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UTSA’s Claunch reached out to console one of his star players after a heart-wrenching loss

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Primo Spears. UTSA men's basketball lost to Tulsa 82-77 in American Athletic Conference action on Monday, Jan. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Primo Spears and the UTSA Roadrunners will try to bounce back from two tough losses at home as they prepare to play road games this week at Wichita State and Tulsa. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Not too long after UTSA coach Austin Claunch left the Convocation Center Saturday night, he sent a text to Roadrunners point guard Primo Spears.

Knowing the inner fire that drives Spears as one of the most competitive players in the American Athletic Conference, the coach wanted to reach out to make sure he wasn’t taking the Roadrunners’ 80-79 loss to the East Carolina Pirates too hard.

Spears made two costly turnovers in the final 21 seconds that led to the Pirates erasing a 79-75 deficit and stealing away with a victory.

“You know, this is a guy who’s had an incredible year,” Claunch said Monday morning, “and he’s going to continue to have an incredible year. (But), you know, physical mistakes happen.

“I just texted him (immediately after the game) and told him I love him, and we’ll grow from this. And, he knows. He wants to win. That’s a guy who’s a competitor.”

Claunch’s words were not hyperbole. Spears has emerged after an offseason transfer from Florida State as the Roadrunners’ leading scorer at 20.2 points per game. He’s led the team in scoring in 13 of 23 games and in five of their 10 victories.

From my vantage point, Spears has made some of the most jaw-dropping, athletic shots that I can remember of anyone in a UTSA uniform since Jhivvan Jackson.

Spears is a little like Jackson in another way, as well. He will shrug off an injury and play at less than 100-percent of his usual explosive self.

Recently, he went down with a left foot injury at practice and continued to play through it for a few games. UTSA coaches finally sat him down last week. He sat for one game last Wednesday, when the Roadrunners played the Tulane Green Wave at home.

As Spears watched from the side in a walking boot, the Roadrunners played well and appeared to have the game won a few times down the stretch. Led by sophomore guard Marcus Millender, they were up 10 with three minutes left.

Later, they were still up nine with two minutes left. Eventually, however, the Green Wave outscored the Roadrunners 12-1 over the last 2:48, including the last 10 points of the game, to win 61-60 on two Rowan Brumbaugh free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining.

All of which compounded the misery they felt Saturday night after they lost to East Carolina.

“Quite frankly, it’s two that we felt like we gave away,” Claunch said. “(We have) a sizeable lead against Tulane with two minutes left and they make the plays and we don’t. Then the ECU game, we’ve got a two possession lead in the final seconds … ”

In analyzing basketball, I like to focus on things a team does to win rather than dwell on what someone else does to lose. In keeping with that, I will tell you that the Pirates won the game because they were the aggressors in the final minute, on both sides of the ball.

They trapped in the backcourt, attacking Spears as he tried to dribble out of trouble and get over the midcourt line. On the replay, it appeared that UTSA’s Raekwon Horton was open beyond midcourt, on the other side of the floor.

A pass from Spears to Horton right there might have saved the Roadrunners, who were up by four.

But Spears kept pounding the dribble, trying to get over midcourt. ECU’s Trevion LaBeaux had other ideas. He came up with a clean steal, leading to a drive to the bucket and a three-point play by Jordan Riley with 17.9 seconds left.

Leading by one at that juncture, UTSA came out of a timeout and called on Damari Monsanto to inbound.

The ball was tossed up the side, parallel to the ECU bench, and as Spears came over and reached out to grab it, the Pirates swarmed him in the corner and forced a held ball, which gave them possession.

Ultimately, they inbounded, and eventually tossed it to C.J. Walker. The ECU power forward made a sweet move, spun and knocked down a 14-foot jumper with four seconds left for a one-point lead. For the Roadrunners, they were left with one more desperation play, a 30-foot heave by Horton that missed.

Some in the Convocation Center might have been down on Mr. Spears after the shocking turn of events. But as for me, I just can’t be too critical of a kid who plays as hard as he does all the time. I’ve seen him do too many good things to help the team.

A reminder:

* Spears exploded for 15 of his 29 points in the last three minutes on Nov. 27 as the Roadrunners rallied from a late 14-point deficit to beat the Merrimack College Warriors, 76-74, in a neutral site game at Troy, Ala.

* On Dec. 3, at Moraga, Calif., he scored eight points in the last five and a half minutes of regulation and five in overtime in an 82-74 loss to the Saint Mary’s Gaels.

* And on Dec. 13, he poured in 10 of his 28 points in the final two minutes as the Roadrunners held off the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, 80-76, at the Convo.

In addition, I’ll offer some pure speculation. If the Roadrunners are faced with the same adversity again this week, with road games at Wichita State on Wednesday and Tulsa on Saturday, I’m certain Coach Claunch will be calling on Spears to make some plays.

Claunch, I suspect, will remain steadfast in Spears’ corner.

“It’s easy for me to play Monday morning quarterback right now and pause the film and say, hey, you’ve got to do this, that and the third,” the first-year UTSA coach said. “It’s a lot harder when you’re out there and you’re moving at a high pace.

“These guys want to win and … (they) got to continue to trust and believe in each other in these situations and (try to) find a way to get it done.”

