Category Archives: College basketball

East Carolina women open their AAC schedule with an 82-54 victory over UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The East Carolina Pirates, a proud team that reached the NCAA tournament last year out of the American Athletic Conference, lost by 37 points at home last weekend. The loss came at the hands of the nation’s No. 1-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.

As a result, the Pirates wanted to make amends Tuesday night, and they did so by rolling in their AAC opener to an 82-54 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners. Karina Gordon scored 22 points and Danae McNeal added 20 for the Pirates (8-4, 1-0).

Gordon, a freshman from Hallandale Beach, Fla., hit six of nine shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

Missing a couple of key players, the Roadrunners (6-7, 0-2) never could get their game untracked at the Minges Coliseum, the home of the Pirates in Greenville, N.C. They had the game tied 8-8 early, but they watched as the Pirates made a blizzard or three pointers early and were no match for the home team.

UTSA was without senior forward Jordyn Jenkins and freshman guard Aysia Proctor. Guard Madison Cockrell led the Roadrunners with 13 points. Center Elyssa Coleman chipped in with 11.

Records

East Carolina 8-4, 1-0
UTSA 6-7, 0-2

Coming up

Wichita State at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Third quarter

East Carolina continued to dominate defensively in the period, holding UTSA to 12 points. As a result, the Pirates cruised to a 62-36 lead after three quarters. McNeal imposed her will in the period with nine points, three assists and a steal for the Pirates.

The Roadrunners kept the Pirates off the scoreboard for much of the quarter but couldn’t score offensively. Consequently, the Roadrunners fell behind by as many as 27 with a little more than two minutes to go.

Halftime

Gordon scored 17 points and added 11 as the East Carolina Pirates took a commending 45-24 lead on the Roadrunners at halftime.

Gordon knocked down five of East Carolina’s eight first-half 3-pointers. In all, she was five of nine from the field and five of seven from distance.

McNeal contributed on both ends, producing five steals and a block to complement her three of eight shooting on the offensive end.

The Pirates led by as many as 25 points at 41-16 with 3:36 remaining in the second quarter.

Playing without star forward Jordyn Jenkins and freshman guard Aysia Proctor, the Roadrunners didn’t have the firepower to match the Pirates.

East Carolina limited UTSA to nine of 33 shooting from the field and forced 16 turnovers. Elyssa Coleman led the Roadrunners with five points. Hailey Atwood and Idara Udo had four apiece.

First quarter

The Pirates hit five three-pointers in the quarter and constructed a 14-4 run in the final five minutes to take a 25-13 lead.

Guard Karina Gordon knocked down three 3-points for the Pirates. Danae McNeal contributed on the defensive end with three steals. Both Gordon and McNeal finished the period with nine points.

UTSA had a tough time getting anything going, committing 10 turnovers and shooting 5 of 16 from the floor. Idara Udo had four points and three rebounds.

Notable

It’s been a long four days for UTSA in its first foray into the AAC.

In the team’s opener, the Roadrunners traveled to Philadelphia to play at Temple on Saturday afternoon. UTSA played the home team on even terms for three quarters. But soon after they rallied to lead by two early in the fourth quarter, they watched as the Owls went on a 20-5 run to the buzzer, claiming a 71-58 victory.

Afterward, the Roadrunners returned home and practiced Sunday, on New Year’s Eve, in San Antonio. They took a flight on Monday to North Carolina to get ready to play the Pirates, who won the AAC postseason title last year and played in the NCAA tournament.

UTSA played East Carolina without two of its top offensive players. Jenkins (knee) hasn’t played this season. In addition, the Roadrunners took the floor in Greenville without freshman guard Aysia Proctor. Proctor suffered an injury that required a trainer’s attention during Sunday’s practice.

Feeling disrespected: UTSA men open AAC play at home tonight

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners will play their inaugural American Athletic Conference game in men’s basketball tonight, intent on re-casting a narrative that has bothered them for months.

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

Jordan Ivy-Curry has averaged 11.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds in three games since he was activated. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Projected for a last-place finish in the official AAC preseason poll, the Roadrunners (6-7) will host the UAB Blazers (8-5). Tipoff is at 8 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

“It’s a motivation thing,” UTSA guard Jordan Ivy-Curry said. “We’ve been picked last. That’s not our goal. I feel like they’re disrespecting us. I feel like we’re going to build off that. We’re going to motivate. We’re not going to get down. We’re going to keep moving forward.”

Recently-activated, Ivy-Curry has supplied a spark to the Roadrunners. The junior from La Marque, in his third game of the season, scored 22 points and passed for eight assists last Thursday night in a 103-89 victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers.

All told, UTSA has lost two games and has won one since Ivy-Curry returned. But it easily could have been 2-1 for the Roadrunners considering they led for most of a game on the road at Oregon State before getting beat by one point in the final seconds.

After dropping the 66-65 decision to OSU, UTSA returned home and played perhaps its poorest game of the year in a 63-53 loss to Army.

Ivy-Curry struggled against the Black Knights, hitting only one for seven from the field and passing for one assist. But against Prairie View, the 6-foot-3 guard was on his game, making making seven of 11 shots while also creating for his teammates.

In three games, Ivy-Curry has averaged 11.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds.

With the player nicknamed “Juice” in the lineup, the Roadrunners are clearly better equipped to match up with teams in the AAC. And yet, it’s possible that they also might be going through an adjustment phase in how they mesh his talents into their overall scheme.

UTSA coach Steve Henson said, overall, Ivy-Curry has handled the transition well.

“You have to give him a lot of credit,” Henson said. “He handled the first game very well. At Oregon State, (he) jumped in there and passed the ball, distributed the ball. He was not hunting shots. He’s a very good scorer. One of his biggest strengths is his ability to score the basketball.

“(But) I think he understood other guys had been playing (and we were) fairly deep into the season. I think He understood that he needed to make a good impact by doing other things in that ball game. The next two games, he really distributed the ball again. You know, his assist numbers are terrific now.”

Ivy-Curry has been practicing with the team since the summer when he transferred in from the University of the Pacific.

After starting his career at UTSA, moving to Pacific and then moving back, he was one of dozens of players nationwide who was deemed a “multi-time” transfer. He knew when he arrived in the summer that he would likely have to sit out the year as part of the NCAA transfer rule, which has been set aside in the wake of a court case challenging its legality.

Ineligible one day, eligible the next. Ivy-Curry and the Roadrunners have done their best to roll with it.

“I think he’s handled it very well,” Henson said. “You knew that (his presence) would impact someone or maybe more than one guy in terms of minutes or role. But that’s just the nature of it. I think he’s handled it pretty well. I think his teammates have handled it pretty well. I don’t think right now, there’s not much adjusting left.”

