Category Archives: College basketball

Milestone in reach today for the surging UTSA women, who play on the road at Tulsa

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Sidney Love. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Sidney Love has averaged 16.5 points on 51.9 percent shooting from the field during the Roadrunners’ four-game winning streak. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With another milestone in reach, the UTSA Roadrunners will play an American Athletic Conference game on the road today against Delanie Crawford and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

The Roadrunners (11-2, 2-0) will try for a victory that not only would give them their fifth in a row, but also would result in the fastest start after 14 games in school history.

Tipoff is at 2 p.m. at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, with the game against the Golden Hurricane (7-7, 1-1) set for telecast on ESPN+. UTSA has been busy this week, winning on the road Sunday at Charlotte and on Wednesday at home against UAB.

Taking the floor today, the Roadrunners will also have a score to settle. The Golden Hurricane beat the Roadrunners last year in Tulsa by erasing a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win, 74-70.

The Golden Hurricane went on to win 25 games on the season, including finishing in a three-way tie for first in the American and earning a postseason bid to the Women’s Basketball Invitational.

Crawford, a 5-11 senior, is one of the hottest players in the conference at the moment. After scoring 36 points in a home win against East Carolina on Sunday, she added 22 in Tulsa’s 84-78 loss at North Texas on Wednesday night.

Records

Tulsa 7-7, 1-1
UTSA 11-2, 2-0

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Wichita State at UTSA, Jan. 11, noon

Notable

Later today, the UTSA men (6-6) will open their conference schedule in New Orleans against the Tulane Green Wave (7-7, 1-0). Roadrunners guard Primo Spears ranks fifth in the nation at 22.2 points per game.

The game, which tips off at 5 p.m. on ESPNU, is a homecoming of sorts for Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch and guard Tai’Reon Joseph.

Claunch once lived in New Orleans for a few years and coached at nearby Nicholls State, where he led the Colonels to a pair of regular-season titles in the Southland Conference.

Joseph grew up in Baton Rouge and played there last season at Southern University.

In the wake of a tragedy, UTSA’s Austin Claunch extends his sympathies to New Orleans

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

For UTSA men’s basketball coach Austin Claunch, who once worked at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, any chance to get back to the bayous and byways of South Louisiana is special because of his ties to the area.

But to coach his first AAC game for the Roadrunners at Tulane University in New Orleans on Saturday afternoon, well, it’s a moment he’s been looking forward to since the schedule was posted.

Given the tragic events in the French Quarter on New Years day, it’s also an opportunity for the 35-year-old Claunch to speak fondly of his former home and to extend his sympathies to people in the region.

“As we travel to New Orleans,” the coach said Thursday morning, “I do want to say my thoughts and prayers are with the city. (As) many of you know, I lived in South Louisiana for seven years. I lived in New Orleans for two years, certainly a place really dear to my heart.”

At least 15 people were killed when a truck plowed through a crowd in the French Quarter in the early morning hours on Wednesday. Dozens more were injured. Federal investigators are calling it an act of terror.

On the coach’s zoom call, he made sure to mention that he was thinking about everyone.

“(I have) a lot of close friends down there,” Claunch continued. “Looking forward to catching up with some friends. And, more importantly, just thinking about everyone that’s been affected by what happened over New Years.”

Claunch has had his ups and downs in his first season with the Roadrunners. They started out 1-3, but they found some traction eventually and started to play well. They had a three-game winning streak going into a game at Army last week, but after a furious second-half rally fell short, they lost 78-75 to the Black Knights.

Against Tulane (7-7, 1-0), UTSA (6-6) will enter conference play knowing that more improvement is mandatory in the long term. In the short term, it would be helpful if the Roadrunners could get a couple of their big men back on the floor.

The coach said that 6-foot-11 center Mo Njie, who sat out the Army game with an ankle injury, is day to day though it looks like he will play against the Green Wave.

Asked about the status of 6-7 forward Jaquan Scott, who has not played in four straight games for unspecified reasons, Claunch left the door open slightly that he could return. If he does, it would be a boost, considering the Mississippi State transfer has averaged 7.2 points and 4.8 rebounds.