East Carolina men rally in the last minute to top UTSA, 80-79

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C.J. Walker, a grad transfer from UCF, calmly knocks down the game-winning shot for the East Carolina Pirates with four seconds left. – Video by The JB Replay

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Forward C.J. Walker hit a turnaround jumper in the key with four seconds remaining Saturday night, lifting the East Carolina Pirates over the UTSA Roadrunners, 80-79, at the Convocation Center.

Walker, a 6-foot-8 transfer from UCF in his first year at East Carolina, finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds.

He had 18 of his points in the second half, when the Roadrunners were going to sophomore guard Marcus Millender, who scored 17 of his team-high 21 after intermission.

C.J. Walker, East Carolina. East Carolina beat UTSA 80-79 at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

East Carolina forward C.J. Walker scored a game-high 28 points on nine of 15 shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Pirates coach Michael Schwartz credited Walker for keeping his focus during a game in which he was asked to come off the bench.

Schwartz said the plan was to get the ball to Walker at the end.

“We felt like that’s how we had to go,” Schwartz said, “to play through C.J. He delivered, and he’s delivered a lot of times this year. Really proud of C.J.

“Love his approach. He didn’t start tonight. That’s the maturity of someone that came off the bench as obviously a main guy and a starter, to come in and stay totally focused on the task at hand.”

The Pirates trailed by four with 48 seconds remaining and still managed to pull out the victory on the Roadrunners’ home floor.

Turnovers by the Roadrunners set up the Pirates’ last two possessions and the last five points of the game.

First, ECU’s Trevian LeBeaux made a steal, leading to a driving layup by guard Jordan Riley, who was fouled on the play.

After the whistle, Riley went to the line and sank the free throw with 17.9 seconds remaining, bringing the Pirates to within one.

On the ensuing inbounds play, UTSA’s Primo Spears was trapped in the backcourt, and guard RJ Felton forced a turnover that gave the Pirates the ball with 14 seconds left.

Marcus Millender. East Carolina beat UTSA 80-79 at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA sophomore Marcus Millender scored a team-high 21 points for his second straight game in the 20s. He had a career-high 28 on Wednesday night against Tulane. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Cam Hayes received the inbounds pass about 35 feet from the hoop and fed it to Walker just outside the top of the key. Dribbling left and then spinning back to his right, Walker fired a turn-around jumper from the free-throw line over Horton for the winning basket.

As UTSA rushed the ball up the other way, Horton missed a desperation three at the buzzer from about 30 feet, sealing the team’s second straight heartbreaking loss at home.

The Roadrunners gave up a 10-point lead in the last three minutes and lost 61-60 to the Tulane Green Wave on Wednesday night.

UTSA coach Austin Claunch said he felt like his team played well enough to win the game but just couldn’t make the plays at the end to clinch it.

Claunch said the Roadrunners will need to get back to work to reverse their fortunes. Responding to a reporter who asked how his players recover from close losses, “You know, it’s hard. You got to get up and go to work.

“You know, we’ll be in a lot more of these games as we move forward. We just got to figure out how to finish them better.”

Records

East Carolina 13-11, 5-6
UTSA 10-13, 4-7

Coming up

UTSA at Wichita State, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Tulsa, Saturday, Feb. 15, 5 p.m.

First half

The UTSA Roadrunners heated up late in the half, knocking down five of their last six shots against the East Carolina Pirates, as they took a 40-33 lead into intermission. For the half, they Roadrunners shot 47 percent from the field.

Primo Spears. East Carolina beat UTSA 80-79 at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Primo Spears returned after sitting out with an injured foot against Tulane and scored 13 points in 37 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Pirates got the early jump to start the game, driving the ball inside, getting to the free throw line and moving out to a 10-5 lead. From there, the Roadrunners started to click, sprinting away on a 14-0 run.

After two straight baskets by reserve forward Jonnivius Smith, the Roadrunners led 19-10 with 11:03 remaining. The Pirates responded with a run of their own, tying the game 23-23. But the Roadrunners retaliated, taking an aggressive approach. With the ball moving on offense, Damari Monsanto finished two plays with three pointers.

Another highlight came when Raekwon Horton lobbed a pass above the rim, where Baboucarr Njie soared to dunk it.

Horton led the Roadrunners in the half with 11 points, and Horton had nine. Smith was effective with four points, four rebounds and two steals.

For the Pirates, C.J. Walker came off the bench for 10 points ad six rebounds. Guard Jordan Riley scored nine, all from the free-throw line, where he made nine of 10.

AAC standings

Memphis 9-1, 19-4
UAB 8-2, 15-8
North Texas 8-3, 17-6
Tulane 7-4, 13-11
Temple 6-4, 14-9
FAU 6-4, 13-10
South Florida 5-5, 12-11
East Carolina 5-6, 13-11
UTSA 4-7, 10-13
Rice 3-8, 12-12
Tulsa 3-8, 9-15
Wichita State 2-7, 12-10
Charlotte 2-9, 9-15

Saturday’s results

FAU 79, Tulsa 55
North Texas 76, Tulane 66
Charlotte 78, Rice 75
East Carolina 80, UTSA 79

Sunday

Temple at Memphis, 1 p.m.
Wichita State at South Florida, 1 p.m.

Raekwon Horton. East Carolina beat UTSA 80-79 at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Raekwon Horton started fast against East Carolina., scoring 11 of his 15 points before intermission. Horton also had five rebounds, four assists and a steal. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA wins its 20th game of the season with a 60-49 victory over Wichita State

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Discombobulated and not playing very well most of the afternoon, the UTSA women pulled it together in the final minutes Saturday to win their 20th game of the season, posting a 60-49 road victory over the Wichita State Shockers.

