The UTSA women celebrate Saturday night after claiming the American Conference postseason championship. – Photo courtesy of UTSA Athletics

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA women’s basketball team will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 17 years.

Sixth-seeded UTSA played suffocating defense and routed the No. 1 Rice Owls 54-40 Saturday night in Birmingham, Ala., to claim the American Conference postseason title.

With the championship came an automatic bid into the NCAA field of 68.

Riding a five-game winning streak, including four in four days in Alabama, UTSA (18-15) will find out its destination and opponent Sunday night.

In the wake of the loss, Rice (28-5) has been left in limbo, wondering if its full body of work this season will be good enough for an NCAA at-large bid.

UTSA guard Ereauna Hardaway delivered in the championship game with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. In 30 minutes of playing time, she had zero turnovers. – Photo courtesy of UTSA athletics

Led by Cheyenne Rowe, Idara Udo and unflappable senior guard Ereauna Hardaway, the Roadrunners opened a seven-point lead after a grind-it-out first half, fended off a brief flurry from the Owls in the third period and then dominated the rest of the way.

“I’ve always thought this team could be a championship contender,” said Rowe, who was named most outstanding player in the tournament. “Never a doubt in my mind. But, to me, this moment is surreal. I never thought I specifically would be here.

“But my teammates always believed in me. My coaches believed in me. The athletic trainers, the academic advisors. Everyone believed in me. Without them, I don’t know if I would be where I am now.”

The Roadrunners’ performance in the American tournament is unmatched in the program’s 45 years.

In both 2008 and 2009, led by Coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair and star guard Monica Gibbs, they won Southland postseason titles and advanced to play in the NCAA tournament both seasons.

Each time, the Roadrunners won three games in the SLC’s postseason event in Katy to hoist the trophy. This time, for the first time in program history, UTSA won a conference tournament by winning four games in four days.

In addition, it is also the second-straight season that the Roadrunners have claimed a championship in the American.

Last year, with Player of the Year Jordyn Jenkins setting the pace, the Roadrunners rolled to a 26-5 record and won the American’s regular season at 17-1.

But as last year’s squad entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed, it stumbled in its first game in the quarterfinals at Frisco and lost to the Owls.

This season, they entered the tournament under the radar, but not lacking in confidence.

UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe produced 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. She was named most outstanding player in the tournament. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Buoyed by a 61-52 win over Rice in the regular-season finale at Houston, UTSA traveled to Birmingham with renewed confidence, which led to consecutive victories over Temple, third-seeded South Florida and No. 2 East Carolina.

Finally, UTSA capped the run with its second emphatic victory over Rice in seven days. This one, for all the marbles, so to speak.

“Obviously, I couldn’t be any happier for our school, to have the opportunity to go play in the NCAA tournament,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said.

“And, most importantly,” the coach continued, “our players, our staff, you know, I told them before the game that, I just appreciated how they’ve approached this tournament.

“Really, just how they’ve stayed in the trenches no matter what’s happened all year long. They’ve been resilient, staff included.

“Like everybody, really stayed on one page, and that’s difficult when you have a group of 25 or 30 people to keep ’em all headed in the right direction.

“This group has done that, and I think they deserved what they got today. I think that they played with purpose all week long, and, in particular today, I thought we played fantastic.

“Kudos to Rice for the run to the tournament,” Aston continued. “Terrific team. But I did think that our team played really, really well today, and I’m super proud of ’em.”

One year after claiming the conference’s regular-season title, Aston’s legend continues to grow.

In her 18 seasons as a head coach, she has now led three programs to a combined eight NCAA tournaments.

The first one came in 2009 at Charlotte, followed by six more at the University of Texas in consecutive years from 2014 to 2019, and now one in her fifth season at UTSA.

This one might have been her best work in the whole bunch, everything considered.

UTSA forward Idara Udo notched 11 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots against the Owls. Udo and Ereauna Hardaway were named to the all tournament team. – File photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA had five scholarship players sit out the entire season with injuries.

Included in the group that did not play was Maya Linton, one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the conference last season, plus promising sophomore Taylor Ross and freshman Sema Udo.

Sema Udo is Idara Udo’s younger sister.

To make matters worse for UTSA, Idara Udo sat out eight games, including one at Columbia on Dec. 20 and the next seven to start play in the American’s schedule.

Through it all, Aston never lost faith in the group even during a 2-5 slump from Jan. 31 to Feb. 24.

Not even after it fell behind by 38 points on Feb. 24 at North Texas before losing by 24.

Aston was visibly shaken on March 4 when UTSA lost 53-41 to Tulsa at home, a game in which UTSA scored only one point in the second quarter.

But after a team meeting, the Roadrunners started to click. They journeyed on to the road and beat the Owls on March 7 in Houston to close the regular season.