Scott hasn’t played since Dec. 7 in a road loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks. The coach said he planned “sit down with him” to have some conversations, but he didn’t want to say much more about it. “I will have more of an update on that in the coming days,” Claunch said.

Coming up

UTSA at Tulane, Saturday, 5 p.m.

Records

UTSA (6-6, 0-0)
Tulane (7-7, 0-1)

Notable

Tulane is in its 11th season in the AAC and in its sixth under Coach Ron Hunter. After three losing seasons, Hunter’s Green Wave broke out in 2022-23 with a 20-11 record, including 10-6 in the AAC. Last year, they finished 14-17, with a 5-13 record in the conference.

Earlier this season, Tulane lost five straight, but the squad has since won two in a row. On New Years Eve, they won on the road, walloping the Charlotte 49ers, 83-68, in their AAC opener. Kalen Banks, Rowan Brumbaugh, Kam Williams and Gregg Glenn III lead the Green Wave. Banks, a 6-8 forward, averages 18.2 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Roadrunners beat the Blazers 67-56, improve to 11-2 on the season

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Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins connected on four of five shots from the field in the fourth quarter as the UTSA Roadrunners turned back the UAB Blazers on New Year’s night. An announced crowd of 917 attended at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Just when it seemed that a visiting team might beat the UTSA women in the Convocation Center for the first time this season, Jordyn Jenkins scored nine of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, lifting the Roadrunners to a 67-56 victory over the UAB Blazers Wednesday night.

With the victory, the Roadrunners improved to 11-2, including 5-0 at home and 2-0 in the American Athletic Conference. Their overall record ties the 1985-86 team for the best 13-game start in school history.

Sidney Love. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sidney Love. UTSA women’s basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I thought this was a really good win just from a standpoint of being kind of challenged,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “They took the lead (in the fourth quarter) and sort of tested our maturity. I thought we stepped up to the plate with that.”

Hit with two key losses to the transfer portal in the offseason, the Blazers gave an admirable effort against the AAC’s top-rated team.

On New Year’s night in front of an announced crowd of 917 fans, they rallied from an early 13-point deficit to take the lead, but then they were outplayed late and ultimately fell to 9-5 on the season and to 0-2 in conference.

“I didn’t think this would be an easy game,” Aston said. “I think UAB is really good. They shoot the ball really well. They’re a tough guard, especially since we haven’t played a team like them since we played Stanford.

“We have had three or four games in a row where we haven’t had to guard like we had to guard today. So I was concerned about that. I thought we did a pretty decent job. I thought we adjusted in the fourth quarter to how they were attacking us, which was really in the paint.”

After trailing for most of the game, the Blazers took a couple of one-point leads in the opening minutes of the fourth.

A Molly Moffitt 3-pointer lifted UAB into a 54-53 advantage with 6:40 remaining. From there, the Roadrunners outscored the Blazers 14-2 the rest of the way.

In the final run, Jenkins hit a contested 3-point shot from the wing and added a fast break layup off an alley-oop lob from Nina De Leon Negron. The 6-foot forward, in an athletic maneuver, caught the lob and spun it in off the glass before she hit the floor.

Damara Allen. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Damara Allen scored a season-high 11 points and claimed the team’s ‘Cash In’ golden chain award. -Photo by Joe Alexander

Sidney Love, whose 19 points led the Roadrunners, hit the last bucket of the game for the Roadrunners with 47 seconds left.

All told, the Roadrunners have built quite a bit of momentum moving into the teeth of the conference schedule. They’re No. 51 in the nation and are the highest-rated team in the AAC, according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool, or, the NET. And now they’ve just won their eighth game of the season by double digits.

Individuals

UAB — Center Rayne Tucker, a graduate transfer from Temple, led UAB with 16 points on eight of 11 shooting. Point guard Journey Armstead produced 13 points and four assists. Hitting 9.8 shots from the 3-point line for the season, UAB was limited to three of 12 shooting behind the arc. Maddie Walsh, a perimeter threat who leads the Blazers with 13.2 points, was held to seven.

UTSA – Love led the Roadrunners in scoring for the second time in four games and for the third time this season. She produced 19 points on eight of 19 shooting. Love, a junior from Steele, also had a team-high seven assists and five rebounds. Jenkins had 16 points on seven of 15 shooting. She was three of 10 afield before the fourth period outburst. Allen came off the bench to score 11 points on four of seven.