As a result, the Roadrunners improved to 20-3 for their first 20-win season in 16 years and only the fourth in 44 years of program history. They also maintained the lead in the American Athletic Conference at 11-1.

UTSA hopes to win the AAC title and reach the NCAA tournament this year, but reaching 20 wins has always been a goal for a coaching staff that took over a 2-18 team when it arrived in 2021.

“We’ve talked about it since we got here four years ago,” UTSA coach Karen Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s radio broadcast. “It’s just something that I think is a benchmark of a good basketball team and a successful season.

“The kids knew that. Maybe they were a little anxious about it. I don’t know. They really wanted to get to 20, and they did it.”

With a 13-1 record in their last 14 games, the Roadrunners’ AAC title quest continues Wednesday night when they host the East Carolina Pirates at the Convocation Center. They’ll play two at home next week, including a game against Memphis on Saturday, Feb. 15.

With the game against Wichita State tied midway through the fourth period, statistics showed that the Roadrunners had made only nine of 49 shots from the field to that point.

But they shrugged it off and hit five field goals on their next five possessions to take charge against a team that was tied for last in the conference.

It started when Nina De Leon Negron pushed the pace on a breakout, feeding Jordyn Jenkins for a layup. After Jayla Murray sank a three from the left wing to give the Shockers a 43-42 lead, Roadrunners’ sophomore Aysia Proctor answered with a three out of the left corner.

Following a miss by Wichita State, forward Idara Udo sank a layup off a feed from Jenkins, pushing UTSA’s lead to four. Shockers guard Taylor Jameson attacked on the other end and hit a crazy, no-look flip shot from under the basket to make it a two-point game.

At that point, the Roadrunners sensed a victory was at hand and would not be denied. First, Sidney Love sliced inside and flipped in a finger roll. When Wichita State turned it over on the next possession, Love again responded, catching a feed from De Leon Negron and laying it in for a 51-45 advantage.

Wichita State made one last push to stay in the game when Maimouna Cissoko, the sister of former Spurs guard Sidy Cissoko, sprinted ahead for a layup. When it fell, UTSA’s lead had been trimmed to four and the Shockers had some momentum.

But as Love brought the ball up for the Roadrunners, she was contested by a defender at halfcourt and drew a foul. Shockers coach Terry Nooner vocally protested the call and was hit with a technical. As a result, the Roadrunners were awarded four free throws — two for the personal foul and one for the tech — and made three of them.

They also were awarded the next possession, and they capitalized when Jenkins followed a miss to make it a nine-point game with 1:48 left. The Shockers never threatened again.

First half

Salese Blow scored 11 points over the opening two quarters and Wichita State held sluggish UTSA to 23 percent shooting. As a result, the Shockers took a 27-23 advantage into the dressing room at halftime.

Looking for answers and, perhaps, a hot hand shooting the ball, UTSA coach Karen Aston sent 11 players into the game. But the results were not pretty. The Roadrunners hit only six of 26 from the field and two of 11 from three.

Meanwhile, the last-place Shockers did just enough to give themselves a cushion. They fell behind early, but then took advantage of sloppy play from the Roadrunners to kick the lead up gradually to nine points in the second quarter.

Idara Udo led the Roadrunners with six points and four rebounds. Jordyn Jenkins had five points on one of six shooting. The Shockers did a good job on Jenkins, forcing multiple turnovers when the Roadrunners tried to pass inside to her.

Records

UTSA 20-3, 11-1
Wichita State 8-17, 2-10

Coming up

East Carolina at UTSA, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Memphis at UTSA, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m.

UTSA women have 20 wins in mind as they prepare for a road test at Wichita State

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

A 20-win season is in reach for the surging UTSA Roadrunners.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Temple 70-61 on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Karen Aston’s first-place UTSA Roadrunners lead in the AAC standings by one game in the loss column over the South Florida Bulls. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston’s first-place Roadrunners (19-3, 10-1) will play on the road against the Wichita State Shockers (8-16, 2-9) in an American Athletic Conference game that tips off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Koch Arena.

UTSA has won 20 in a season only three times in the first 43 years of the program. The Roadrunners first hit the plateau in 1983-84 when they went 21-6 under Coach Bill MacLeay. They did it again in 2007-08 and ’08-09 when they carved out back-to-back marks of 23-10 and 24-9, respectively, under Rae Rippetoe-Blair.

For Aston, winning 20 would be a meaningful milestone because she has always thought it represented a successful season. It might be more meaningful for the fourth-year coach this time, considering UTSA was 2-18 in 2020-21, the year before she was hired.

Aston has won 20 eight times in her 16 previous seasons as a head coach. She reached the plateau twice in four years at Charlotte and six times in eight seasons at Texas.

The Roadrunners are on a roll, registering a 12-1 record in their last 13 games. The only loss in the streak came Jan. 22 at South Florida. On that day, they played without star forward Jordyn Jenkins for the only time this season and fell 75-63 to the Bulls.

UTSA, in its last two games, played at home and downed a pair of AAC challengers in the Temple Owls and the North Texas Mean Green. Against North Texas on Tuesday night, Jenkins produced 26 points and eight rebounds, Idara Udo notched a double double and Sidney Love blocked a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer. The Roadrunners came away with a 54-52 victory.