Led by fourth-year coach Andy Kennedy, the Blazers are coming off seasons of 22, 27 and 29 victories, respectively. The Blazers also finished in the top tier of Conference USA each season, winning 13, 14 and 14 games. Last season, they went 29-10 and 14-6 and then rolled to the finals of the NIT, where they lost to North Texas in the finals.

The Blazers have won five of six meetings, including four straight, against the Roadrunners during Kennedy’s tenure. Though this year’s squad will not have high-scoring Jordan “Jelly” Walker, who was in the Dallas Mavericks’ camp last fall before getting waived, UAB will come in with a talented squad featuring 6-2 point guard Eric Gaines.

While UAB is expected to finish in the upper division in the AAC, UTSA isn’t getting nearly as much attention at the moment. Tonight, however, the Roadrunners will get their first chance to start making some noise. To drive the narrative in another direction.

“We all have that chip on our shoulders,” forward Trey Edmonds said. “But, with us, we constantly have to be reminded of that. Like, OK. Remember what we’re here for. Remember that. This is the reality of the situation. The reality is, we’re not supposed to be doing anything.

“A lot of people think we’re not even supposed to be in this conference.”

Records

UAB 8-5
UTSA 6-7

Coming up

UAB at UTSA, tonight at 8
UTSA at Rice, Saturday, 2 p.m.

AAC Standings

Memphis 11-2
Florida Atlantic 10-3
Tulane 9-3
Tulsa 9-3
SMU 9-4
South Florida 7-4
UAB 8-5
Wichita State 8-5
North Texas 7-5
East Carolina 7-6
Temple 7-6
Charlotte 6-6
Rice 6-7
UTSA 6-7

Tonight’s schedule

East Carolina at FAU, 6 p.m.; UAB at UTSA, 8 p.m.; Charlotte at SMU, 8 p.m.

NET ratings/AAC teams
Through games of Jan. 1, 2024

18. Florida Atlantic
40. Memphis
47. SMU
94. North Texas
107. Wichita State
112. Charlotte
126. Tulane
160. South Florida
189. Tulsa
201. Temple
215. UAB
225. Rice
239. East Carolina
289. UTSA

UTSA’s Trey Edmonds makes the most of a new opportunity

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Trey Edmonds. UTSA beat Lamar 86-83 in non-conference men's basketball on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Trey Edmonds, averaging 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds, has emerged as one of the most pleasant surprises among newcomers to the team this season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA post Trey Edmonds admitted Sunday afternoon that he didn’t have any major plans for New Year’s Eve. “Just going back to the crib,” he said. Which is just about the norm in his life, anyway.

With most of his time committed either to basketball practice or school, not much of any day remains for other interests.

In less than a year since he moved to San Antonio to join the Roadrunners, the native Coloradan acknowledged that, yes, he spends time with some friends that he’s made outside the team.

He said he likes to watch movies, and he also is a music fan, particularly a rapper by the name of “Babyface Ray.”

“The team makes fun of me for listening to him, because they really don’t like him,” Edmonds said with a laugh. “That’s my favorite, but I also listen to R&B sometimes. I got some country sometimes. I got hip hop, rap. I mix it up.”

Where Edmonds really mixes it up is on the basketball court, particularly in the painted area, which has pleased his teammates and coaches immensely.

In fact, the 6-foot-10, 255-pounder has emerged as one of the most pleasant surprises out of all the team’s incoming transfers leading into Tuesday night’s American Athletic Conference opener against the UAB Blazers.

“He’s better than we anticipated, for sure,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said.

For the last two years, he was a reserve and didn’t play much for Dixie State University, which has since been renamed as Utah Tech. This season, Edmonds has started all 13 games for the Roadrunners.

Given the opportunity, he has made the most of it, averaging college career bests of 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in 21.1 minutes.

“We were extremely happy with what he has been able to do since he got here,” Henson said. “He works his tail off. He’s very conscientious. He’s coachable. Pretty high IQ player. Physically, just look at the guy, he’s just strong, and he has pretty good hands.”

Edmonds, a native of Aurora in the Denver area, said he enjoys living in San Antonio and attending UTSA.

“It’s been great,” he said. “When I was in the (transfer) portal, me and my dad came and visited here and we loved it. We came on one of the rainier days so it kind of reminded us of back home. The coaching staff made us feel great.”

UTSA announced Edmonds’ arrival in May, and he started school in June. Immediately, the UTSA front line looked better, with Edmonds joining 7-footer Carlton Linguard, Jr., and 6-10, 240-pound Massal Diouf.

“When we got here, we got straight to work,” he said. “Coach Henson introduced the vision he had for me on the team, what he wanted me to buy into, and I made the decision to come here.

“I think we have a special group. Everybody’s focused. Everybody’s locked in. Everybody takes care of their stuff off the court. Like in school, we handled our business this (past) semester. So, I’m proud of ’em.”

Making the decision to leave Utah Tech, located in St. George, Utah, was an easy one considering the numbers in the statistical record. As a freshman he played in 20 games and averaged about seven minutes. Last year, he played in 33 games, averaging nine minutes.

“Frustrating, for sure,” Edmonds said.

This season, he’s already played almost as many total minutes (275) in 13 games for the Roadrunners as he did all of last season for the Trailblazers (301). As a result, Edmonds is making progress.

He’s performing at a much higher level than his first two years in college, shooting a UTSA team-leading 58.6 percent from the field, including eight of 11 over his last two games.

“It’s beautiful to see that I’m growing so much here,” Edmonds said. “The coaches have a lot of trust in me. My teammates have trust in me. I love this team. We gel together on and off the court, amazingly. I couldn’t have made a better decision to come here.”

Edmonds said he sensed it would be a good situation for him when he made his campus visit.

“They only had a couple of people here at the time,” he said. “But seeing the stuff they had … With Carlton and Massal, the ball-handling they did every day, working on shooting jumpers every day, I thought, ‘This is a place where I could really improve my game.’ That was a grabbing point for me and my dad and my mother.”

Fred Edmonds, the UTSA post’s father, was a four-year standout for the University of Colorado Buffaloes in the 1990s. He played with Chauncey Billups on the 1996-97 Colorado team that reached the NCAA round of 32.

“Ever since we started this basketball dream, my dad has always put the idea in my head not to be boxed in,” Trey Edmonds said. “Like, ‘You can only do this, or you can only do that.’ He wants me to be able to expand my game in different areas. I feel like being here, that’s going to help me do that.

During the fall semester, Edmonds would work out with a group of players that would arrive with teammates to get in some shooting early in the morning. Combined with the official workout later in the day, he’s started to blossom.

“We’re working on a lot of areas of my game that I feel are really going to help me and my teammates be better this year, get that losing record to a winning one, and start to make something happen in the AAC.”