Records

UAB 9-5, 0-2
UTSA 11-2, 2-0

Coming up

UTSA at Tulsa, Saturday, 2 p.m.

First half

The Roadrunners tightened up their defense at the end of the second quarter, holding the Blazers to one field goal in the final 6:04, to take a 32-25 lead into the dressing room at intermission.

Love and Damara Allen led the Roadrunners offensively with eight points apiece. Allen, a freshman from Aurora, Colo., scored five in the second period. She hit a jumper with 5:16 remaining to spark a 9-4 run to the buzzer.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins was honored before the game for scoring 1,000 points in her career at UTSA. – Photo by Joe Alexander

For the Blazers, freshman guard Journey Armstead and graduate transfer center Rayne Tucker did most of the damage.

Armstead scored 11 in the half, knifing through the defense to hit five of nine shots from the field. Tucker, a transfer from Temple, scored all of her eight points in a 12-3 run to open the second period.

UTSA came out firing to start the game, scoring the first nine points en route to a 15-2 lead. Love capped the streak with a 3-point bucket from the left wing with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter. The shot splashed just as the shot clock was winding down under five seconds.

Notable

With wins on the road at Charlotte and at home against UAB, UTSA improved to 2-0 in conference for the first time since the 2009-10 team won its first three games in the Southland Conference.

The Roadrunners also improved their homecourt winning streak to eight — three at the end of last season and now five more — which is tied for third longest in school history.

UTSA announced a crowd of 917 fans, including “a high percentage” of the people in the seats who were seeing a game in the Convocation Center for the first time, one official said. “I would say thanks for coming,” Aston said. “I hope they liked the product and will come back.

“I think that’s the going theme about women’s basketball, is (that) there’s a whole lot of people out there who have not been to a … game here at UTSA, or in general haven’t been to one.

“I’ve said this a million times. This is the hottest sport out there. Our team is playing well and I think this (is) a really good product. I think anybody who steps into the Convo is going to enjoy watching it.”

Aston said it was great to see most of the seats in both lower sections filled, even without the UTSA students on campus.

“I was really concerned,” she said. “Obviously, football is going on, and it’s New Year’s Day. I was pleased with the crowd (considering) school’s not in session. So those are people in the community that came out to see us today.”

The Blazers started the season 9-3 despite the offseason loss of third-team, all-conference guards Denim Deshields and Mia Moore, who transferred to power conference programs. The Roadrunners, for the most part, have been able to keep their key players over the past few years.

Quotable

Jordyn Jenkins, in her third year on campus, said it’s a great feeling to make so much progress as a team in that time. “We, literally in my first year here were like, ‘If we win 10 games, we’re going to go out and get dinner,” she said. “So now that we’re 11 wins in now, it’s just crazy. And it’s fun. Coach says she’s having fun coaching it. It’s really fun on the court.”

Moment of silence

Before player introductions, at the outset of the holiday evening on the Northwest side of San Antonio, UTSA held a moment of silence for the shocking tragedy in New Orleans that left at least 15 people dead.

The incident, described by authorities as an act of terror, happened at about 3 a.m. Wednesday in the French Quarter as a truck plowed through people celebrating the New Year. The driver was killed after a shootout with police.

The incident forced postponement of the Allstate Sugar Bowl game. Originally scheduled for Wednesday night, the College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame has been rescheduled for Thursday at the Caesars Superdome.

What happened to homecourt advantage in AAC women’s basketball openers?

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners women seemingly have everything going their way right now — a 10-2 record, a win on the road in their American Athletic Conference opener. Also, a home game looms Wednesday night, with a chance to get out of the gates at 2-0 in the AAC race.

With all that being said, if the Roadrunners dig into the details of games played on opening weekend in the conference, they might take note of a curious development. Namely, the lack of any noticeable homecourt advantage anywhere.

Five of six visiting teams in The American came away with road victories on Sunday afternoon. Of course, one of the visiting teams was UTSA, which clobbered the Charlotte 49ers with a 17-3 run in the opening minutes and then went on to claim a 64-50 victory.