The Roadrunners are trying for a series sweep against Wichita State. They beat the Shockers 69-51 on Jan. 11 in San Antonio.

Men’s basketball

Meanwhile, the UTSA men will play later Saturday at home in the Convocation Center when they host the East Carolina Pirates. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

The Roadrunners (10-12, 4-6) lost the first game in the second half of the AAC schedule in heartbreaking fashion Wednesday night, allowing the Tulane Green Wave to erase a 10-point deficit in the final three minutes to win 61-60. Marcus Millender scored a career-high 28 points in the loss.

The Pirates (12-11, 4-6) also lost a home game on Wednesday, falling 73-60 to the Rice Owls.

Tulane men rally in the second half to beat UTSA, 61-60

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Marcus Millender. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Marcus Millender scored a career-high 28 points against Tulane, knocking down five 3-pointers along the way. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Fans in the UTSA Convocation Center fell silent on Wednesday night when guard Rowan Brumbaugh hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining, lifting the Tulane Green Wave to a stunning 61-60 comeback victory over the Roadrunners.

The Green Wave trailed the home team by 15 points late in the first half, by 12 early in the second, by 10 with three minutes to play and by one when they inbounded the ball 94 feet away with 11.1 seconds left.

Brumbaugh brought it up and attacked to the right side, drawing a shooting foul from UTSA’s Marcus Millender. The Tulane guard stepped to the line and made both free throws, effectively capping a 12-1 run in the final three minutes of the game.

Primo Spears. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA scoring leader Primo Spears sat out his first game of the season with a foot injury, but he is expected to play Saturday at home against East Carolina. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Down by the eventual final score, UTSA inbounded to Damari Monsanto, whose 75-foot heave was off the mark to end the game.

UTSA played without injured guard Primo Spears, the team’s leading scorer, who was sidelined with a walking boot on his left foot.

In his absence, the Roadrunners came painfully close to winning twice in a span of five days against a top-tier foe in the American Athletic Conference.

UTSA won Saturday on the road in Denton, shocking the North Texas Mean Green, 54-50. Against Tulane, the Roadrunners had the Green Wave on their heels and led for most of the game.

In the end, they couldn’t hold on.

Nevertheless, Millender left a lasting impression on the Green Wave, scoring a career-high 28 points in 40 minutes. Forward Raekwon Horton also played 40 minutes and added 11 points. Monsanto scored nine. Freshman walk-on Baboucarr Njie finished with seven points and three rebounds off the bench.

UTSA coach Austin Claunch praised his team’s defensive effort against one of the better offenses in the American.

Also, he said the team fared well in compensating for the loss of Spears, who averages 20.5 points per game, and others who have been out with injuries and other issues. UTSA had eight scholarship players available for Tulane.

“Yeah, listen, we got a tough team,” Claunch said. “Tonight certainly is a bummer. We had great preparation. We had a lot of respect for Tulane. They’re a really good team. To give that lead up at the end when they played so well, is too bad.

Baboucarr Njie. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman guard Baboucarr Njie, a walk-on, played 30 minutes against Tulane. He had seven points, three rebounds and two steals. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“They were right there to win the game. You got to give Tulane a lot of credit (for winning, but) certainly, we’re moving in the right direction.”

For Tulane, guard Asher Woods led the way with 18 points on six of eight shooting from the field. Brumbaugh had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Forward Kaleb Banks, Tulane’s leading scorer, was held to six. But it was Banks who hit one of the biggest shots of the night — a three with 41.1 seconds remaining, bringing the Green Wave to within one at 60-59.

On UTSA’s next possession, Tulane made an emphatic defensive stop. Working the ball from the perimeter into the paint, the Roadrunners got it to Njie, whose hook shot was blocked out of bounds with 14 seconds remaining. Only three seconds remained on the shot clock.

Inbounding the ball from the end line near the UTSA bench, Monsanto tossed it high to Millender, who caught it and fired a 3-point shot that missed everything. Officially, it was a shot clock violation, with the ruling that it was released after the clock expired.

Tulane then called time with 11.1 seconds left and set up the final play.

All in all, UTSA played much better against Tulane than it did in New Orleans on Jan. 4. In the earlier game, the Green Wave won easily, 92-63.

In the first game, Tulane shot 63.5 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent in the second half, and scored 46 points in the paint against UTSA. In the rematch, the Green Wave shot 43.2 percent against the Roadrunners’ switching defensive scheme. They scored only 26 paint points.

Raekwon Horton. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Raekwon Horton had 11 points and three rebounds for the Roadrunners. .- Photo by Joe Alexander

For the most part, Millender was the show. Nicknamed “Smurf,” the 5-foot-11 sophomore hit nine of 19 from the field and five of nine from three. He also knocked down five of six at the line. Was he on the boards? He was, snaring five rebounds.

As the clock wound down in the second half, the Green Wave smothered Millender just about every time he touched the ball, holding him without a field goal in the last nine minutes. In the last three minutes, he got to the free-throw line on two possessions, hitting three of four at the stripe.

“Down the stretch we didn’t get the stops,” Millender said. “We slowed down the offense a little bit (and) couldn’t score in the last three minutes, or something like that … They were just more aggressive and they hit some threes at the end of the game.”

