Category Archives: College basketball

Memphis grinds out a 52-40 victory over the UTSA women

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Forward Amauri Williams produced 10 points and nine rebounds, guard Jordan Hunter hit two 3-point baskets late in the game, and the defense-minded Memphis Tigers held off the UTSA Roadrunners women, 52-40, Friday afternoon in Memphis.

Memphis locked down on the defensive end, holding UTSA to 29 percent shooting from the field, to snap a three-game losing streak.

UTSA also took a beating on the boards, 44-30, as the Roadrunners lost their second straight game for the first time since the first week of December.

“I think we’ve had some kids hit the wall a little bit,” UTSA coach Karen Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s radio broadcast. “They just looked like they flat-lined a little bit with their effort and attention to detail.”

In the victory, Memphis (8-12, 2-5) received solid defensive play from its entire roster, notably guards Daejah Richmond and Hunter. Both pressured the ball on the perimeter and prevented UTSA (9-9, 4-3) from getting into a rhythm.

Hunter was also clutch, scoring six of her eight points in the fourth period, including two 3s that cut off UTSA’s momentum.

Richmond, meanwhile, finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. In addition, forward Tamya Smith pulled down 10 boards to frustrate the Roadrunners, who traditionally excel in that phase of the game.

“We’ve just got to get back to working hard again,” Aston said. “This didn’t look like a very hungry team. But again, you got to make shots. I mean, they only scored 52 points. It’s not like they blew us out of the water.

“We just can’t get on the boards right now. We’re getting killed on the boards. We’re getting killed in the paint, and they’re covering up … the people who have been the scorers for us. We’ve got to have other answers, and we just haven’t found that right now.”

Guard Ereauna Hardaway, one of UTSA’s primary scoring threats, produced 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The team’s leading scorer, Cheyenne Rowe, contributed eight points and nine rebounds.

But it was a battle for both of them as Hardaway hit four of 13 from the field and Rowe four of 14.

A few other issues may have played a role in the loss. First, Rowe was playing a few days after she sat out Tuesday night in San Antonio with an illness. Second, UTSA’s travel schedule was altered a few days ago.

Because of inclement weather across the south, officials moved the game from Saturday to Friday, meaning that the short-handed Roadrunners had one less day to recover from Tuesday’s 65-58 loss to East Carolina.

Aston credited the Tigers’ effort for what happened.

“They didn’t make it easy and nobody else does, either,” the coach said. “It’s just part of the game. If we wanted to be easy, then we’re in the wrong league.”

Records

UTSA 9-9, 4-3
Memphis 8-12, 2-5

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

Even though Rowe returned to the lineup, the Roadrunners continue to play without six of their scholarship players. Idara Udo sat out her eighth straight game with a lower leg injury.

First half

Led on the perimeter by guards Richmond and Hunter, the Tigers played superior defense en route to a 26-14 halftime lead.

Memphis trapped UTSA guards and played passing lanes and, in the process, held the Roadrunners to 22 percent shooting from the field. The Tigers also forced the Roadrunners into 11 turnovers.

Playing at home in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, the Tigers jumped on the Roadrunners early, forcing the visitors into one for eight shooting to start the game.

Memphis used the momentum to build a 13-5 lead at the quarter. In the second period, the Tigers continued to use pressure to their advantage.

Forcing a turnover and five straight misses, they expanded the lead to 20-7. The Roadrunners rallied, pulling to within 22-14 on a Mia Hammonds left-handed layup.

But in the last two minutes, Memphis held UTSA scoreless.

Third quarter

Guard Chae Harris knocked down a three at the end of the quarter as the Tigers assumed a 37-26 lead. UTSA guard Adriana Robles scored five points in the period.

Player report indicates UTSA’s Rowe will be available today

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA women apparently will have starting forward Cheyenne Rowe available for today’s American Conference road game against the Memphis Tigers.

Rowe’s name is not on the latest player availability report, indicating that the team’s leading scorer and rebounder will be ready when the Roadrunners tip off against Memphis at 4 p.m. at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

Rowe, suffering from an illness, sat out her first game of the season Tuesday night at home in a 65-58 loss to the East Carolina Lady Pirates.

The 6-foot-2 Canada native leads the team in scoring (12.9 points) and rebounds (8.8) for the season. In conference, she’s been more productive, averaging 14 and 12.8, respectively, including three games with double figures in rebounding.

Rowe is also one of the team’s top shot makers, hitting 46.1 percent for the season.

UTSA (9-8, 4-2) and Memphis (7-12, 1-5) were originally scheduled to meet on Saturday. But the game was moved up a day out of weather-related concerns in Tennessee.