UAB (8-5) will come in Tuesday loaded with talent, including two 6-9 posts with one of them weighing 265 pounds and another 230. UTSA (6-7) lost three in a row recently but played well in its last outing, rolling past Prairie View A&M, 103-89.

“I feel like every day is an opportunity to grow, and I feel like, that’s what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re coming in here, motivated to practice and feeling like every day (there) needs to be an improvement. And we know that we’re picked last in the AAC. We know that we’re not expected to do much.”

The latest numbers in the NCAA’s NET rankings support that very narrative. The Roadrunners are rated 290th out of 362 teams in Division I. They are rated last among the 14 teams in the AAC.

“We all have that chip on our shoulders,” Edmonds said. “But, with us, we constantly have to be reminded of that. Like, OK. Remember what we’re here for. Remember that. This is the reality of the situation.

“The reality is, we’re not supposed to be doing anything. A lot of people think we’re not even supposed to be in this conference.”

For UTSA to prove the skeptics wrong, a lot will need to go well. Leaders such as Linguard and Christian Tucker and Jordan Ivy-Curry must step up their games. Edmonds and the other newcomers to high-level D-I competition will need to continue to progress.

“I’m excited for us,” he said. “The AAC is a great conference (with) great teams. But I think the sky’s the limit for us. I think the only limits are the ones we put on ourselves … I actually believe we can make something happen in this conference.”

Fourth-quarter defense sparks Temple women past UTSA, 71-58

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Temple Owls, trailing by two points early in the fourth quarter, increased the defensive pressure down the stretch and ran past UTSA 71-58 Saturday in the Roadrunners’ inaugural game of women’s basketball in the American Athletic Conference.

In a game played in front of an announced crowd of 1,324 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, UTSA just didn’t play well enough in crunch time to win in the AAC opener for both teams.

The Roadrunners, who reached the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament last March, had their chances. They trailed by five points going into the fourth quarter, came out with confidence and tallied seven straight to take a 53-51 lead.

From there, the Owls started to force the Roadrunners into mistakes. Temple blocked a shot, defended well in the paint to draw an offensive foul, and then forced two more turnovers to spark a 13-2 run.

Temple guard Tiarra East took advantage of the mistakes, hitting a long three and scoring seven points overall during the critical run.

Sidney Love stopped the Owls’ momentum briefly when she drove to the bucket, drew a foul and hit a free throw to bring the Roadrunners to within 64-58 with 4:10 remaining. Love’s defensive pressure then forced a 10-second violation at halfcourt.

But with momentum turning, UTSA committed the first of two straight turnovers, leading to four straight Temple points from guard Terriyonna Gary.

At that juncture, Temple had assumed complete control of the game, leading by 10. Gary, who scored six points in the fourth period, knocked down two free throws with with 2:53 remaining to make it 68-58. In all, UTSA committed nine of its 20 turnovers in the fourth quarter.

UTSA coach Karen Aston credited Temple’s play in the backcourt as a key factor in the game’s outcome.

“Their guards were tough,” Aston said on the team’s radio broadcast. “(They had) tough-minded guards, with the ability to rise up and make really tough shots.

“You know, right now, we don’t have that. We’re dependent on a couple of our guards right now to make a whole lot of plays.

“We just really need to keep trying to develop our kids and see if we can get some more to contribute. We just don’t have enough right now on the perimeter that can counteract that kind of activity.

“I mean, they had two guards (Gary and Tristen Taylor) come off the bench and make big shots.”

As a team, the Owls did a good job as they limited offensive production from the Roadrunners’ guard trio of Love, Kyra White and Aysia Proctor. Together, the three were pressured into shooting 11 of 34 from the field.

White, a senior, led the Roadrunners with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists. Love was held to eight points and Proctor seven. UTSA starting center Elyssa Coleman finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Off the bench, forward Idara Udo scored 10.

Gary, a Temple senior from Brooksville, Fla., led the Owls in scoring with 14 points in 23 minutes off the bench. She knocked down five of eight from the floor.

Starting guard Aleah Nelson produced 13 points and four assists, while forward Rayne Tucker had a double double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

East, another backcourt starter, had 11 points and four steals. Forward Ines Parker was also a defensive pest with two steals, to go along with 10 points.

Records

UTSA 6-6, 0-1
Temple 7-6, 1-0

Coming up

UTSA at East Carolina, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Notable

Injured UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins, the 2022-23 Player of the Year in Conference USA, hasn’t played this season. The 6-foot forward is rehabilitating a knee injury … After losing at Temple, another bit of adversity awaits the Roadrunners. They’re scheduled to return to San Antonio and then fly out Monday to North Carolina, where they will play on Tuesday in Greenville against the East Carolina Pirates. East Carolina won the AAC postseason title last year and advanced to the NCAA tournament.

On a mission: UTSA women carry a winning record into AAC play

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Sidney Love. UTSA beat UTEP 90-66 in women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA sophomore point guard Sidney Love averages 12.2 points to lead UTSA in scoring. She also shoots 87 percent at the free-throw line to lead the American Athletic Conference. -File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

History beckons for a surprisingly resilient UTSA women’s basketball team preparing to take its first steps on a hardwood court in the American Athletic Conference.

Transitioning to the AAC after 10 seasons in Conference USA, the well-traveled and road-tested Roadrunners (6-5) will carry a winning record into a two-game AAC road swing.

They’ll play Saturday in Philadelphia against the Temple Owls (6-6) and Tuesday in Greenville, N.C., against the East Carolina Pirates (7-3).

Kyra White. UTSA beat New Mexico State 58-55 in women's basketball on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Kyra White ranks among UTSA team leaders in scoring (10.6), rebounding (5.5) and assists (4.1).- File photo by Joe Alexander

“I’m excited to start American play,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said Thursday afternoon. “It’s always exciting to get to a place where the stakes are higher … I’m excited to get it started.”

Like UTSA, both Temple and East Carolina are programs that have seen hard times recently and have taken steps to upgrade.

Aston understands the challenge that awaits.

“These road games, you can look at it two different ways,” she said. “I mean, we do start (conference) on the road against experienced teams that have kind of taken their lumps in the American, and now they’re on the other side of it.

“But on the flip side, the good thing about it is, we get these out of the way when we’re not in school. I think that’s a huge factor for us.”

As one of six new women’s basketball programs in the AAC, UTSA is no longer the cupcake on everyone’s NCAA Division I schedule.

In fact, the Roadrunners have six victories against D-I competition and have registered a winning overall record at the Christmas break for the first time in 10 years.

Coming off eight straight losing seasons, the Roadrunners are listed at No. 144 in the NET rankings, which puts them in the top half of programs in Division I.

For the fans, it’s been remarkable to see the dramatic changes under Aston, who is in her third year as coach.