Flanked in a postgame press conference Saturday by Rowe, Udo and Hardaway, the coach said it started with those players.

“They’re strong leaders,” she said. “They’re very, very competitive.

“They play with purpose. They practice with purpose … I think a piece of it was Idara getting healthy, healthy enough to help us down the stretch.

“It took time, because of the injuries and because of Ereauna getting to know our team and our system. Sometime, when you have system in place that people do believe in, then you can turn the tide at any point.”

She said the turning point came over the last week when young players such as Hammonds and Damara Allen started to “grow up a little bit” and make major contributions.

Karen Aston has now guided three different college basketball programs to eight NCAA tournaments in her 18 years as a head coach — including one at Charlotte, six at Texas and now one at UTSA. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“I thought that was the biggest difference for us,” she said.

Against Rice, Rowe had 13 points and eight rebounds. Hardaway, a standout Friday night against East Carolina, also scored 13, to go along with four assists and five rebounds.

Idara Udo, whose defense in the paint led a group that held the Owls to their lowest point total of the season, also produced on offense with 11 points. She had six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

On the defensive end, the Roadrunners were superb. They locked down the Owls to a season-low in points on only 27.1 percent shooting from the field.

Victoria Flores, the player of the year in the American, and fellow first-team all-conference selection Dominique Ennis were held to a combined 14 points on five of 19 shooting.

Another perimeter threat, Aniah Alexis, scored two points on one of 11 shooting.

Inside scoring threat Shelby Hayes, thwarted by Udo, Rowe and others, was held to five points.

San Antonio’s Hailey Adams, a Rice redshirt junior from Clark High School, led the Owls in scoring with 12 points on six of 11 shooting. The rest of the team shot 10 for 48.

Notable

Rice coach Lindsay Edmonds said she thinks her team deserves an at-large NCAA tournament bid.

“I do believe we’re a team that deserves to be in the NCAA,” she said. “I hope the committee will look at that, and we’ll be a two-bid league this year.”

Both Edmonds and Aston are in their fifth seasons at their respective schools. The Rice job is Edmonds’ first as a head coach. She is 101-59 with a trip to the WNIT in 2023 and to the NCAA in 2024.

Rice coach Lindsay Edmonds said she thinks her team, at 28-5, deserves a bid to the NCAA tournament. – File photo by Joe Alexander

In five years at UTSA, Aston took over a program that had won two games the previous season and has compiled a record of 82-77, with trips to the WNIT in 2023-24, the WBIT in 2025 and now the NCAA this season.

Last season, Aston’s Roadrunners entered the American tournament as the No 1 seed and were beaten in the quarterfinals by Edmonds’ Owls. This season, Rice beat UTSA 65-55 in San Antonio on Jan. 31. UTSA returned the favor, winning 61-52 in Houston, on March 7.

Aston’s Roadrunners are now 7-4 against Edmonds’ Owls over the past five seasons.

First half

UTSA entered the finals of the tournament coming off three wins in three days.

Rice, with a triple bye into the semifinals, knocked off No. 5 North Texas to earn its third straight trip to the American finals.

From the outset, however, it was UTSA that seemed to have all the energy.

The Roadrunners played stifling defense and did just enough on offense to take a 20-13 lead.

Trailing by two going into the second quarter, UTSA started to move the ball around, getting multiple players involved.

Adriana Robles, Damara Allen and Mia Hammonds all hit field goals midway through the period for UTSA.

Robles drove to her right and flipped the ball high off the glass for a layup. Allen spun and tossed in a 10 footer with her left hand.

Hammonds used her quickness and length to drive right and sink a six-foot runner.

Rowe, who led the Roadrunners with eight points at the half, sank the last bucket on a fancy dribble move in the paint, followed by a left-handed finish from 10 feet.

Rice, meanwhile, went scoreless in the last 4:43 of the half.

For the half, the Owls hit only five of 31 from the field for 16.1 percent. Rice stars Victoria Flores and Dominique Ennis were held largely in check.

Sophomore forward Mia Hammonds had nine points, six rebounds and a steal against the Owls. During the team’s five-game winning streak, she has scored 38 points on 22 of 35 shooting from the field. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Flores had three points at the half, while Ennis was scoreless. Combined, the two first-team, all-conference performers were one for 12 from the floor.

Records

UTSA 18-15
Rice 28-5

Coming up

UTSA will learn on Sunday night its destination and opponent in the NCAA Tournament.

The tournament opens with NCAA First Four games on Wednesday and Thursday, with the Round of 64 openers set for Friday and Saturday.

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

Tuesday

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

Wednesday

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

Thursday

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

Friday

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

Saturday

Game 9 (championship) — (6) UTSA defeats (1) Rice, 54-40.