Records

UTSA 9-8, 4-2
Memphis 7-12, 1-5

Coming up

UTSA at Memphis, Friday, 4 p.m.
North Texas at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

Starting forward Idara Udo is scheduled to sit out her eighth straight game with a lower leg injury. Udo will be out for today’s game along with Maya Linton, Ny Gony, Saher Alizada, Taylor Ross and Sema Udo. Gony, Ross and Sema Udo are out for the season.

North Texas wins 81-62 to hand the UTSA men a record 12th-straight loss

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The North Texas Mean Green built a 22-point lead at halftime and then held on for an 81-62 victory Wednesday night in Denton, handing the UTSA men’s basketball team a program record-breaking 12th straight loss.

The 2022-23 Roadrunners held the previous record of 11.

This season, Mississippi Valley State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference has dropped 18 in a row for the longest streak in the nation. The Roadrunners and the Air Force Falcons of the Mountain West Conference are tied for second.

UTSA (4-15, 0-7) made a push late in the game to pull within striking distance. First, Jamir Simpson snared an offensive rebound and fed Austin Nunez for a layup.

Nunez followed it up with a couple of free throws, cutting the lead to 13 with 4:49 to play. From there, North Texas (12-7, 3-3) responded with 10 straight points to pull away.

Mean Green guard Je’Shawn Stevenson capped the streak with a three out of the corner. Stevenson, a sophomore from Chicago, led the home team with 27 points.

The Cleveland State transfer made 10 of 19 from the field and seven of 13 from the 3-point arc.

UTSA coach Austin Claunch told Andy Everett on the postgame radio show that his team’s 46-25 rebounding deficit was a problem, but he said the bigger issue centered on turnovers.

With Mean Green defenders gambling in the passing lanes, making steals and creating deflections, the Roadrunners had 12 of their 15 turnovers in the first half.

“Just a frustrating, frustrating, similar story,” Claunch said.

Simpson scored 14, Brent Moss 14 and Austin Nunez 12 for the Roadrunners, who shot 36 percent from the field. Forward Baboucarr Njie had seven points, three rebounds and a record seven blocked shots. The 6-foot-6 Njie broke the previous record of six blocks by Tom Oswald, set in 1996.

“He’s got great timing,” Claunch said. “He’s got great feel. He’s a good athlete. For somebody that’s 6-6 or 6-5, down there banging the way he does, it’s certainly impressive.”

A scary moment unfolded for UTSA in the second half when freshman guard Dorian Hayes collided with North Texas forward Dylan Arnett near the sideline. Hayes came out off the floor with 12:51 remaining clutching his shoulder.

He returned with 11:53 showing and continued to play, finishing with eight points on one of four shooting.

Records

UTSA 4-15, 0-7
North Texas 12-7, 3-3

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

First half

Stevenson hit a 28-footer at the buzzer, a long-distance three pointer, as the North Texas Mean Green took a 45-23 lead into the dressing room at intermission.

Stevenson led the Mean Green with 16 points on six of nine shooting. He connected on four of six from 3-point distance.

The game was close in the first seven minutes, but UTSA never really had a rhythm because of North Texas’ gambling defense.

Despite a flurry of early turnovers, the Roadrunners trailed only 11-7 with after Brent Moss nailed a three from the wing with 13:10 remaining.

North Texas outscored UTSA 34-16 the rest of the way.

UTSA shot only eight of 23 from the field and one of 10 from three in the opening 20 minutes. The Roadrunners committed nine turnovers.

Notable

It’s been almost two months since UTSA last won a game. The Roadrunners’ last victory came on Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla., against the Georgia Southern Eagles.

The 12-game skid started with non-conference losses to South Alabama, 12th-ranked Alabama, Colorado, USC and Seattle. Losses in conference have come to FAU, Temple, Charlotte, Tulane, Rice, Memphis and North Texas.

Seven of the losses in the streak have been on the road, with five at home. The Roadrunners have home games upcoming against Temple on Saturday afternoon and UAB on Jan. 28.

North Texas and UTSA will play again in San Antonio on Feb. 7. It will be the first appearance on the UTSA campus for first-year Mean Green coach Daniyal Robinson, who worked previously for three years at Cleveland State. He replaced Ross Hodge, who was hired at West Virginia.

North Texas suffered a blow to its season when guard Will McClendon, who was averaging 13 points a game, injured his knee on Nov. 12 at Oregon State. A player who might have been the team’s go-to scorer is out for the season.

McClendon, from Bishop Gorman High School in Nevada, played as a freshman at UCLA and as a sophomore last season at San Jose State.