“Like night and day,” UTSA senior Kyleigh McGuire said in a Dec. 13 interview. “When coach Karen came in here, she had a mission, and she recruited people and staff that fit into that plan and would buy in at 100 percent — and never let up.”

Led by guards Sidney Love and Kyra White and center Elyssa Coleman, the team has veteran talent and savvy at those three key positions.

Elyssa Coleman. UTSA beat UTEP 90-66 in women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Center Elyssa Coleman has emerged in her junior year as a force inside with 10.3 points per game, all while leading UTSA in rebounding (7.4) and blocks (1.7). – File photo by Joe Alexander

In addition, the Roadrunners also are getting major contributions from two freshmen in guard Aysia Proctor and forward Idara Udo.

Forward Jordyn Jenkins, the Player of the Year in Conference USA last season, hasn’t played yet due to a knee injury. But, her absence from the lineup hasn’t had too much of a negative effect on the team, all things considered.

In four games against Power 5 competition, UTSA came out of it winless at 0-4, but three of the losses were by single digits. Once, the lost by five at Texas Tech. On another day, they lost at home by two to Houston.

Also, road games haven’t bothered them too much. They’re 4-3 record on the road so far. Before Christmas, the Roadrunners took on a daunting challenge with two games in the north west corner of the United States and came out of it with a split.

Despite poor shooting, they were within five points against the Pac-12’s Oregon Ducks with four minutes remaining, couldn’t sustain the momentum and lost by 13. A few days later, playing at Seattle, they jumped out to an early lead, ballooned it to 23 in the second half and eventually downed the Seattle Redhawks, 75-64.

Granted the RedHawks are 1-9, but this time two or three years ago, the Roadrunners weren’t winning many games on the road against anyone.

“It’s always good to win your last game before you go home for the holidays,” Aston said of the victory at Seattle. “It always bodes well for the break and how you feel about taking a few days off. I think the break was much needed for us. We had a lot of travel in nonconference play.

Aysia Proctor. UTSA beat UTEP 90-66 in women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman Aysia Proctor from Clemens High School has supplied scoring (9.4) and rebounding (5.5) off the bench. She also isn’t shy about playing on the road, as she scored 20 points at Oregon. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I thought we had a chance at Oregon, so it was disappointing we didn’t take advantage of that opportunity. But on the other side of it, when I watched the film, I thought we did some really good things. We just didn’t make shots.”

Rebounding kept UTSA close against Oregon, as it has all season.

“A lot of that was because we didn’t make shots and we had a lot of offensive rebounds,” the coach said. “But, they’re big. They have size. We haven’t seen anything like that. It was a little bit shocking in the beginning, but we adjusted in the second half.

“You know, there’s been a couple of these games that, had we showed up a little better in the first half, we’d have had a chance to win.”

Perhaps most promising for the Roadrunners leading into AAC competition is the play of Proctor and Udo, the two precocious freshmen.

Proctor, a 5-8 guard from San Antonio-area Clemens High School, is averaging 9.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22.1 minutes. She has scored in double figures in three straight games, including 19 against Houston and 20 against Oregon.

Against the Ducks, she was the only UTSA player shooting it with authority against a quality opponent, and she also pulled down 11 rebounds in the game.

Udo, a physical 6-1 post player from Plano, is averaging 6.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in 18.7 minutes. Against Seattle, she came off the bench for 19 points and nine rebounds.

“It’s always good to have more people in your rotation,” Aston said. “Those two have established themselves, definitely, in the rotation at this point.”

Aston said she is not surprised at how much the two freshmen have accomplished.

“Honestly, I thought they would contribute to our team,” the coach said. “We recruited players that maybe added something to the table that we didn’t have previously.

“I mean, Aysia can really score the ball, and she’s learning in all the other areas of the game. But the flat-out truth is, she can score the basketball. And we need somebody who can score it, and she adds that, and I thought she would.”

In many ways, both Proctor and Udo have softened the blow for the team in trying to make up for the loss of Jenkins.

Proctor has stepped in to establish herself as an offensive threat, a 50.5 percent shooter from the field, while Udo has held her own as a defender-rebounder who can also score.

Idara Udo (No. 25) had a key blocked shot with 7 seconds left. UTSA beat New Mexico State 58-55 in women's basketball on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Idara Udo had a key blocked shot with 7 seconds left as UTSA beat New Mexico State 58-55 on Nov. 10. – Filer photo by Joe Alexander

Aston lauded Udo’s work ethic.

“She’s taken advantage of the opportunity, and she has made the absolute most of it every single day,” the coach said. “What she does in the games is based on what she does every day in practice. I think that bodes well for her career.

“Anytime a player comes to play in practice every day, you can’t help but play ’em (in games).”

Notable

During UTSA’s game at Seattle on Dec. 19, an ESPN broadcaster described Jordyn Jenkins‘ playing status as “day to day.” Asked after practice on Thursday if anything was new on UTSA’s 20 points per-game scorer from last season, Aston declined comment. The coach has said previously that UTSA doesn’t want to rush anything in her rehabilitation. Jenkins, who has been described as a player with pro potential, injured her right knee in April.

UTSA leaders

Scoring

Sidney Love 12.2
Kyra White 10.6
Elyssa Coleman 10.3
Aysia Proctor 9.4

Field goal percentage

Aysia Proctor 50.5
Elyssa Coleman 44.0
Idara Udo 43.3
(35 or more attempts)

Three-point percentage

Siena Guttadauro 33.3
Kyra White 30.0
Sidney Love 24.0
(21 or more attempts)

Free-throw percentage

Sidney Love 87.0
Kyra White 64.7
Maya Linton 63.0
(17 or more attempts)

Rebounding

Elyssa Coleman 7.4
Idara Udo 6.4
Aysia Proctor 5.5
Kyra White 5.3

Assists

Kyra White 46
Sidney Love 33

Steals

Sidney Love 17
Maya Linton 15
Kyra White 10

Blocks

Elyssa Coleman 19
Kyra White 15
Idara Udo 12

Karen Aston. UTSA beat UTEP 90-66 in women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Karen Aston’s UTSA Roadrunners will play the Temple Owls Saturday in Philadelphia in the program’s inaugural game in the American Athletic Conference. – File photo by Joe Alexander

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Games in the American loom after UTSA routs Prairie View A&M

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

Jordan Ivy-Curry had 22 points and eight assists off the bench Thursday night as UTSA downed Prairie View A&M, 103-89. UTSA hosts UAB next Tuesday to open a new era in the American Athletic Conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Generally speaking, the UTSA Roadrunners were feeling pretty good about themselves Thursday night.

After all, they executed on both ends of the court, shot a season-high 55.4 percent from the field and romped past the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 103-89, at the Convocation Center.