Also of note, the UAB Blazers emerged as one of the humbled homecourt losers. The Temple Owls rolled past the Blazers, 97-74, in Birmingham. So, what happens Wednesday when the 9-4 Blazers visit San Antonio and the Convocation Center, where the Roadrunners are 4-0 at home this season?

Will the homecourt matter all that much, on New Year’s night, with students still on holiday break? Or, will the Roadrunners need to plan on generating most of the energy on their own after the 6:30 p.m. tipoff, no matter how many fans are in the stands?

Asked about the results of Sunday’s games on a Monday morning zoom call, UTSA coach Karen Aston said they speak to the depth and the quality of talent in the conference.

“Honestly, I don’t think there’s a bad team (in the AAC),” Aston said. “The parity is across the board. I don’t think it’s necessarily going to matter whether you are at home or on the road.

“You’d like to think it does. You’d like to think your crowds give you some momentum, and you get to sleep in your own bed, and all of that.

“But, from a talent perspective, across the board, I don’t think there’s a lot of difference. You’re going to have to bring it every night.”

Trying to stay on an even keel throughout the season will be important, the coach said, noting, “You know, not getting too high or too low, is the good and the bad of it.”

The Blazers are not the same ball club that won 18 games and reached the first round of the WNIT in 2023-24. Their top two players from last season moved on to power conference programs via the transfer portal, Denim Deshields to Mississippi State and Mia Moore to Clemson.

But they do have a talented squad. Forward Jade Weathersby leads the AAC in rebounding. Guard Maddie Walsh and forward Sarah Bershers rank among the AAC’s top 3-point shooters. Point guard Journey Armstead is third in the conference in assists.

In addition, the Roadrunners only had one day to practice for a team that runs a different offense than what they faced Sunday in Charlotte against the 49ers. The Blazers like to shoot from deep, hitting an average of 9.8 from behind the arc.

“They hunt 3-point shots every trip down the floor,” Aston said. “They’re hunting paint touches and threes, which is considerably different than the style that Charlotte played, so we have to switch gears pretty quickly.”

Sunday’s results

South Florida wins at Rice, 74-64
North Texas wins at Wichita State, 62-56
Tulane wins at FAU, 91-71
UTSA wins at Charlotte, 64-50
Temple wins at UAB, 97-74
Tulsa wins at home, beating East Carolina, 93-84

Wednesday’s games

Rice at Tulane, 2 p.m.
East Carolina at Temple, 3 p.m.
Wichita State at Memphis, 3 p.m.
Tulsa at North Texas, 4 p.m.
Charlotte at South Florida, 6 p.m.
UAB at UTSA, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners are looking for their first 2-0 start in league play since the 2009-10 team won its first three in the Southland Conference. UTSA has won its first four games at home this season and seven in a row overall dating back to last season.

The Roadrunners have the second-best record in school history after 12 games. In 1985-86, the sixth year of the program, they started 11-1 before losing their next two. They finished the season 18-9.

UTSA leads the conference in both scoring defense (54.8) and field goal percentage allowed (36.0). Over the team’s last five games, the Roadrunners have been particularly stingy, holding opponents to an average of 52.6 points on 31.5 percent from the field.

Men’s college basketball: Army holds on to defeat UTSA, 78-75

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Boosted by 27 points from Jalen Rucker, the Army Black Knights held on to win in the final minute Sunday afternoon, snapping the UTSA Roadrunners’ three-game winning streak, 78-75, in non-conference play at West Point, N.Y.

“Give them a ton of credit,” UTSA coach Austin Claunch said on the team’s radio broadcast. “Jalen Rucker’s obviously a heck of a player and played well … Just not our best effort today.”

At the end, the Roadrunners threw a scare into the Black Knights, who led by 15 early in the second half.

For UTSA, Primo Spears scored on a drive off an assist from Raekwon Horton with 36.6 seconds left. The bucket trimmed Army’s lead to four.

Trying to advance the ball, the Black Knights turned it over, but the Roadrunners also committed an error, throwing it away themselves.

From there, the game turned essentially into a tactical battle of free-throw shooters. Ryan Curry hit two for the Black Knights, and then Spears knocked down a pair for the Roadrunners with 14.3 seconds left.