Mean Green guard Je’Shawn Stevenson is a former first-team all-city player at Chicago’s Lindblom High School. He played as a freshman at Cleveland State.

North Texas guard David Terrell Jr.‘s father — David Terrell Sr. — played played in college at UTEP and in the NFL for Washington and Oakland between 1998-2004.

East Carolina rallies in the second half to down the UTSA women, 65-58

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Keanna Rembert. East Carolina beat UTSA 65-58 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

East Carolina forward Keanna Rembert (left) scored six of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA coach Karen Aston had told her players coming into Tuesday night that if they could hold the East Carolina Lady Pirates to less than 70 points, then they would have a chance to beat the highest-scoring team in the American Conference.

As it turned out, the high-flying Pirates failed to hit 70 but played better defense than the defense-minded Roadrunners, claiming a 65-58 victory at the Convocation Center in a battle between contenders in the American.

“We had too many turnovers and we gave up too many offensive rebounds,” Aston said. “That’s just the story of the game.”

The other story centered on a plague of injuries that has hurt UTSA all season. The problem was exacerbated against the Pirates when Cheyenne Rowe had to sit out with an illness.

Damara Allen. East Carolina beat UTSA 65-58 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Damara Allen scored 12 points on three of nine shooting. She also had three rebounds and three assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

As a result, Rowe missed her first game of the season, joining six other players on the roster who have been out of action with assorted injuries.

Without Rowe and injured Idara Udo on the floor, the Roadrunners were extremely thin on the inside, playing sophomore Emilia Dannebauer 31 minutes and freshman Sanaa Bean 18, much more than their season averages.

East Carolina took full advantage, winning the battle of the boards, 32-26, including 17-8 on the offensive end. In the beginning, the Roadrunners shot the ball well and took an early eight-point lead.

But as the Pirates continued to trap and press, the Roadrunners turned it over 29 times, leading to 27 points for the visitors. It was just too much for the home team to overcome.

“I thought UT San Antonio had a good game plan, and that was to take the paint away from us,” East Carolina coach Kim McNeill said. “They did a really good job of that. We weren’t as clean as we normally are on offense.

“You got to credit that to the (UTSA) defense. I think we made some gutsy plays down the stretch. Down on the defensive end we got some stops when we needed … and we made some baskets when we needed them, too.”

East Carolina rallied behind forward Keanna Rembert, who scored six of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Trailing by 12 points midway through the fourth, the Roadrunners made it interesting, cutting the lead to seven with three minutes left.

In response, Rembert answered with a follow shot with 2:54 remaining to boost the advantage to nine. UTSA couldn’t get closer than six the rest of the way.

Mia Hammonds and Damara Allen scored 12 points apiece to lead the Roadrunners. Guard Ereauna Hardaway, the team’s second-leading scorer, was held to eight points on one for five shooting.

Mia Hammonds. East Carolina beat UTSA 65-58 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Mia Hammonds notched 12 points, six rebounds, one block and a steal. – Photo by Joe Alexander

East Carolina’s primary threat in the backcourt had an off night, as well. Kennedy Fauntleroy, who had averaged 23 points in three previous games, was held to two points on two free throws.

The Arizona State transfer also committed seven turnovers and eventually fouled out. But in Fauntleroy’s case, her teammates in the backcourt picked up the slack to win in one of the toughest places to play in the American.

Guards Savannah Brooks and Jayla Hearp both hurt the Roadrunners. Brooks had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. Brooks also recorded three steals. Hearp scored 10 and pulled down five rebounds — all of them on the offensive end.

Also, Pirates guard Taylor Barner came off the bench and made an impact in defending UTSA’s Hardaway.

Records

East Carolina 14-6, 6-1
UTSA 9-8, 4-2

Coming up

UTSA at Memphis, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Third quarter

Jayla Hearp scored nine points and Savannah Brooks added six in the third period as the Lady Pirates came from a one-point halftime deficit and surged into a a 50-41 lead.

Sanaa Bean. East Carolina beat UTSA 65-58 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman forward Sanaa Bean produced four points and two rebounds in 18 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Pirates also played stifling defense, forcing the Roadrunners into eight turnovers as they won the period, 25-15.

When the Roadrunners did get a clean look at the hoop, they shot only three of 10 from the field.

First half

Despite making 15 turnovers in the half and playing without Rowe, the UTSA Roadrunners ran into the dressing room with a 26-25 lead on the East Carolina Lady Pirates.

Damara Allen led the Roadrunners with 10 points, including two of their four 3-pointers. Three-point shooting was a key for the ‘Runners as they hit four of five in the half. They also shot nine of 16 from the field.