Steve Henson. UTSA recorded a 103-89 men's basketball victory over Prairie View A&M on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Steve Henson’s UTSA Roadrunners focused on ball security and defense and came away with a 14-point victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers. Henson said ‘it’s going to be tough every single night’ when his team starts play in the American next week. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Clearly, it was one of the team’s better performances of the season.

But at the same time, as much as the Roadrunners enjoyed the winning feeling, they were also feeling a bit antsy. Why? Just as they built a 28-point lead early in the second half, they frittered most of it away during an eight-minute stretch with a frustrating series of mistakes.

At one point, the Panthers rallied to within 10 with 5:44 remaining before they were slowed by the Roadrunners, who snapped a troublesome three-game losing streak.

UTSA coach Steve Henson didn’t spend much time at all during his post-game interview session dwelling on the lost lead.

For the most part, he lauded his team’s execution of the offense (with only 13 turnovers) and praised its defensive effort, especially in the first half.

But what he said about losing the lead seemed significant.

“When they were in their run, it was way too big (of) a run,” Henson said. “It snowballed on us. (We) turned it over four times in five possessions. They scored on all of those. (It) got their confidence up a little bit.”

One of the bright spots for UTSA was, as the coach said, a first half that ended with the Roadrunners leading, 52-32. Specifically, Henson liked his team’s brand of defense that limited the Panthers to 34 percent shooting from the field.

Another positive before the intermission centered on UTSA’s offensive execution. The pace was fast, and the Roadrunners handled it well, turning it over only six times — all while scoring at the rim and from the three-point arc.

Trey Edmonds. UTSA recorded a 103-89 men's basketball victory over Prairie View A&M on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Trey Edmonds scored 12 points for his second straight game in double figures for the Roadrunners. Edmonds has hit 8 of 11 from the field in his last two games.- Photo by Joe Alexander

“I liked the way the guys opened the first half,” the coach said.

Then again, the 8-minute and 21-second stretch in the second half when Prairie View outscored UTSA 28-10 did not sit well with the coach. Late in the run, Henson had to start making changes. First, he put Christian Tucker back in the ball game.

Later, he stopped play again to send both Jordan Ivy-Curry and Carlton Linguard Jr. back onto the floor. Finally, UTSA stifled the uprising when Tucker drove to the basket, drew a foul and knocked down two free throws.

Later, Tucker answered the call again when he buried a three from the wing off an assist from Ivy-Curry, boosting the Roadrunners back into a 15-point lead with 4:57 remaining. It was a pivotal moment, as the Panthers never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

Henson said it was important for UTSA to win the ball game, period, to bring an end to the team’s second three-game skid of the season.

Within a span of nine days, the Roadrunners had lost by nine points in Arkansas to the Little Rock Trojans, by one in Oregon to the Oregon State Beavers and then by 10 at home to the Army Black Knights.

The last one may have hurt the most, because the Black Knights had not won a game on the road all season, and yet they held the Roadrunners to 31 percent shooting and 53 points on Dec. 21.

“We felt like we did some good things at Oregon State,” Henson said. “Obviously (we were) very disappointed with the result (and) the way we played against Army … We needed to make sure it didn’t bleed into the next game.”

Next up for UTSA is play in the American Athletic Conference. For its inaugural game in the AAC after 10 seasons in Conference USA, UTSA (6-7) hosts UAB (7-5) next Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.

“It’s going to be really tough every single night,” Henson said. “We know that. We don’t like our record right now, but the mindset is good. Our confidence is high enough. The chemistry is terrific. We think we can build the next three or four days and be ready to play good basketball against UAB.”

Against Prairie View, Ivy Curry led the UTSA attack with 22 points and eight assists. In all, six UTSA players finished in double figure scoring.

The others included Linguard Jr. and Tucker with 16 points apiece, Trey Edmonds with 12 and Isaiah Wyatt and Dre Fuller Jr. with 11 each. Chris Felix Jr. led the Panthers with 19 points. Linguard, who started next to Edmonds on the front line, enjoyed a solid overall game that included 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

For the Roadrunners, it was their first 100-point game since they defeated Dallas Christian at home, 101-48, on Jan. 3, 2022.

Records

Prairie View A&M 5-7
UTSA 6-7

Coming up

UAB at UTSA, Tuesday, 8 p.m. (American Athletic Conference opener)

Notable

In the wake of the victory, the UTSA Roadrunners improved 20 spots in the NET rankings, moving up to No. 292 out of 362 Division I teams nationally. UTSA remains as the lowest rated team in the 14-team AAC on the NET computer, trailing Rice (219), UAB (217) and East Carolina (207) in the league’s bottom four. Leading the conference are FAU (6), Memphis (38) and SMU (52). After losing at UTSA, Prairie View of the Southwestern Athletic Conference dropped 20 spots to No. 259.

Coming into the game against Prairie View A&M, one-time walk-on Christian Tucker led UTSA in scoring at 13.1 points per game. He also led both the American Athletic Conference and the team in assists at 5.5 … Other scoring leaders were Isaiah Wyatt (10.5), Dre Fuller Jr. (10.2), Adante’ Holiman (9.9), Carlton Linguard Jr. (9.8) and PJ Carter (8.3).

Trey Edmonds (7.8 points, 6.7 rebounds) also entered the game as one of the team’s primary contributors. Jordan Ivy-Curry came in averaging 6.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Ivy-Curry has now played in three games since he became eligible based on a recent court-ordered injunction. A court in West Virginia ruled all players in the NCAA who had transferred twice or more in their careers were eligible immediately for the rest of the season.

First-half

The Roadrunners shot 55.9 percent from the field and raced to a 52-32 lead at halftime. The Panthers were within 22-17 on a Javontae Hopkins driving layup with 10:19 remaining. From there, it was all UTSA. The Roadrunners sprinted away on a 30-15 run to the intermission buzzer. Ivy-Curry, who struggled in his first home game of the season against Army, made amends with a strong performance. He had 13 points and five assists in 13 minutes. Linguard, another key player who struggled against Army, had eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Carlton Linguard Jr. UTSA recorded a 103-89 men's basketball victory over Prairie View A&M on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Carlton Linguard Jr. posted his third double double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Linguard also had three blocked shots. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Army registers first road win of the season against UTSA, 63-53

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Center Abe Johnson punctuates Army’s victory at UTSA by rebounding a miss, leaking out to receive a long pass from Ryan Curry and then finishing with authority. – Video by Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Army Black Knights traveled to San Antonio this week, hoping to discover that winning feeling going into their holiday break. Mission accomplished.

Holding a five-point lead at halftime, the Black Knights limited the UTSA Roadrunners to 24 percent shooting in the second half and rolled to a 63-53 victory at the Convocation Center.

Freshman Josh Scovens scored 25 points for the Black Knights, who improved to 3-9 on the season and to 1-5 on the road.

