.

UTSA’s strong performance came in the quarterfinals of the American Conference women’s basketball tournament at Birmingham, Ala.

While South Florida, with a double bye, was making its debut in the tournament, UTSA was playing its second game in two days after eliminating Temple, 59-51, on Tuesday.

From the outset, UTSA seemed to have a better rhythm than South Florida. Riding Rowe’s hot shooting hand, the Roadrunners moved out to a 14-9 lead after the first quarter.

It was a team effort in that the Roadrunners cut down on turnovers, ran efficient offense and kept the Bulls out of their bread and butter, the transition game.

In the second period, UTSA’s offense went cold. But at the same time, its defense stayed solid. Then, late in the period, UTSA’s Hammonds and Udo asserted themselves offensively.

Hammonds hit two straight buckets on aggressive moves toward the basket. She also knocked down a couple of free throws.

After Rowe hit a couple of shots, Udo connected on a 14-foot turnaround jumper for a 30-22 lead.

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

Tuesday

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

Wednesday

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

Thursday

Game 5 — (5) North Texas defeats (4) Tulsa, 76-73
Game 6 — (6) UTSA defeats (3) South Florida, 62-51

Friday

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

Saturday

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

Records

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