Another promising sign for UTSA was its defense on guard Fauntleroy, who was held scoreless after averaging 23 points a game over her last three. Fauntleroy shot zero for two from the field and made five turnovers.

East Carolina’s best weapon was its full-court press, which forced UTSA into nine second-quarter turnovers.

Trailing by eight early in the game, the Pirates used the press to flip the momentum. They took a 17-16 lead on a Rembert jumper with 6:01 left in the half.

UTSA immediately regained the lead when the Roadrunners beat pressure and fed Allen, who hit a three out of the corner.

Jayda Holiman made another trey a few minutes later, expanding UTSA’s advantage to 25-21. Rembert knocked down a triple with 41 seconds left to tie the score. UTSA center Emilia Dannebauer hit a free throw with 10 seconds left for the final point.

Notable

UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe sat out the game with an illness. She is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 12.9 points and 8.8 rebounds. Rowe had started and played all 16 games for the Roadrunners.

Idara Udo. East Carolina beat UTSA 65-58 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Idara Udo has been out for seven games with a lower leg injury but went through some shooting drills Tuesday afternoon before the team warmups. – Photo Joe Alexander.

The Roadrunners had six other players sitting out, five of whom haven’t played this season. Idara Udo, who has been out for the past seven games, played the first 10 and averaged 8.1 points and 7.2 rebounds.

Before pre-game warmups, Udo was on the floor shooting the ball, a positive sign for the team.

Maya Linton, Nyayongah Gony, Saher Alizada, Sema Udo and Taylor Ross are the others who have not played this season.

Gony, Sema Udo and Ross are out for the season, while Idara Udo, Linton and Alizada were listed as out for the game, according to the official availability report.

Cheyenne Rowe’s availability in question for East Carolina

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Update: UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe is listed as questionable to play against East Carolina, according to the player availability report. A spokesman said Rowe is ill. She is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 12.9 points and 8.8 rebounds. Rowe has started and played all 16 games for the Roadrunners.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

In the 2022-23 season, the East Carolina Lady Pirates were picked for the cellar in the American Conference women’s basketball race, and coach Kim McNeill proceeded to lead them to the NCAA tournament.

Last fall, coaches in the American pegged them in a preseason poll for a seventh-place finish.

Don’t look now, but the Lady Pirates are tied for second and challenging for the lead coming into a showdown Tuesday night in the Convocation Center against the defending conference champion UTSA Roadrunners.

Moreover, they’re incoming with one of the hottest players in the American, point guard Kennedy Fauntleroy. An Arizona State transfer, Fauntleroy is averaging 23 points and 7.7 assists in her last three games.

“They’re the leading scoring team in the conference,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said on a media zoom conference Monday. “So, start right there. They have a plethora of people that can score the basketball (and) they have a tremendous point guard (in Fauntleroy).”

Aston said the Lady Pirates are always well prepared under McNeill and also may have some intangibles working for them this season.

“I can’t speak for her by any means,” Aston said, “but they look like they have really good chemistry, and they look like they’re having fun playing the game. So, you have to start with that. We’re going to have to be really, really good on our home court.

“We’re going to have to have a sense of urgency with how we play. But, it’s not going to be easy. They turn you over and they score the ball really well. They’re one of the better teams in the conference regardless of what they were chosen.”

East Carolina averages an American-best 73.7 points and shoots 40 percent from the field. The Pirates also force 20 turnovers per game and register a league-best plus 5.68 turnover margin.

UTSA is expected to counter with the conference’s best defense, both in points and field goal percentage allowed (57.9 points and 36.8 percent).

Records

East Carolina 13-6, 5-1
UTSA 9-7, 4-1

Coming up

East Carolina at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Memphis, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Notable

The Rice Owls lead the American women’s basketball race with a 5-0 record, followed by East Carolina and South Florida at 5-1. Tulsa and UTSA are next at 4-1.

The Lady Pirates, playing at home last week, played well in defeating Tulsa 79-48 and Temple 81-65. In the Temple game, East Carolina led by two going into the fourth quarter when the 5-foot-7 Fauntleroy exploded for 13 of her 27 points.

The native of Upper Marlboro, Md., also finished with eight assists, three steals and two blocks. Fauntleroy, who averages 13.8 a game, has exploded 21, 21 and 27 points in her last three games, respectively.

The Roadrunners traveled to play two in Florida last week. They were humbled in Tampa by the South Florida Bulls, 70-53, after trailing by 25 at halftime. In response, they routed the Florida Atlantic Owls, 79-42.