Steve Henson. UTSA men's basketball lost to Army 63-53 on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Steve Henson’s UTSA Roadrunners were humbled at home against Army, held to 53 points, their fewest in a game since March of 2022 when they scored 48 in a 59-48 home loss to the North Texas Mean Green. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“We’ve got a very young team, very inexperienced,” Army coach Kevin Kuwik said. “(But) we are getting better. We’ve played some good teams on the road, toe-to-toe, and haven’t been able to finish in the last four minutes. For these guys to fight the whole way through, to build a lead and then to show some toughness at the end when it got tighter, and then find a way to come through — I couldn’t be prouder.”

The Roadrunners, who fell to 5-7, including 4-2 at home, have been a good team this season when the 3-point shots fall. On average, they make 10 of 28 from long distance every game. Both the makes and the attempts rank among the national leaders. Against Army, though, they were mystifyingly bad, connecting on only 5 of 30 from three.

Trailing by five points at intermission, they went out after the break and hit only 2 for 17 from long distance to underscore what surely was one of the most disappointing losses of the season.

“I was equally disappointed (with us) defensively as I was with our shooting,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “Their defense is the type that, it’s always there. Pretty good contests. They’re a good help-and-recover team. They close out just short enough that you think you’ve got the shot, but yet there’s a hand up in the face. It wasn’t as if they were trying to chase us off the line entirely.

“They were just on a string,” Henson said. “I knew the shots would be a little more difficult than maybe they had been the last few ballgames.”

Trey Edmonds. UTSA men's basketball lost to Army 63-53 on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Trey Edmonds led the UTSA Roadrunners with a double double, 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Army Black Knights. – Photo by Joe Alexander

For the game, Army held UTSA to 31.1 percent shooting.

“I think we set the tone with some Army toughness,” Kuwik said. “I think that kind of surprised them a little bit. You look at us in the layup lines and we’re not the most athletic-looking bunch of dudes. We were 2-9 or whatever the heck we were. It’s easy to kind of let your guard down. And these guys are fighters, so I’m really proud.

“I think we surprised them, and once they figured it out, we didn’t let up.”

Scovens, a 6-foot-6 forward, was coming off a 31-point game on Sunday at home against the Stony Brook Seawolves in West Point, N.Y. He was as much of a handful as advertised against the Roadrunners, hitting eight of 16 from the field and seven of eight from the line. For good measure, Scovens was also two of five from three.

Together, Scovens and freshman point guard Ryan Curry (14 points) kept the Roadrunners from gaining any traction when they were trying to put a run together. Power forward Abe Johnson also had a big night with a double double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Johnson threw down a two-handed dunk near the end of the game when the Roadrunners were way down on the scoreboard and trying desperately to get back into it.

For UTSA, Christian Tucker, Trey Edmonds and Isaiah Wyatt all scored 10 points apiece to lead the Roadrunners. Jordan Ivy-Curry, in his first home game for the Roadrunners since the 2021-22 season, was held to two points and one assist in 21 minutes. He was one for seven from the field.

Adante’ Holiman and Isaiah Wyatt were a combined 4 for 13 from long distance. The rest of the team shot 1 for 17.

The performance by the Roadrunners likely came as something of a stunner to those close to the program who had seen the way they had played in a 66-65 loss on Sunday on the road at Oregon State. The Roadrunners also had good practices on Tuesday and Wednesday on their home floor.

Some at press row speculated that with a few days off for the holidays approaching, maybe the players’ focus wasn’t where it needed to be.

“We played like it,” Henson said. “No way of knowing, but it’s pretty disappointing. We had a good practice yesterday. Coaches said the warmup (on Thursday) was good. Our guys were locked in. But (after tipoff) we didn’t look like a team that was totally dialed in to win a game.”

Looking ahead, UTSA players will have a few days off for the holiday break before returning to practice on Dec. 26. In the last nonconference game on the schedule, the Roadrunners will host the Prairie View A&M Panthers Dec. 28.

The UAB Blazers will be in San Antonio on Jan. 2 to open the Roadrunners’ American Athletic Conference schedule.

Records

Army 3-9
UTSA 5-7

Coming up

Prairie View A&M at UTSA, Dec. 28, 7 p.m.
UAB at UTSA, American Athletic Conference opener, Jan. 2, 8 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners were throttled almost completely in the first 16 minutes of the second half, scoring only 15 points in that span. On a couple of occasions, their players would rise up on defense with five or six stops in a row, but with nobody hitting on the offensive end, they couldn’t mount any sort of a significant rally.

UTSA’s 53 points were a season low and the lowest number they had scored since they were held to 48 in a 59-48 home loss to North Texas on March 3, 2022. Previously this season, they had been limited to 62 twice, once in a 72-62 overtime road loss at Texas State and again in a 77-62 home loss to Jacksonville State (Ala).

First half

Two freshmen led the Black Knights to a 35-30 lead at halftime. Josh Scovens scored 14 points and Ryan Curry added nine of his 12 in the last five minutes of the half.

Scovens, a 6-6 forward, hit four of eight from the field as Curry, a 6-foot guard, knocked down four of five. Both hit a couple of three-point shots to account for four of five makes for the Black Knights.

UTSA could not get its drive-and-kick offensive game in gear. The Roadrunners shot 37.5 percent from the field and made only three of 13 from three, for 23.1 percent.

Carlton Linguard Jr. UTSA men's basketball lost to Army 63-53 on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA center Carlton Linguard Jr. blocked five shots against Army but scored only six points on three of 10 shooting from the field. He was zero for six from three. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordan Ivy-Cuurry. UTSA men's basketball lost to Army 63-53 on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordan Ivy-Curry and the UTSA Roadrunners will have a few days off for the holiday before returning to host the Prairie View A&M Panthers on Dec. 28. – Photo by Joe Alexander

New-look UTSA hosts Army tonight at the Convocation Center

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

Christian Tucker leads UTSA in scoring average (13.4) and assists (5.7) going into tonight’s game at home against Army West Point. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA’s last practice before the holiday break showcased a team that maybe doesn’t reflect its record. The Roadrunners are 5-6 as they prepare to host the Black Knights from Army West Point tonight at 7 at the Convocation Center.

Only four of their five victories have come against Division I competition, so, realistically speaking, much work remains to be done before the Roadrunners can assure themselves that they are ready to compete at a high level in the American Athletic Conference.

Massal Diouf. UTSA men's basketball beat Trinity 100-70 in an exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Massal Diouf (at right) had 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots Sunday in UTSA’s 66-65 loss at Oregon State. – File photo by Joe Alexander.

In a Wednesday afternoon practice, though, the Roadrunners took a step in the right direction. It was a small step, but they looked fresh. Bouncy. On their toes. They showed off a pace-of-play dimension that wasn’t always evident a month or even a few weeks ago.