Records

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

x-tournament champion
y-eliminated

The UTSA women on Saturday night celebrated a conference postseason title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Please see my updated story. https://t.co/hyCDEtJ4sq pic.twitter.com/zgmvFEkXex

— Jerry Briggs (@JerryBriggs) March 15, 2026

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After losing four of their last five games, the UTSA women face an American Conference juggernaut today in Houston as a tune-up for postseason play next week.

The Roadrunners will play the conference’s regular-season champion Rice Owls at 2 p.m. at Tudor Fieldhouse. Rice has won 22 games in a row in a 27-3 season.

They have swept to victories in all 17 of their games in conference leading into the second match of the season against the Roadrunners, last year’s champs in the American.

The Roadrunners won the conference’s regular-season title last year at 17-1, but they have struggled lately just to maintain a level of consistency over four quarters.

On Wednesday night, UTSA barely broke the 40-point level, losing its home finale 53-41 to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

As a result, the Roadrunners will travel into Houston at 13-15 overall and 8-9 in the American.

The bracket for next week’s conference tournament in Birmingham is expected to be announced tonight. The American’s postseason showcase opens next Tuesday and runs through next Saturday.

From all indications, UTSA is locked into a No. 6 seed and thus will get a first-round bye, which means the Roadrunners are expected to open tournament play on Wednesday.

The Roadrunners will draw the winner of a first-round game between the seventh and tenth seeds. If they win, they’d play on Thursday against the No. 3 seed.

Records

UTSA 13-15, 8-9
Rice 27-3, 17-0

Coming up

UTSA at Rice, today, 2 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners and the Owls played on Jan. 31 in San Antonio. In that meeting, Rice led by three at halftime and then broke the game open in the third period on the way to a 65-55 victory.

Rice guard Victoria Flores scored 33 points on eight of 10 shooting from the field. Flores knocked down four of six from three and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line.

On the defensive end, the Owls held the Roadrunners to 29.7 percent shooting from the field. UTSA could hit only seven of 36 shots in the second half.

Rice was the more opportunistic team in the first meeting. For the game, the Owls scored 21 points off 15 Roadrunners turnovers. The Roadrunners scored 13 points off 20 turnovers for the Owls.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Connor Kelley pitched six scoreless innings, and freshman Nathan Johnson hit the first home run of his college career Friday night as the 25th-ranked UTSA Roadrunners rolled past the New Mexico State Aggies, 10-2.

UTSA pitching had a shutout working in the bottom of the ninth inning when the stadium lights at New Mexico State went out.

After a delay, the Aggies scored their only two runs before UTSA reliever Christian Okerholm put a stop to the rally and secured the team’s fifth straight victory.

In his best outing of the season, Kelley allowed only two hits and walked three while striking out six in the first of a three-game series at Las Cruces, N.M.

After issuing a leadoff walk in the third, the 6-foot-5 righthander retired the last 12 hitters he faced. Kelley was on his game after a shaky start, throwing 88 pitches, including 49 for strikes.

Johnson hammered a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning and added a sacrifice fly in a two-run seventh for the 25th-ranked Roadrunners, who improved to 12-1 on the season.

Another UTSA freshman, Aidan Eshelman, made his mark with two hits and two RBI.

The Roadrunners will play the Aggies again Saturday and Sunday in Las Cruces before traveling for two more on the road Tuesday and Wednesday in Lubbock at Texas Tech.

UTSA scored first in the second inning, opening the rally with a walk and later delivering a one-out single by Garrett Gruell.

The Roadrunners scored twice on the next play, a ground ball by Blaine Bishop that evolved into a throwing error by New Mexico State shortstop Boston Vest.

In the fourth, UTSA broke away.

Johnson smashed a leadoff homer off New Mexico State starting pitcher Bradyn Barnes to make it 3-0. It was the first homer of the season for Johnson, a freshman from Katy Seven Lakes.

Jake Carvajal entered the game at that point to replace Barnes on the mound. The Roadrunners greeted him with three straight hits, the last one an RBI double by Diego Diaz.

After Eshelman and Drew Detlefsen delivered consecutive RBI sacrifice flies, UTSA had crossed four runs in the inning to build a 6-0 lead.

The Roadrunners added two runs in the seventh, one in the eighth and one more in the ninth for their ninth game with double figures in scoring.

Records

UTSA 12-1
New Mexico State 6-7

Coming up

UTSA at New Mexico State, Saturday, 7 p.m.
UTSA at New Mexico State, Sunday, noon

Notable

Coach Pat Hallmark can get his 200th victory at UTSA on Saturday in Las Cruces. Hallmark is now 199-112 as he begins his seventh season with the Roadrunners.

He is 265-160 in his ninth season as a Division I coach, including two at Incarnate Word.

UTSA forward Idara Udo came off the bench for eight points and four rebounds Wednesday in a two-point victory over North Texas. Udo had been out since Dec. 15 with a lower-leg injury. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Boosted by the return of forward Idara Udo, the UTSA Roadrunners women will host the Rice Owls on Saturday afternoon, hoping to take down the leaders in the American Conference title race.