Aston said the development of sophomore forward Emilia Dannebauer has been “incredible” to watch.

After playing only 22 minutes in eight games last year, she’s already played 276 minutes in all 16 games thus far, averaging 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds. She scored a season-high 13 points last week at South Florida.

Aston said even though Dannebauer didn’t play much last season, the 6-foot-4 native of Germany learned about the pace and physicality of the game and what she needed to do to prepare herself.

She overcame an injury last summer, got herself ready to play in the fall and then stepped in to a starter’s role when Idara Udo was hurt after 10 games.

“It’s been fun to watch her develop and gain confidence,” Aston said.

Memphis rolls in the second half to deal UTSA its 11th straight loss

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Playing with underwhelming intensity in front of their bewildered fans early, the Memphis Tigers eventually made some adjustments and pulled away for a 95-69 victory Sunday night at the FedEx Forum, dealing the UTSA Roadrunners a program record-tying 11th straight loss.

Even though the Roadrunners competed on almost even terms for the first 19 minutes of the game, they eventually broke down in the second half. As a result, they tied the program’s record for consecutive losses set in the spring of the 2022-23 season.

Guards Dug McDaniel and Sincere Parker led the Tigers. Parker hit seven of 10 shots from the floor and scored 22 points. McDaniel, a 5-foot-11 transfer from Kansas State, ran the show with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Not only did McDaniel rule in the floor game and on the boards, he also supplied long-distance shooting, hitting four of the Tigers’ 11 three pointers.

Fast-improving freshman Dorian Hayes pace the Roadrunners with 17 points. Hayes, from Houston-area Ridge Point High School, knocked down five 3-point shots. Walkon LJ Brown emerged as a surprise contributor with 14 points to match Jamir Simpson. Austin Nunez had 13 points and three assists.

Baboucarr Njie had six rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots in 34 minutes. The 6-foot-6 sophomore from Dayton, Ohio, scored six points on two of nine shooting.

UTSA coach Austin Claunch said the game started to slip away at the end of the half. It happened when a couple of empty offensive possessions led to five straight Memphis points and a 10-point Memphis lead at intermission.

“The last minute of the half, a little 5-0 spurt, just changes the feeling of the game,” Claunch said. “It goes from five to 10. We come out in the second half and we battled for awhile … It was 14 at the under 12 (timeout).

“Listen, when you’re playing catch up at the end against a team like that, it’s going to get away from you. If you have to run around and try to trap, they’re going to score at will, which is why the score ended up being what it was.”

Records

UTSA 4-14, 0-6
Memphis 9-8, 4-1

Coming up

UTSA at North Texas, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Notable

Both Dorian Hayes and LJ Brown are the sons of former NBA players. Hayes is the son of Chuck Hayes, who played 11 season in the NBA, including for the Houston Rockets, the Sacramento Kings and the Toronto Raptors. Brown’s father is Devin Brown, who played in high school in San Antonio at West Campus High School and in college for four years at UTSA. He spent eight years in the NBA, including 2005 with the Spurs when they won a title.

The Roadrunners played again without 7-foot center Stanley Borden, who has been out the past 15 games with a hand injury. The Duke transfer played limited minutes in only the first three games of the season. Four days ago, it appeared he might play in a UTSA home game against Rice. On game day, he was listed as questionable, and then he suited up and went through pre-game warmups. But, ultimately, he did not play against the Owls or on Saturday against the Tigers in Memphis … Seven-foot-one center Aaron Bradshaw, who has started nine of 15 games for Memphis, did not play against UTSA. Bradshaw, a transfer from Ohio State, is averaging 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds.

First half

The Tigers outscored the Roadrunners 5-0 in the last 49 seconds before intermission to take a 43-33 lead.

But even though the Tigers held the advantage, their fans weren’t thrilled, as they never were able to pull away from the last-place team in the American Conference.

Some of that came as a result of sloppy play by the Tigers, who turned it over eight times and sometimes couldn’t stop the Roadrunners.

UTSA played well offensively at home last week against Rice, and that rhythm seemed to carry over in stretches of play against Memphis.

Slumping UTSA set to play at Memphis today

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The slumping UTSA Roadrunners made some strides with their offense in their last outing.

Today, they’ll try to rise up and stop their 10-game losing streak when they play on the road against the preseason American Conference favorite Memphis Tigers.

During an 89-73 loss to Rice at home on Wednesday night, the Roadrunners scored 40 points in the first half, and they rallied from a 19-point deficit to come within eight with 12 minutes remaining in the game.

Ultimately, they couldn’t sustain the momentum.