The five-on-five session featured guards Christian Tucker, Adante’ Holiman and recently-activated Jordan Ivy-Curry racing through traffic and kicking passes out to the perimeter for threes. Or dumping it off to big men for easy looks.

On one play, Holiman drove into the lane on a burst. Leaning forward and low to the court, the sophomore from Oklahoma lofted a left-handed pass above the rim for an alley-oop slam. In their last outing, the Roadrunners didn’t make enough of those plays to win. On Sunday, they fell in a heart-wrenching 66-65 road loss to the Oregon State Beavers.

The Roadrunners found themselves locked in a slower-paced, low-possession game against a Power 5 opponent in which they came up short by inches. Ivy-Curry couldn’t finish at the rim with five seconds left, and the Beavers walked off with the win despite trailing for three-fourths of the game.

Tucker, who leads the AAC in assists with 5.7 per game, said the Roadrunners are eager to turn the page after the loss.

“After the Oregon State game, obviously we were a little disappointed with the result,” he said. “”Looking back at it, we all know that we played really well. It was probably the most effort we’ve given in a game. But, we still didn’t get the result. (Now) we have a great opportunity to bounce back against Army. We’re all excited for that.”

For the first 10 games of the season, the Roadrunners played without Ivy-Curry, who was sitting out by NCAA rule after transferring twice in his career. Earlier this fall, UTSA appealed in hopes that the NCAA would grant him a waiver. No such luck. Two such appeals were turned down.

Now, thanks to a court case in West Virginia that went against the NCAA, Ivy-Curry and guard Juan Reyna were added to UTSA’s active roster last week. Reyna didn’t get in the game at Oregon State, but Ivy-Curry made an impact, producing 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

As a result, UTSA has hope with three of the quickest guards that they’ve had in recent years.

“We’ve been preaching to play a lot faster this year,” Tucker said. “I think we’re trying to take that into account, to get up and down a lot. Not putting our heads down when the other team scores. Just getting out in transition. It’s really good to have Juice back back. He can be a really good piece for us. He definitely can contribute to that fast-paced offense.”

Over the past week, the Roadrunners have had a few early wake-up calls and have spent quite a bit of time in airports. They traveled to Arkansas for a Dec. 13 game against the Little Rock Trojans and then returned to San Antonio the next day. Then after a few days of practice in San Antonio, they boarded a longer flight for Corvallis.

UTSA coach Steve Henson said players have handled it well.

“Both trips to and from were very long days,” Henson said. “But I thought (Tuesday’s) practice was very good. Maybe not quite as animated, not quite as vocal, but in the heat of the battle I thought it was a pretty good practice. I thought we got a lot done. Today (Wednesday) was better. More vocal. More intensity. A good competitive day. Two good days, actually.”

A subtle change in practice format came on Dec. 13 when Ivy-Curry put on a blue jersey, signifying that he would be running through drills as if he were in the playing rotation for games. A few days later, UTSA officials monitoring the court case were able to get clarity on whether to clear the ineligible players, giving Ivy-Curry and Reyna the opportunity to travel to Corvallis.

Henson said Ivy-Curry’s presence in workouts is noticeable.

“He does get from Point A to Point B very, very quickly,” the coach said. “He’s highly conditioned. In practices we’ve gone real long — intense, long practices — he really starts shining at the end of practices with his conditioning level so high. So, yeah, he gives us a spark in that regard.”

Records

Army 2-9
UTSA 5-6

Coming up

Army at UTSA, today, 7 p.m.
Prairie View A&M at UTSA, Dec. 28, 7 p.m.
UAB at UTSA (American Athletic Conference opener), Jan. 2, 8 p.m.

Notable

After a disappointing home loss to Jacksonville State, Ala. last month, UTSA guard Christian Tucker said he wanted to do more to help the team. He is making good on that vow by improving his three-point shooting. In the past three games, the Arizona native has knocked down nine of 14 shots from beyond the arc, boosting his accuracy rate to .412 percent for the season. He is a .311 shooter from three for his career.

Forward Massal Diouf has played only 97 minutes in 11 games this season, including only two minutes at Little Rock. But the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from the Netherlands came alive a few days later at Oregon State with 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. More surprisingly, he hit five of six shots from the floor. Also, his rebounds and blocks were career highs. Henson said he encouraged Diouf to be ready, “and sure enough he got in there and helped us in so many ways.”

UTSA guard Juan Reyna fell and hit the floor in a drill in Wednesday’s practice, momentarily leaving the court to receive attention from a trainer. He later returned and finished the workout.

Reyna, a newcomer to the UTSA roster this season, said in an interview last week that he was born in San Antonio and attended Hutchins Elementary in the South San School District. Later, he attended Zamora Middle School and St. George Episcopal school before moving on for two years of high school at Antonian College Prep, where he played under coach Rudy Bernal.

Reyna finished high school at Duncanville, completing a prep career in which he won state in both private school basketball at Antonian and for Duncanville, a state-school power. In college, he attended Alabama State as a freshman (in 2021-22) and Campbell, S.C. (2022-23) before transferring in the offseason to UTSA. In high school, Reyna helped lead Antonian to a TAPPS state title in 2019. “So, there’s just a lot of pride playing here (in San Antonio, at UTSA),” he said.

When Reyna gets into a game for the Roadrunners, he will become one of only a handful of players from San Antonio high school boys basketball programs to play at UTSA. Two of them, Devin Brown (from South San West Campus) and Keith Horne (from Sam Houston), rank among the program’s all-time scoring leaders.

Army will arrive at the Convocation Center tonight with a team co-captain in guard Kwabena Davis from Steele High School in Cibolo. Another familiar face will be Army assistant coach Carson Cunningham, previously the head coach at the University of the Incarnate Word.

Army freshman Josh Scovens produced 31 points, seven assists and four steals Sunday in a 78-74 overtime loss at home to Stony Brook.

UTSA women roll into Christmas break with a winning record

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Bouncing back from a tough loss at Oregon, the UTSA Roadrunners’ women played suffocating defense for three quarters and scored a road game season-high for points in a 75-64 victory Tuesday afternoon over the Seattle Redhawks.

The Redhawks, down by 23 after three quarters, rallied to within nine with 1:55 remaining but came up short against the Roadrunners, who improved to 6-5 on the season and to 4-3 on the road. Seattle, playing out of the Western Athletic Conference, fell to 1-9.

UTSA’s post play proved to be too much for the home team to handle. Starting center Elyssa Coleman produced 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Freshman Idara Udo came off the bench to contribute 15 points and nine boards. Udo scored 12 in the second quarter when UTSA broke it open.

Through three quarters, UTSA’s defense kept Seattle from gaining any momentum, holding the Redhawks to 42 points on 32 percent shooting.