After Curry hit another two, Army had a 78-72 lead with 13 seconds to go. But the game was hardly secure, and UTSA’s Tai’Reon Joseph made it interesting, knocking down a three from the corner.

Up 78-75 at that point, Army inbounded to Curry, its best free-throw shooter. But he missed the front end of a one and one with 4.9 seconds left, giving the Roadrunners another shot.

Marcus Millender advanced the ball full court on the dribble and positioned himself for an open look to tie, only to see his shot glance off the side of the rim.

Records

UTSA 6-6
Army 6-6

Coming up

x-UTSA at Tulane, Jan. 4, 5 p.m.
x-American Athletic Conference opener

Individuals

UTSA – Primo Spears had 22 points and nine rebounds. Tai’Reon Joseph added 16 off the bench. Raekwon Horton contributed 15 and seven boards.

Army – Jalen Rucker scored 16 of his game-high 27 points in the second half. He knocked down five 3-pointers. Ryan Curry had 15 points and AJ Allenspach 12.

Notable

UTSA was missing two big men, with starting center Mo Njie and forward Jaquan Scott not playing. Scott has been away from the team for a few weeks and has missed four games in a row.

Njie has played in 10 games, including UTSA’s two recent wins over the North Dakota Fighting Hawks and one over the non-Division I Southwestern Adventist Knights. The win over Southwestern Adventist came on Dec. 19, the Roadrunners’ last game before the break.

UTSA women beat Charlotte 64-50 to win AAC opener

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Stepping up with their defense and playing the passing lanes, the UTSA women won an American Athletic Conference opener Sunday afternoon, coming away with a 64-50 road victory against the Charlotte 49ers.

“Any win on the road in conference play is tough,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said on the team’s radio broadcast. “I especially think the first game … there’s a lot of nerves. I think we’ll play better as conference play rolls along.”

UTSA held Charlotte to 29.4 percent shooting from the field and forced 25 turnovers in claiming its seventh victory of the season by a double-digit margin.

Forward Jordyn Jenkins scored 18 for the Roadrunners, who improved to 10-2. Sidney Love and Maya Linton scored 11 points apiece and Nina De Leon Negron added 10.

On the boards, Linton and Idara Udon prevailed. Linton snared nine and Udo eight.

For the 49ers, who fell to 5-7, guard Haleigh Breland led the way with 21 points and Alexis Andrews had 11. UTSA held everyone else to single digits.

First half

Jordyn Jenkins scored nine points, and UTSA drilled five 3-point baskets to take a 34-21 lead on Charlotte at intermission.

UTSA entered the game with its best non-conference record and came out firing, nailing seven of its first eight shot attempts.

A 3-pointer by Linton and a steal and fast-break layup by De Leon Negron pushed the Roadrunners into a 17-3 lead with 6:02 left in the first quarter.

The 49ers never got closer than eight for the remainder of the half.

Defensively, the Roadrunners showed off the prowess that makes them No. 1 in the AAC in that category. They limited the 49ers to six of 31 shooting over the first two quarters for 19.4 percent. Breland led the 49ers with 11 points.

Records

UTSA 10-2
Charlotte 5-7

Coming up

UAB at UTSA, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

UTSA women open play today in the AAC at Charlotte

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After losing only twice in the first few months of the season, UTSA women open conference play today on the road against the Charlotte 49ers.

The Roadrunners (9-2) will carry high hopes of making an American Athletic Conference championship run into a meeting with the 49ers (5-6) at 1 p.m. at Halton Arena.

Blessed with a dynamic scoring threat in forward Jordyn Jenkins, quality guard play and a defense yielding only 55 points per game, UTSA has won six times by double-digit margins.

The Roadrunners have had a week off since routing Texas State, 70-54, in San Marcos on Dec. 21. On that same day, the 49ers also played on the road and lost by 27 at Davidson.

In falling 82-55, Charlotte failed to score 60 for the eighth time this season.

Playing under the guidance of new coach Tomekia Reed, the 49ers’ best hope today might be in controlling the pace and locking down on the defensive end, where they’re holding opponents to 64.2 points.

Charlotte has won three games this year during which it has limited opponents to fewer than 50 points. The 49ers won at Mercer on Dec. 5 by 43-42. They did it again at home on Dec. 16 when they beat Winthrop, 55-47.