The challenge for the Roadrunners (4-13, 0-5) figures to be much tougher today against the Tigers (8-8, 3-1).

Even though Memphis likely isn’t the same team that won 29 games and reached the NCAA tournament last season, it is a group that has played an extremely tough schedule, and it’s also one that has started to play well and win lately.

The Tigers have won four out of their last five, with their only loss in that stretch on the road against the FAU Owls last Sunday.

In the non-conference phase of their schedule, the Tigers played five games against ranked teams and lost all five. They played nine games against Power Four opponents and went 1-8 in those contests.

Notable outcomes in those games include an 80-71 loss to then No. 1 Purdue in the Bahamas on Nov. 20 and also a 77-70 loss to then No. 13 Vanderbilt at home on Dec. 17. The Tigers defeated the Big 12’s Baylor Bears 78-71 at home on Dec. 6.

Records

UTSA 4-13, 0-5
Memphis 8-8, 3-1

Coming up

UTSA at North Texas, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Notable

UTSA’s Baboucarr Njie has come a long way since he arrived on campus as a walk on in the summer of 2024. Today he’s a scholarship player who produced 23 points and nine rebounds against Rice. It was his second 23-point game of the season.

Njie, the younger brother of UTSA center Mo Njie, is averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Seven-foot-one Memphis center Aaron Bradshaw is out for today’s game, according to the player availability report. He suffered knee and ankle injuries in a 55-53 victory over Temple on Wednesday in Memphis. UTSA center Stanley Borden, suffering from a hand injury, also will not play.

The Tigers’ top player is 5-11 point guard Dug McDaniel, a Kansas State transfer who averages 13.8 points, 4.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds.

UTSA losing streaks
Eight games or more

Year – consecutive losses – streak broken against – UTSA coach
2025-26 – 10 – TBA – Austin Claunch
2022-23 – 11 – Rice – Steve Henson
2015-16 – 9 – Southern Miss – Brooks Thompson
1985-86 – 8 – St. Mary’s – Don Eddy

Hardaway scores 20 as the UTSA women romp past FAU, 79-42

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After losing by 17 points in Tampa against the South Florida Bulls on Tuesday night, the UTSA Roadrunners wanted to make amends when they tipped off in Boca Raton against Florida Atlantic on Friday.

Ereauna Hardaway. UTSA beat Tulane 65-63 in their American Athletic Conference women's basketball opener on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Ereauna Hardaway scored a season-high 20 points on seven of 11 shooting from the field. She was four for five beyond the 3-point arc. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Ultimately, the UTSA women played more to their potential against the Owls in the second game of a two-game American Conference road trip, rolling to leads as large as 41 in the second half en route to an easy 79-42 victory.

UTSA’s winning margin of 37 points was the widest in a regular-season conference game or in any road game in Coach Karen Aston’s five years at the school. The Roadrunners beat Sam Houston State by 43 at home in a non-conference game on Dec. 7, 2024.

With the victory, the Roadrunners (9-7, 4-1) regained the swagger more befitting of the defending champions in the American.

“We had great energy just from the jump,” Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s radio broadcast. “Our defense was really, really good in the first half. Not as good in the second, but I just thought we were very intentional with how we played the game today.”

The Owls (8-10, 2-4) entered the evening hoping to extend a two-game win streak in the American, but they never could figure out the Roadrunners on either end of the floor.

On the offensive end, UTSA played with a high level of efficiency, shooting a season-high 53.7 percent from the field. Ball movement was a key, with the Roadrunners scoring 29 field goals on 18 assists, with only 13 turnovers.

North Texas transfer Ereauna Hardaway scored 11 of her team- and season-high 20 points in the second quarter, when the Roadrunners blew the game open. The 5-8 senior hit seven of 11 shots from the field, including four of five from behind the 3-point arc.

Forward Cheyenne Rowe had 19 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

In addition, freshman guard Adriana Robles played one of her better games of the season with 10 points and four assists. When she took a charge on a drive in the first half, her teammates hailed her effort with a raucous cheer.

Mia Hammonds produced seven points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Damara Allen scored eight to go along with her team-high five assists. Nine UTSA players scored, notably, Siena Guttadauro with her first two points since returning to active status on Jan. 3.

Defensively, the Roadrunners smothered a smaller Owls team, not allowing much of anything within 15 feet of the basket. The Owls hit only five field goals in the first half for a 20-percent reading from the field.

A 40-percent shooting team for the season, they finished with 27 percent for the game, including three of 17 makes from three-point distance. Starting forward Vivian Onugha led the Owls with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Records

UTSA 9-7, 4-1
FAU 8-10, 2-4

Coming up

East Carolina at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

Rice leads the conference with a 4-0 record, followed by East Carolina, South Florida, North Texas and UTSA, all at 4-1.