“Obviously, the last four or five minutes were pretty ugly, but that’s probably just attention span and just trying to get the game closed off and finishing it,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said on the team’s radio broadcast. “I thought we had some ticky-tack, little fouls toward the end of it, but I thought we kept our composure. Pretty good performance, overall.”

The team’s overall record at this stage of the schedule is significant for a number of reasons.

First of all, UTSA has a winning record without its best player having stepped foot on the court. Rehabilitating a knee injury, forward Jordyn Jenkins hasn’t played at all, and the Roadrunners still had a successful pre-Christmas run.

Second, the Roadrunners have done it with freshmen and sophomores contributing in a major way. Finally, from a historical standpoint, the UTSA women haven’t been above .500 at Christmas in a decade.

“We talked about this before the game,” Aston said, “that it’s been 10 years since UTSA has gone home for the Christmas break with a winning record. That’s a big deal.

“I mean, every time we step on the floor, we’re looking to do things that haven’t been done in awhile, and as we talk about all the time, move the needle for the program.

“Again, it’s been 2013-14 since we had a winning (record) prior to conference play, so that’s a big step for our team.”

Guard Julianna Walker was the hot hand for Seattle. She hit four 3-pointers and scored 17. Mya Moore scored 14 and Makayla Moore had 12.

Notable

After 10 seasons in Conference USA, the UTSA women will open play in the American Athletic Conference on Dec. 29 at Temple University, in Philadelphia.

They’ll be at East Carolina in Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 2 and then will be at home on Jan. 6 against Wichita State …

UTSA is trying to break a string of eight-straight seasons with sub-.500 records. UTSA hasn’t had a winning record since 2015 when they were 16-15 …

Although Power 5 opponents are 4-0 against UTSA this season, they haven’t blown out the Roadrunners in any of those games.

Arizona State of the Pac 12 downed UTSA 70-55 in Tempe on opening night. After that, the Roadrunners have been more than respectable in the next three meetings with teams from elite conferences.

In Lubbock, UTSA lost to Texas Tech of the Big 12 by five.

In a home game against Houston last week, UTSA’s fourth-quarter rally came up short in a 66-64 setback to another team from the Big 12.

And, finally, in Eugene, Ore., on Sunday afternoon, the Roadrunners were within five points with four minutes left before the Pac 12’s Oregon Ducks went on an 8-0 run to win, 61-48.

First half

Udo scored 12 of her 13 first-half points in a dominant second quarter for the Roadrunners, who played a more aggressive, physical style and opened a 39-28 halftime lead.

Udo, a freshman from Plano, hit four of five shots from the field and four of five also at the line in the quarter for perhaps her most explosive sequence of the season.

In less than three minutes through the 5:55 mark, Udo’s aggressive posture had the Redhawks in retreat. She hit a turnaround jumper, drew a foul and tossed in two free throws, scored on a put back and added a turnaround 12-footer for good measure.

As a result, the Roadrunners kept applying pressure and kicked the lead up to 16 points at one point. Sidney Love’s spinning layup made it 37-21 with 2:17 remaining.

Mya Moore kept the Redhawks in the game early, scoring eight of her nine first-half points in the opening period. Seattle trailed 16-15 as Moore grabbed the ball under the bucket following UTSA turnover and banked it in at the buzzer.

Oregon State escapes a spirited UTSA upset bid, 66-65

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for the JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners were hoping to hear a referee’s whistle blow when guard Jordan Ivy-Curry drove to the basket with under 10 seconds left in Sunday’s game in Corvallis, Ore.

In the end, there was no foul called. Ivy-Curry’s layup attempt didn’t go in the bucket, and the Oregon State Beavers escaped with a 66-65 victory over the Roadrunners.

OSU’s Jordan Pope knocked down two free throws with 13 seconds left for what would be the last points of the ball game.

UTSA didn’t call time out, pushed the ball up the court and tried to make something happen. It didn’t work out, leaving the Roadrunners a field goal shy of what would have been their first win over a Power 5 opponent in 14 years.

“We had a couple of good opportunities there (at the end),” UTSA coach Steve Henson told radio voice Andy Everett. “We had a floater on the second-to-last possession that didn’t fall. Then with the game on the line, we came down (and) they kind of ran and jumped on Tuck (Christian Tucker).

“He passed it to Juice (Ivy-Curry). Juice had a strong attack. Did exactly what you’re supposed to do in that situation. (Tried to) attack the rim and draw a foul, and … would have loved to have seen him step to the free-throw line and win the ball game … but it didn’t happen.”

As a result, the Roadrunners lost for the 27th straight time against an opponent from one of the five major revenue-producing conferences.

They haven’t won a game against teams from the Pac-12, the Big 12, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big Ten or the SEC since 2009, in the 2009-10 season opener, when they beat the Big Ten’s Iowa Hawkeyes 62-50 in Iowa City.

It was Ivy-Curry’s first game of the season for UTSA after being announced as eligible on Saturday. He led the Roadrunners with 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Massal Diouf and Carlton Linguard Jr. had 10 points apiece. Diouf enjoyed a breakout performance with career bests of eight rebounds and four blocks.

Guard Jordan Pope paced the Beavers with 19 points. He knocked down three of four from three-point distance and was two for two — the last two of the game — at the line.

Records

UTSA 5-6
Oregon State 7-3

Coming up

Army West Point at UTSA, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners led the Beavers for 28 minutes and 40 seconds of the 40-minute game. They were up by as many as nine points when they took a 31-22 lead with 2:23 left in the first half. After that, the game tightened. There were seven ties and 13 lead changes.

Both Ivy-Curry and Juan Reyna for UTSA were eligible to play for the first time this season after sitting out the first 10 games on an NCAA transfer rule. Ivy-Curry played well with 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists in 25 minutes off the bench. He shot 5 for 11 from the field. Reyna did not play.

UTSA announced Ivy-Curry and Reyna as eligible on Saturday morning in the wake of a court challenge to an NCAA rule that mandates athletes in all sports sit out a year in residence if they transfer two or more times during their careers.

A former high school star at La Marque High School in the Houston area, Ivy-Curry played two years at UTSA, transferred and played one season at the University of the Pacific in 2022-23 and then transferred back to UTSA last summer. In his last season with the Roadrunners, in 2021-22, he averaged 13.9 points.

Sophomore guard Adante’ Holiman returned to game action after sitting out the last two with concussion symptoms. He was scoreless in 14 minutes on 0 for 1 shooting.

Oregon State improved to 7-0 at home this season and to 4-0 against UTSA all time.

Who is Jordan Pope? He is a 6-2 sophomore from Oakley, Calif. He has scored in double figures in all 10 of OSU’s games this season. His 19 points against the Roadrunners were his most since back-to-back games of 25 against Appalachian State and Nebraska last month. Pope was slumping recently, hitting only nine of 32 from the field in his last two games.