Jackson State transfer Hayleigh Breland leads Charlotte, averaging 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds. Forward Keanna Rembert, who averages 9.9. points and 6.0, was one of the players who faced the Roadrunners last year in San Antonio.

Rembert played 37 minutes and scored 10 points as the Roadrunners downed the 49ers 81-80 in double overtime.

Records

UTSA 9-2
Charlotte 5-6

Coming up

UAB at UTSA, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

Both the UTSA women and men will play today for the first time since the holiday break, and both are on the road.

The men (6-5) will take on the Army Black Knights (5-6) at West Point, N.Y. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. It’s the last non-conference game for the Roadrunners before they open AAC play on Jan. 4 at Tulane. Tai’Reon Joseph, Raekwon Horton and Marcus Millender are expected to play.

Joseph and Horton sat out UTSA’s last game, on Dec. 19, against Southwestern Adventist. Millender exited the game in the first half with an injury.

After a phoned-in pep talk from Jeff Traylor, the UTSA women rout Texas State

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

SAN MARCOS – As the UTSA women’s basketball team bus rolled north-bound on Interstate 35 Saturday morning, Coach Karen Aston’s phone rang. It was Roadrunners football coach Jeff Traylor, who had something to say.

On speaker phone, the message came through loud and clear. “He said we have to beat Texas State by 39 because that’s how much they lost by,” UTSA guard Sidney Love recalled.

The Roadrunners’ women couldn’t quite erase the sting of the football team’s 49-10 loss to the Bobcats in September, nor could they quite win by 39, but they made an emphatic statement nevertheless that they’re ready for all comers in the American Athletic Conference.

Closing out their non-conference schedule, the defense-minded Roadrunners blew the game open in the second quarter and built leads as large as 23 points in the second half, before they ran off the floor at Strahan Arena with a 70-54 victory.

With their first win over the Bobcats since 2016, the Roadrunners improved to 9-2 going into next week’s AAC opener at Charlotte. The win-loss record is the best in school history going into conference play. Moreover, six of their victories have come by double digits.

“We’ve got our foot on the gas and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon,” Love said. “We just have our eye on the prize. We have our eye on the main goal, which is to become a championship team.”

Jordyn Jenkins led a balanced attack by producing 17 points to lead the Roadrunners, who shot 49.1 percent from the floor and had 11 players hit the scoring column. Love added 15 points and Cheyenne Rowe had 10 off the bench as UTSA improved to 5-2 away from home and 3-2 on the road.

Point guard Nina De Leon Negron contributed nine points, eight assists and six rebounds. A graduate transfer from Incarnate, she also had five steals.

The Bobcats entered the game on a four-game winning streak, but they couldn’t get much going offensively, shooting 34.6 percent. The Bobcats committed 21 turnovers in the face of a pressing and trapping defense by the Roadrunners.

For most of the game, UTSA players just looked more alive, more energized. It was particularly evident in the second quarter, when they outscored the Bobcats 27-12 en route to a 39-20 lead. Jenkins said the motivation stemmed partly from recent history in the I-35 rivalry.

“We haven’t beat Texas State in the last two years that we’ve been here, and I think it’s been even longer,” she said. “So, we knew that we had to come out here and punch ’em in the face. So, it worked out.”

Texas State, in fact, had won the last six meetings and eight of the last nine. UTSA hadn’t won in the series since a 2016 game in San Antonio. UTSA hadn’t won a game in San Marcos since 2013. For most of the afternoon, the Roadrunners played with pace that the Bobcats’ couldn’t match.

“I just think our kids like to play up-tempo,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I think this game, particularly, we had a lot of good energy off the bench. I thought people came off the bench and added energy, enthusiasm … It wasn’t always pretty, but I thought the kids played with a lot of juice today.”

First half

The Roadrunners employed defensive pressure to create several easy baskets en route to a dominant second quarter and a 39-20 lead on the Bobcats.

Playing on the Bobcats’ home court, the Roadrunners led by four points after one low-scoring quarter, and then exploded out of the gates with 13 unanswered points to start the second.