First half

Millender started fast for the UTSA Roadrunners, hitting four of his first five shots from the field.

Even though he cooled off a bit at the end of the half, he had a team-high 16 points as the Roadrunners went into the dressing room at intermission with a 33-25 lead.

Tai'Reon Joseph. UTSA lost to Tulane 61-60 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference men's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Tai’Reon Joseph returned to action after not playing the last four games. He couldn’t find a rhythm in 12 minutes, scoring two points on one of six shooting. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Millender finished the opening period hitting six of nine from the field and four of four from the 3-point arc.

While the Green Wave struggled initially against the Roadrunners’ switching defensive scheme, guard Asher Woods kept them afloat, scoring eight points. He was three of five from the field.

UTSA shuffled its starting lineup, starting Tai’Reon Joseph in place of Primo Spears, the team’s leading scorer.

Spears, who has been slowed by an injury the past few games, was on the bench in a walking boot on his left ankle/foot. It’s the first time this season that Spears has sat out after starting the first 21 games.

Joseph, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Jan. 18 in a home game against North Texas. He sat out the the last four.

UTSA was already short-handed, playing without scholarship players Paul Lewis, Mo Njie, Jaquan Scott and Skylar Wicks.

Records

Tulane 13-10, 7-3
UTSA 10-12, 4-6

Coming up

East Carolina at UTSA, Saturday, 7:08 p.m.

Notable

UTSA coach Austin Claunch said he expects Primo Spears to be available to play on Saturday against East Carolina. Taking Spears’ spot in the starting lineup was Tai’Reon Joseph, who has not played since Jan. 18.

Joseph, who has a season high of 28 points, had missed four straight games before suiting up against Tulane. He played 12 minutes and couldn’t find a rhythm, scoring two points on one of six shooting.

The coach said forward Jaquan Scott and guard-forward Sky Wicks will not be back with the team this season. He said both center Mo Njie and Paul Lewis are “banged up and done for the year.” The coach said both were ill and didn’t attend the game.

Looking to generate momentum, the UTSA men host the Tulane Green Wave

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Editor’s note: The UTSA Roadrunners are on the floor, going through shooting drills as they warm up for a meeting with the Tulane Green Wave. Primo Spears, the team’s leading scorer, is seated at courtside. Spears is wearing a walking boot on his left ankle/foot.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

As the UTSA men’s basketball team turns the corner to the second half of the American Athletic Conference schedule on Wednesday night, the Roadrunners host the Tulane Green Wave, hoping to build on momentum and move up in the standings.

Last week, they had one of those crazy college basketball experiences, first traveling to Florida, where they took a 94-74 loss to the FAU Owls. Still on the road, they headed to Denton, and the resulting 54-50 victory over North Texas was a major morale and confidence boost for a team that has been up and down all season.

At the time, the Mean Green were tied for first place in the American, undefeated at home and 16-4 overall.

“Life on the road, every day is a new day,” first-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch said, reviewing last week’s journey. “It was certainly a tale of two different games.”

Against the Owls, the Roadrunners stayed close for the first 10 minutes, only to take a major hit at the end of the half.

“They make a big three and go on a huge run … and we weren’t able to recover,” the coach said. “Second half, (Owls guard) KyKy Tandy really lit it up from three and (they) sort of pulled away. But I was of course really pleased with the poise and resiliency to regroup, go to Denton and get a huge win.”

With the road split, UTSA comes home to face Tulane Wednesday night and East Carolina on Saturday night. The Roadrunners need to keep it going if they hope to get a break in seeding at the AAC tournament, when it comes around in March.

“So these are two really big games,” Claunch said. “It feels great to be home, but it’s not going to feel great if we don’t play great. We’ve got to really lock in this week and understand what it’s going to take to win these games. If we do that, we’re going to put ourselves in a good position.”

Records

Tulane 12-10, 6-3
UTSA 10-11, 4-5

Coming up

Tulane at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
East Carolina at UTSA, Saturday, 7:08 p.m.

AAC standings

Memphis 8-1 18-4
UAB 8-2, 15-8
North Texas 7-3, 16-6
Temple 6-3, 14-8
Tulane 6-3, 12-10
FAU 5-4, 12-10
East Carolina 4-5, 12-10
South Florida 4-5, 11-11
UTSA 4-5, 10-11
Tulsa 3-6, 9-13
Wichita State 2-7, 12-10
Rice 2-7, 11-11
Charlotte 1-9, 8-15

Notable

Both the women’s and men’s AAC tournaments will be played at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. The women’s tournament runs from March 8-12. The men’s event is March 12-16.

In both cases, a first-round game between the Nos. 12 and 13 seeds will be played on the first day, meaning those two teams will need to win five games in five days to win the tournament title trophy. Teams seeded fifth through 11th will start play on Day Two, and will need to win four in four days. The top four seeds will get a double bye through to the Day 3 quarterfinals, meaning they will need three wins in three days.

Given all that, it’s critical for the UTSA men, who are playing with a seven-man rotation. The fewer games they need to win in Fort Worth, the better their chances of going deeper into the tournament or winning it. With UTSA tied for seventh in the AAC going into tonight, the team finds itself only two games in the loss column behind the teams tied for fourth — Temple and Tulane.

Is it possible, if UTSA can get hot down the stretch, to rise up and snag a top-four seed?