The Roadrunners entered the day ranked 129th in the nation among 363 teams in the NCAA Evaluation Tool metric, while Florida Atlantic came in at 217.

UTSA scored its third-most points in a game this season, behind only 86 against Prairie View A&M and 82 versus Texas A&M-Kingsville. UTSA’s 10 three-point baskets ranked second, behind only the 12 makes against Kingsville.

Florida Atlantic’s 42 points were the fourth fewest by a UTSA opponent, behind 40 by Prairie View and Kingsville and 41 by Texas State.

Injured UTSA athletes not playing include Idara Udo and Maya Linton, both of them starters on last year’s 26-5 team. Udo has played 10 games this year, but has sat out the last six with a lower leg injury. Linton has not played.

Neither one of them, however, are listed as out for the season in the conference’s availability reports.

First half

Hardaway led a dominant effort with 15 points as the Roadrunners pushed out to a 41-16 halftime lead. The 41 points tied a UTSA season-best in a half.

Hardaway scored 11 of her points in the second period, when the Roadrunners outscored the Owls, 23-7.

From the start, the Roadrunners completely throttled the Owls, who entered the night with two straight wins in the American.

FAU was held to three of 15 shooting in the first quarter and two of 12 in the second. In the half, the Owls scored only two two-point field goals.

Offensively, the Roadrunners moved the ball well and effectively looped passes inside against a smaller front line. The ploy worked, with UTSA shooting 59 percent in the half.

UTSA women set to tip off against FAU in Boca Raton

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Update: UTSA will apparently have 10 players available for the FAU game. Among six inactive players is junior Idara Udo, an all-conference performer who will sit out her sixth straight game, according to the player availability report. Sophomore Emilia Dannebauer likely will start in her place. For FAU, redshirt junior guard Haley Walker, the team’s leading rebounder, is listed as questionable. She has sat out the Owls’ last two games.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coming off a double-digit loss at South Florida, the defending American Conference champion UTSA women hope to rebound Friday night in Boca Raton against the upstart Florida Atlantic University Owls.

The Roadrunners (8-7, 3-1) had a three-game winning streak snapped in Tampa on Tuesday night, giving up 49 points in the first half en route to a 70-53 loss to the Bulls.

Damara Allen produced a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore from Aurora, Colo., also had three steals. Another sophomore, center Emilia Dannebauer, scored 13 on five of six shooting.

The Owls (8-9, 2-3) were picked to finish last in the American’s preseason poll, but they have been surprising in their resilience under first-year coach LeAnn Freeland, winning two straight after an 0-3 start in conference.

First, they traveled and defeated the UAB Blazers 70-63 last Saturday, and then they returned home and turned it on offensively Tuesday night in an 88-64 victory over the Wichita State Shockers.

Against the Shockers, the Owls hit eight of their 11 three-point baskets in the first half and shot 51 percent from the field overall.

South Alabama transfer Michiyah Simmons led FAU in scoring with a season-high 17 points off the bench.

The Owls reached the NCAA tournament in 2005-06 but have struggled since, with only two winning seasons and one at .500 since then. They have suffered four straight losing seasons since they finished .500 in 2020-21.

The Roadrunners are 10-8 and have won four straight in the all-time series against the Owls. FAU’s last win came in January of 2023 in Boca Raton.

Records

Florida Atlantic 8-9, 2-3
UTSA 8-7, 3-1

Coming up

UTSA at Florida Atlantic, tonight at 6
East Carolina at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Undaunted by a 10-game losing streak, UTSA’s Claunch reiterates his long-range goal — a title

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Austin Claunch. Rice beat UTSA 89-73 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch continues to exude confidence in the program’s future despite a 10-game losing streak, the second longest in school history. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Mired in the depths of a 10-game losing streak, the UTSA men have not lost their spirit. Buried in last place in the American Conference, the Roadrunners meet with the media after games, and they still express themselves with a spunky attitude.

They’re also in good form with their snark.

For example, a reporter wanted to know if Coach Austin Claunch had talked to his players about a change in format of the conference tournament, with the American inviting only 10 teams to the event this March in Birmingham.

Baboucarr Njie. Rice beat UTSA 89-73 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sophomore forward Baboucarr Njie produced 23 points and nine rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Instead of inviting everyone, the conference is whittling down the field to eliminate three teams after the regular season. All of which means, the Roadrunners are in trouble now with an 0-5 league record and road games looming against Memphis and North Texas.