Jenkins started it off by hitting a three-pointer, then made a steal guarding an inbounds pass and scored five points overall in the run, which lifted the Roadrunners into a 25-8 lead.

Freshman guard Damara Allen also made her mark, scoring four points in the streak, one on a fast-break layup and another on a jumper, also at the end of a breakout.

After Jaylin Foster scored inside for the Bobcats, the Roadrunners scored eight more unanswered, including four by Sidney Love and four more by Cheyenne Rowe.

As Rowe deftly sank a left-hander on a post move, UTSA had its largest lead of the half at 33-12.

In all, UTSA’s defense made four steals and created six Texas State turnovers in the period. On the other end, the Roadrunners hit 11 of 19 shots from the field for 57.9 percent.

It was easily one of the better quarters of the season for the Roadrunners, who open AAC play at Charlotte on Dec. 29. The team’s AAC home opener is on Jan. 1 against the UAB Blazers.

Records

UTSA 9-2
Texas State 6-4

Coming up

UTSA at Charlotte, Dec. 29, 1 p.m.
UAB at UTSA, Jan. 1, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

Kansas State transfer Ja’Mia Harris led the Bobcats in scoring with 10 points on four of seven shooting from the field. Takeira Ramey contributed nine points and four assists. Western Kentucky transfer Jaylin Foster, Texas State’s leading scorer, had a tough day by hitting only one of nine from the floor. The former standout from San Antonio-area Steele High School finished with six points. Incarnate Word transfer Destiny Terrell, another weapon for the Bobcats, finished with two points and eight rebounds.

Women’s basketball: UTSA faces a road test at I-35 rival Texas State

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UTSA players warm up in Strahan Arena in preparation for a noon tipoff against the Texas State Bobcats. – Photo by Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

SAN MARCOS — The UTSA women’s basketball team is 8-2 this season leading into Saturday’s date with the Texas State Bobcats. If the Roadrunners can win in Strahan Arena, the Roadrunners would take the best record in school history into conference play when they open on the road in The American next week at Charlotte.

Even though UTSA might have its best team in years, with premium guard play, quality depth and a prominent inside scoring threat in Jordyn Jenkins, the task might not be an easy one.

Texas State has won six straight in the series against UTSA, including a 3-0 record against Roadrunners coach Karen Aston. UTSA hasn’t won a game in the Interstate 35 rivalry series since 2016 and hasn’t won in San Marcos since 2013.

Additionally, the Bobcats are 6-3 and playing well, having won four in a row. In their last outing, they traveled to meet the the University of Denver last Sunday, downing the Pioneers 63-60. Kansas State transfer Ja’Mia Harris, a 5-11 sophomore, led the way with 16 points.

During the winning streak, the Bobcats have won at UT-Rio Grande Valley and Tarleton State, at home against the University of Texas at Dallas and then on the road again at Denver.

Forward Jaylin Foster, who played in high school at Cibolo Steele in the San Antonio area, leads the Bobcats, averaging 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals. Guard Destiny Terrell, a transfer from Incarnate Word, averages 8.8 and 5.9 rebounds. Harris is averaging 8.6 points and Morgan Hill 8.2

UTSA is coming to the end of a busy week. Traveling to the West Coast last weekend, the Roadrunners played well against an NCAA-caliber team in Stanford and lost, 62-57. UTSA returned home for a few days of practice and then downed UT Arlington, 76-61, on Thursday afternoon.

Coming up

UTSA at Texas State, Saturday, noon

Records

UTSA 8-2
Texas State 6-3

Notable

Texas State coach Zenarae Antoine, in her 14th year at Texas State, is 9-5 against UTSA. Last year, the Bobcats came into San Antonio and rallied late to tie the score in regulation, before knocking off the Roadrunners, 65-57, in overtime. Jenkins, UTSA’s best player, wasn’t available to play as she was in the midst of rehabilitation from knee surgery. Two years ago in San Marcos, Jenkins had a big game, producing 18 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. But a second-half rally propelled Texas State to a 60-55 victory.

Aston’s Roadrunners have soared into the top 60 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. They’re No. 55 as of Saturday morning. The Roadrunners have scored five double-digit victories, with their only losses in single digits on the road in power-conference settings, at Texas A&M and Stanford. Defense is UTSA’s calling card, as the Roadrunners are holding teams to 36.8 percent shooting. They’re also outscoring opponents by 13.8 points and outrebounding them by 11.6.