“I have looked at it a little bit,” Claunch said on his Monday morning zoom call. “Certainly, I think we’re capable of going on a run here in these last nine games. But not if we don’t have a great practice today. You know, it’s not something I’m really talking to our team about.

“We certainly feel that Saturday (against North Texas) was a huge step forward. At the halfway point, to get that win, and kind of put yourself right in the middle with some games coming up against teams that are sort of jockeying for those same positions. But our focus is on today. Right? We’ve said it all year. We want to dream big and focus small.”

Tulane beat UTSA 92-63 on Jan. 4, so Claunch’s focus at the moment centers on how to slow down the Green Wave.

“We’ve got a team (coming in) on Wednesday that really handed it to us at their place,” Claunch said. “We’re a completely different team than we were in New Orleans. But they do a great job defensively. They’re extremely long and active and they have good offensive players.

“So, this is going to be a really challenging game on Wednesday. Not a lot of time to think about the tournament right now. We’ve got to lock in on what’s in front of us.”

UTSA women hold on to conference lead by defeating North Texas, 54-52

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Sidney Love blocked shot. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sidney Love blocks a shot that seals the victory, boosting UTSA to a 19-3 record overall, including 10-1 in the American Athletic Conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Playing a game with conference championship implications in front of a rowdy home crowd, the UTSA women rallied from a four-point deficit in the last five minutes Tuesday night to defeat the North Texas Mean Green, 54-52.

With the win, the Roadrunners improved to 12-1 in their last 13 games and held onto first place in the American.

Sidney Love blocked shot. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

The UTSA Roadrunners shout their approval after making a stop on the last possession to beat the North Texas Mean Green. – Photo by Joe Alexander

North Texas had a chance to tie in the final seconds and send it to overtime, but UTSA guard Sidney Love blocked a runner by Desiree Wooten on the last possession, prompting a roar of approval from an announced crowd of 1,418 fans at the Convocation Center.

In response, UTSA players stomped, waved their hands and shouted back at the crowd, with a few players rushing off the bench to hug Love.

What the game may have lacked in aesthetics — both teams shot less than 33 percent from the field; both combined to commit 44 turnovers, and UTSA misfired on all 18 three-point attempts — it may have made up for it with late-game dramatics.

Trailing 48-44 and with the game clock ticking under five minutes, UTSA came up with big plays down the stretch by the likes of Love, Jordyn Jenkins, Idara Udo and Nina De Leon Negron to claim its 19th win of the season against only three losses.

Jenkins had five of her game-high 26 points in the Roadrunners’ 10-4 closing run, including a couple of contested 12-foot jumpers. Other notable plays down the stretch included:

De Leon Negron tying up North Texas star Tommisha Lampkin to force a held ball, with the extra possession leading to a sweet right-handed scoop shot by Love that gave the Roadrunners momentum. Also, a hustle play by Udo, who rebounded a miss by De Leon Negron and scored for a two-point lead.

After Wooten sank a floater from 10 feet to tie the game with two minutes left, Jenkins responded on the other end with a 12-footer and a 52-50 lead with 1:38 remaining. The Roadrunners never trailed after that.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins, the leading scorer in the American, produced 26 points on seven field goals and 12 free throws on 15 attempts. – Photo by Joe Alexander.

“I thought this was a really, really well-scouted game,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I thought both teams were well-prepared. It was just a dog fight because of how well both teams were prepared. I told ’em at halftime it was just a defensive battle.

“We felt bad about our mistakes, but we were forcing the same ones on the other end. So, I kind of felt like this was going to boil down to some really small things, and, you know, somebody just decided to grit it out. I actually thought we would make more shots than we did.

“We uncharacteristically, couldn’t hit from three. But, man, tough. Just a tough performance from our team.”

In a matchup of two of the best forwards in the American, UTSA’s Jenkins won the battle, registering a game-high 26 points on seven field goals and 12 of 15 shooting at the free-throw line. Also, eight rebounds. Her North Texas counterpart, Lampkin, played hard and collected 16 rebounds but was held to five points.

Lampkin, averaging 16.7 points on the season at an AAC-best 57 percent from the field, couldn’t get the ball enough against a swarming UTSA defensive presence to do much damage. She finished two for five from the field and committed five turnovers.

In a sense, Jenkins may have adapted a little better to the physicality of the game, making adjustments along the way.

Asked what goes into making the adjustments, the 6-foot UTSA senior said, “Honestly, a lot of maturity. I know a couple of years ago, me, I’d be arguing with the refs or getting into my feelings. But it’s just about moving on to the next play and embracing the physicality and just reading your defender. Just worry about what they’re doing and adapt.”

North Texas Tommisha Lampkin. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

North Texas forward Tommisha Lampkin, regarded as one of the best players in the American, was held by a swarming UTSA defense to five points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

On the last play, it almost looked like the Roadrunners knew what was coming from the Mean Green. Wooten drove down the right side and may have stumbled a bit when Love reached in and swatted the ball away.

Aston credited her coaching staff for keeping players informed on what the visitors might do. “A lot of credit to our staff,” she said. “They have responsibilities to prepare our team. We talk about this all the time. Just do your job. And I thought they were really well-prepared.

“I thought they knew what we were probably going to see. I thought they did a good job at the timeouts giving us an idea of what they might be looking for. I thought Sid handled that well. We knew they were probably going to isolate Lampkin, and she did a good job of staying loose and getting the block.