If the Roadrunners are feeling any pressure or an extra sense of urgency in that regard, it was hard to tell based on what Claunch had to say after his team was beaten on its home floor, 89-73, by the Rice Owls Wednesday night.

“No,” Claunch said, “we want to finish first. Not 10th.”

Expanding on his comment, the coach added, “You know, conference tournament is great and all that, but we want to hang a regular-season banner, and obviously we’re way behind with that right now. But the urgency is the same.

“Of course we want to make conference tournament. But, our goal is not to finish 10th and make the conference tournament. That’s not why (the players) came here and that’s not what we’re working toward.

“I think we’re all aware and that we’re working to keep winning. You know, it’s going to be tight. We’re down right now, but it’s going to be all there. I think we know that. But that’s not … our mentality is to become the best team in the league.

“That’s tomorrow, this year, next year, whatever. These guys are working to put UTSA on a different kind of map besides just making the conference tournament.”

Dorian Hayes. Rice beat UTSA 89-73 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Dorian Hayes scored 18 and hit four shots from beyond the three-point arc. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Owls started fast and built a 19-point lead late in the first half. The Roadrunners retaliated with a run after halftime, cutting the lead to eight at one point.

Despite the spirited rally, the Roadrunners couldn’t overcome the deficit and extended their losing streak to the second longest in school history.

The 2022-23 UTSA squad, under the direction of former coach Steve Henson, holds the dubious record with 11 straight.

Trae Broadnax scored 20 points to pace the Owls, who have won two straight games on the road in the American. Rice hit 16 three pointers, including 10 in the first half.

Baboucarr Njie, with his best game since November, produced 23 points and nine rebounds for the Roadrunners. Dorian Hayes added 18 and Austin Nunez produced 16 points and five boards.

Records

Rice 2-3, 8-10
UTSA 0-5, 4-13

Coming up

UTSA at Memphis, Sunday, 5 p.m.

First half

The Rice Owls shot 62 percent from the field and knocked down 10 three pointers in the first half, taking a 51-40 lead on UTSA into the break at intermission.

Austin Nunez. Rice beat UTSA 89-73 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA redshirt junior guard Austin Nunez had 16 points and five rebounds against . Rice to continue his inspired play. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Nick Anderson and Trae Broadnax scored 12 each for the Owls and Jalen Smith added 11. Combined, the three of them hit eight shots from behind the arc, over the Roadrunners zone defense.

The Owls led for the entire 20 minutes in the opening period and once kicked the lead up to 19 points. Cam Carroll’s three with 3:41 made it 46-27.

In response, the Roadrunners outscored the Owls 13-5 the rest of the way, with Njie scoring four of the points, including a drive to the rim for a layup at the buzzer.

Notable

After the Owls were beaten by 49 points at Tulsa in their conference opener on New Years Eve, they have fared much better, first returning home to lose by six to the Memphis Tigers.

After that, they traveled to Kansas and beat the Wichita State Shockers by two and then returned home and played Charlotte to the wire, falling by one. Now, after beating the Roadrunners on the road by 16, they’ve improved to 2-3 in conference with their second straight road win.

UTSA center Stanley Borden put on his uniform and went through pre-game warmups, but when the game started, he was on the bench in his sweat suit. Though Borden missed his 14th straight game with a hand injury, he may be getting close to a return based on the pre-game activity level.

His return would be a boost for the Roadrunners, who learned earlier this week that forward Macaleab Rich would be out for the season after surgery on a partially torn groin. Rich and two point guards — Vasean Allette and Pierce Spencer — are all out for the season.

UTSA men’s basketball losing streaks
Seven or more

Year – consecutive losses – streak broken against – UTSA coach
2025-26 – 10 – TBA – Austin Claunch
2023-24 – 7 – North Texas – Steve Henson
2022-23 – 11 – Rice – Steve Henson
2015-16 – 9 – Southern Miss – Brooks Thompson
2012-13 – 7 – Seattle – Brooks Thompson
2006-07 – 7 – UT Arlington – Brooks Thompson
2006-07 – 7 – Sam Houston – Brooks Thompson
1996-97 – 7 – NW State (La.) – Tim Carter
1985-86 – 8 – St. Mary’s – Don Eddy

Rice Trae Broadnax. Rice beat UTSA 89-73 in American Conference men's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Rice guard Trae Broadnax had 20 points, seven assists and only one turnover to lead the Owls. Broadnax entered the game as one of only two players in the American leading his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. The other is Tulane guard Rowan Brumbaugh, who scored 23 against UTSA last Saturday. – Photo by Joe Alexander