Jenkins is averaging 19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 steal. She’s also averaging 1.3 blocks. The guard tandem of Sidney Love and Nina De Leon Negron is clicking. Coming off a 21-point game, Love is averaging 10.7 points, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals. De Leon Negron, in her first year with the team, is humming with 9.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

LJ Brown brings his father to tears in UTSA’s 117-58 victory over Southwestern Adventist

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Former UTSA great Devin Brown (left) was on the television broadcast Thursday when his son, LJ Brown, made his debut for the Roadrunners. – Photo by Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Emotions flowed freely toward the end of UTSA’s 117-58 blowout victory Thursday over the Southwestern Adventist Knights, with much of the happiness generated by a walk-on guard by the name of LJ Brown, who made his debut for the Roadrunners a memorable one.

With 7:33 left in the game, Brown saw a lane open up and took it to the basket for a layup, his first field goal in a UTSA uniform.

After he hit it, players on the UTSA bench jumped up and cheered, with one, Primo Spears, running onto the floor to offer a hearty chest bump.

Meanwhile, at press row, Brown’s father was in tears. Former UTSA great Devin Brown, who was on the television broadcast as a color commentator, talked about the moment later, his eyes reddening as he was asked about his son’s first bucket as a Roadrunner.

“Well, you know, you prepare yourself for moments like that,” Devin Brown said. “But when it actually happened, obviously I was live on the broadcast, and I lost it. I started crying. Just very happy for him.”

The Roadrunners toyed with a non-NCAA Division I opponent for the first minutes Thursday and then turned it to win in a blowout for their third straight victory.

With the win, UTSA improved to 5-2 in their last seven games and to 6-5 on the season.

Byron Fields knocked down two free throws with 15 minutes left in the first half to bring the Knights to within 17-9 of the Roadrunners, who play in the Division I American Athletic Conference.

After that, the first game of a holiday basketball doubleheader at the Convocation Center turned into a runaway, with UTSA coach Austin Claunch emptying his bench.

The crowd became energized at the end by a few dunks from 6-9 forward Jonnivius Smith and also the debut of Brown, whose father Devin reached the NBA after a college career at UTSA. Devin Brown, one of the program’s leading scorers, paced the Roadrunners to the NCAA tournament in 1999.

LJ Brown, who attended Johnson High School in San Antonio, played 9 minutes and 51 seconds at the end of the game against the Knights. He scored five points on two of seven shooting from the field.

“Felt really good,” Brown said, who knew before-hand that there was a chance he could play. “Felt really good getting out there. Emotions were high, but they were easy to control.”

Southwestern Adventist, from Keene, Tex., in the Fort Worth area, plays in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association.

The UTSA women were scheduled to play the second game of the double dip later Thursday afternoon against the UT Arlington Mavericks.

Damari Monsanto led the UTSA men with 22 points. He hit six of 12 from 3-point distance, his fifth game of the year four or more makes from beyond the arc. Skylar Wicks had 20 points and eight rebounds Wicks was four of seven from three. Meanwhile, Primo Spears, one of the nation’s leading scorers, contributed 16 points in 25 minutes. Smith finished with 13 points, 17 rebounds and three steals.

Orlando Goodwin and Domonique Wilkins scored 19 points apiece to pace the Knights.

First half

UTSA played without regular rotation players Raekwon Horton and Tai’Reon Joseph, who were both on the bench but did not get into the game. Starting guard Marcus Millender left the court with 14:27 remaining in the half with what looked like an ankle injury. He didn’t return in the half. Damari Monsanto led the Roadrunners with 16 points by hitting six of 11 from the field and four of eight from three-point territory. UTSA led 61-24 at intermission.

Notable

The game was an exhibition for Southwestern Adventist, from Keene, Tex., in the Fort Worth area. The Knights play in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association. Southwestern was playing back-to-back games. On Wednesday, they lost 117-63 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Records

Southwestern Adventist 1-8
UTSA 6-5

Coming up

UTSA at Army, Dec. 29
x-UTSA at Tulane, Jan. 4
x-AAC opener