“But I thought, down the stretch … we didn’t give up a lot of easy shots in the last five minutes.”

Records

North Texas 16-7, 8-3
UTSA 19-3, 10-1

Coming up

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

Notable

The Mean Green’s championship hopes have taken a hit in the past two games. Last weekend, they lost at South Florida, and after allowing a late lead to slip away at the Convocation Center, they are now two games behind the league-leading Roadrunners in the loss column. The top of the AAC standings now include: UTSA (10-1), South Florida (8-2), North Texas (8-3), Tulane (7-3) and Temple (6-4).

Idara Udo. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Idara Udo. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women’s basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First half

The Roadrunners couldn’t handle the North Texas pressure very well. But they did play well defensively themselves, and then they capitalized on 12 points from Jenkins to forge a 28-24 lead at intermission.

UTSA had a strong start to the game, taking an 8-2 lead in the first four minutes and then building it to 14-7 after one quarter. When Love converted a three-point play early in the second, the crowd was getting into it, with the Roadrunners leading 17-7.

At that point, the Roadrunners became extremely careless with the ball and committed five turnovers on five possessions, leading to a 10-0 run by the Mean Green. A fast break layup by Chania Price tied the score 17-17 with 7:07 left.

UTSA held North Texas to three field goals in the last seven minutes to turn the momentum in its favor. Jenkins hit six straight free throws in the final 2:28. Jenkins finished the half two of five from the field and eight of eight at the line.

North Texas star Tommisha Lampkin, facing double- and triple-team pressure, scored one point in the half on zero for one shooting.

Nina De Leon Negron. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Roadrunners point guard Nina De Leon Negron gets a hug from her mother after the Roadrunners beat the North Texas Mean Green. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Maya Linton. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Maya Linton helped hold the North Texas Mean Green to 31.7 percent shooting. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Temple 70-61 on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston said in the postgame that leadership has helped the team recover from fourth-quarter deficits against both Temple and North Texas. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA women set to face North Texas, another upper-tier AAC contender

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Winners of an eye-opening 18 games on the season and chasing a conference championship, the UTSA women will face their third title contender in seven days tonight when they host forward Tommisha Lampkin and the North Texas Mean Green at the Convocation Center. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m.

In the past week, the first-place Roadrunners’ have had only mixed results against a couple of teams grouped in the upper tier of contenders in the American Athletic Conference race. Last week, for instance, they traveled to Tampa, Fla., and had their 10-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the South Florida Bulls.

The Bulls pulled away late and won 75-63.

Sitting out the game was injured UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins, the leading scorer in the the AAC, as well as the scoring and rebounding leader for the Roadrunners. Last weekend, the Roadrunners returned home to play the Temple Owls and surged late to win, 70-61.

But it wasn’t easy. With Jenkins returning to the court against the Owls, she turned it on in the second half and rallied the Roadrunners, who also were buoyed by big performances from Nina De Leon Negron, Idara Udo and Cheyenne Rowe.

UTSA trailed by 14 early in the third quarter and by 11 early in the fourth before making the final push in front of a vocal crowd, improving to 11-1 in their last 12 games. Now they’re preparing to face the Mean Green, who lost at South Florida last weekend despite Lampkin’s second strong performance in a row.

Following a 16-point, 10-rebound showing in a close win at home against Temple, the 6-foot-2 senior forward from Mansfield exploded for 19 points and 15 boards against the Bulls. With her recent play, Lampkin has joined Jenkins as a player to watch in the AAC’s player of the year race.

Lampkin averages 16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, and she leads the conference in shooting 57 percent from the field. Jenkins, a 6-foot senior from Washington, is the leading scorer in the AAC at 18.8 points. She’s also averaging 7.2 rebounds.

Records

North Texas 16-6, 8-2
UTSA 18-3, 9-1

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, tonight, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Wichita State, Saturday, 2 p.m.

AAC leaders

UTSA 9-1, 18-3
North Texas 8-2, 16-6
South Florida 8-2, 15-8
Tulane 7-3, 14-7
Temple 6-4, 12-7
UAB 5-5, 14-8
Rice 5-5, 12-10
Tulsa 5-5, 11-11
Memphis 3-6, 5-15
East Carolina 3-7, 11-11
Charlotte 2-7, 7-13
FAU 2-8, 4-13
Wichita State 1-9, 7-16

Celebrating a milestone: UTSA’s Claunch enjoys the ride home from Denton

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Austin Claunch. UTSA beat North Dakota 80-76 in non-conference men's basketball on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch picked up his 100th career victory Saturday night in Denton against North Texas. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

For first-year UTSA men’s basketball coach Austin Claunch, the bus trip home from Denton after Saturday night’s upset victory over the North Texas Mean Green turned into a special occasion.

And not just because it gave him a chance to savor a package of jerky that he bought at Buc-ee’s. First of all, the ride down Interstate 35 gave everyone a chance to celebrate a team achievement.

After losing by 20 on the road at Florida Atlantic earlier in the week, the Roadrunners rebounded to play their best game of the season, grinding out a 54-50 decision over a team that was tied for first in the American Athletic Conference.

Secondly, for Claunch, it gave him an opportunity to thank his coaching staff for helping him reach a milestone achievement — his 100th victory in NCAA Division I.

“You know, it’s funny,” Claunch said on his Monday morning zoom call with the media. “I sort of forgot. I knew I was getting close and then it took me a couple minutes until after the game, and somebody said something to me. You know, I love coaching, (and the milestone) is truly a program and family deal.

“As I told my staff, it’s not my 100th win. It’s our 100th win.”

One of his assistants, Nick Bowman, has been with him for all 100, including all 90 in five seasons at Nicholls State from 2018-19 through 2022-23. Trevor DeLoach and Joey Brooks also worked for three seasons with him at Nicholls, as well.

His other UTSA assistants include Joseph Jones and Robby Benavides.

“I’ve had a lot of great players and a lot of great support around me,” said Claunch, who turned 35 in November. “It was a lot of fun and it certainly felt good to get it against a really, really good team.”

Turning the corner to the second half of the AAC schedule, Claunch’s Roadrunners (10-11, 4-5) will host the Tulane Green Wave (12-10, 6-3) on Wednesday night and the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday night.

“Feels great to be home, but it’s not going to feel great if we don’t play great,” he said. “We’ve got to really lock in this week and understand what it’s going to take to win these games, and if we do, we’re going to put ourselves into a good position.”

Records

Tulane 12-10, 6-3
UTSA 10-11, 4-5

Coming up

Tulane at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
East Carolina at UTSA, Saturday, 7:08 p.m.

Notable

While it’s UTSA’s first meeting of the season against East Carolina, the Tulane game represents a chance for redemption after the Green Wave destroyed the Roadrunners 92-63 on Jan. 4 in both teams’ AAC opener.

Tulane, playing at home, shot 63.5 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent in the second half, and scored 46 points in the paint against the visitors from San Antonio.

The Green Wave will come into San Antonio tied for fourth place. Memphis (8-1) leads the race, followed by North Texas and UAB (both 7-2) and then Temple and Tulane (both 6-3). The middle of the pack consists of FAU (5-4), followed by East Carolina, South Florida, UTSA (all 4-5).

UTSA men come away with a signature victory over North Texas in Denton

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After hanging on to beat the North Texas Mean Green 54-50 on Saturday in Denton, the UTSA Roadrunners handed first-year Coach Austin Claunch his biggest win at the school and the 100th of his career.

New UTSA men's basketball coach Austin Claunch was at the Roadrunners softball game on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at Roadrunner Field to throw out the first pitch. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Austin Claunch hit a milestone with his 100th win as a college head coach. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Center Jo Smith made a clutch defensive stop on North Texas’ last possession, and Raekwon Horton followed by knocking down two free throws with one second remaining to secure the win for the Roadrunners.

Horton finished with a season-high 23 points on eight of 11 shooting in 40 minutes. Primo Spears, battling a sore ankle, finished with 15 points. He hit three of seven from the 3-point arc. Marcus Millender scored 11.

Defensively, Smith finished with three steals and three blocks to lead the Roadrunners, who have posted a 4-3 record in their last seven AAC games.

For North Texas, forward Grant Newell scored a team-leading 14 points on six-for-six shooting. Guard Atin Wright, who scored 22 points against UTSA in the first meeting, was held to 10 on three of 12. Forward Brenan Lorient added 11 points.

Records

UTSA 10-11, 4-5
North Texas 16-5, 7-2

Coming up

Tulane at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Milestone

Claunch is in his first season at UTSA, but he is in his sixth overall in NCAA Division I, which includes five at Nicholls State. The coach posted a 90-61 record at Nicholls, a Southland Conference school in Thibodaux, La. He’s now 10-11 with the Roadrunners, which makes him 100-72 in his career after knocking off North Texas.

Notable

For UTSA, the win was significant on several levels. North Texas entered the game on a six-game winning streak, undefeated at home and tied for first in the American Athletic Conference. UTSA, meanwhile, was tied for ninth.

The Mean Green were 46th nationally on the NCAA’s Evaluation Tool, or, the NET, trailing only Memphis at No. 40 among AAC teams. Meaning, that this was UTSA’s highest-rated victory of the season.

Few could see it coming. Down to only eight scholarship players, UTSA had been pounded 94-74 on Wednesday in Boca Raton, Fla., and came in at No. 222 on the NET. The Roadrunners’ ranking was third to the last among AAC teams on the computer.

Moreover, the Mean Green journeyed to San Antonio on Jan. 18 and walloped the Roadrunners, 72-57. So, as expected, Claunch was feeling good about the outcome of the rematch as he talked to UTSA radio voice Andy Everett in the postgame.

The coach’s defensive scheme seemed to flummox the Mean Green. “We decided to go to some switching (on screens),” he said. “We were just saying, ‘Switch and compete.’ All week. You know, and just kind of man on man.

“They’re a hell of a team. You have so much respect for what they’ve built here. This crowd today, I mean, it was a really, really tough environment.”

The Roadrunners essentially won the game in the first half when they held the Mean Green to 13 points on five of 22 shooting from the field, including zero for 11 from three.

Remarkably, it was a half that resembled the game in San Antonio, except that in the first meeting, UTSA was held to 18 points.

UTSA entered the second half up 27-13.

“You’re giving yourself a cushion because you know they’re making a run,” Claunch said. “You know, similar to the game at our place. We were just able to make a couple of tough plays and shots.

“I think they’re as tough as anybody in the league, and I challenged our guys the last couple of days to embrace that. Embrace the pace. Embrace the physicality, and I think we did that.”