On Wednesday, Udo played for the first time since Dec. 15 and provided a steadying influence on the team in holding off the North Texas Mean Green, 66-64.

The 6-foot-1 junior from Plano, who had been sidelined with a lower leg injury, scored eight points and pulled down four rebounds in nine minutes.

“The biggest thing is, she has experience,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “Even in those last timeouts, she’s a voice that’s been there and done it before. So I think (it’s) just the confidence that we have in her, because she’s experienced and she understands those moments.”

Another factor is that Udo’s return to active status gives the team 10 scholarship players and the strategic flexibility that another post player provides.

Rice is 18-3 and 8-0 in conference play under Coach Lindsay Edmonds. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Also, it might take some pressure off Cheyenne Rowe, who has led the team all season in scoring and rebounding but has probably had to play more minutes than coaches would like.

“It’s been a challenge rotationally for us,” Aston said. “Having her back allows everybody to sort of stay in their position. It allows Cheyenne to get some breaths.

“But, I also think that in the midst of that, our two young players (Emilia Dannebauer and Sanaa Bean) have gotten better.

“That’s exciting, because if we can get everybody in a rotation and stay healthy, then we have a chance to have an inside game that can be effective. I mean, (Cheyenne) was huge tonight but we just can’t depend on her every night.”

For the Roadrunners, defeating the Owls won’t be easy, even with Udo back in the lineup. Rice has won 13 games in a row and has forged a 16-1 record in its last 17 games.

But in the UTSA camp, players who have been in the program over the past few seasons may have a little more motivation than usual.

In 2024, the Owls entered the American’s postseason event in Frisco as an underdog. The Roadrunners, with forward Jordyn Jenkins returning from injury, were hopeful of winning it after beating the Owls in San Antonio on the last day of the regular season.

As it turned out, fourth-seeded UTSA was ousted in the semifinals by East Carolina, while 10th-seeded Rice was on its way to four straight wins, the conference postseason title and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Last season, UTSA swept Rice in two games in the regular season en route to a 17-1 record and the American’s regular season championship.

In the tournament, however, the ninth-seeded Owls ended the No. 1 Roadrunners’ NCAA dreams with a 62-58 victory in the quarterfinals.

Even though Rice reached the finals and lost to the South Florida Bulls, the team’s re-formation over the spring and summer proved to be successful.

Rice brought back veterans Dominique Ennis, San Antonio’s Hailey Adams, Aniah Alexis, Victoria Flores and Shelby Hayes.

Ennis, Alexis, Flores and Hayes average double figures in scoring. Adams, a junior from Clark, ranks as one of the nation’s best rebounders. She also leads the Owls in assists.

Adams is coming off a 10-point, 15-rebound effort in a 65-56 win over Temple. She averages 8.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 34 minutes.

Records

Rice 18-3, 8-0
UTSA 10-9, 5-3

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Notable

UTSA had won five straight in the series against its in-state rival before falling to the Owls in last season’s American quarterfinals. In the tournament game at Frisco, Alexis had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Ennis had 13 points and six boards. Flores hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Rice hold on to win. The all-time series is tied 16-16.

UTSA guard Ereauna Hardaway produced a season-high 19 points for her seventh straight game in double figures Saturday against Charlotte. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Senior guard Ereauna Hardaway scored five of her season-high 19 points and forced two turnovers in the final 1:25 of the game Saturday as the UTSA women stayed undefeated in the American Conference with a 69-63 victory over the Charlotte 49ers.

With the win, the Roadrunners (8-6, 3-0) claimed their third straight conference victory by single digits to open defense of their regular-season title.

Guard Princess Anderson scored 20 points as Charlotte (8-9, 2-2) dropped its second straight on a road trip to Texas.

The fourth quarter was a battle. For the entire 10 minutes, both teams stayed within one or two possessions of one another.

Led by Hardaway, a transfer from North Texas, UTSA pulled it out at the end.

Mia Hammonds produced 17 points and six rebounds and finished a plus 15 on the plus-minus metrics. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First, she hit a 17 footer off the wing to break a tie, putting her team in the lead by two with 1:25 remaining.

Two possessions later, she drew a charge, stepping in front of a driving Tanajah Hayes. The play stirred her teammates to jump up and scream along with the rest of the crowd.

In retaliation, the 49ers forced the Roadrunners into a turnover, when Asianae Nicholson stole an inbounds pass and raced the other way.

Drawing a foul, she made the first of two free throws, leaving Charlotte down by one at 64-63 with 22 seconds left.

Fouling on the inbounds, Charlotte put UTSA’s Damara Allen on the free throw line. Allen hit both for a three point lead. The exchange prompted the 49ers to call time again.

Their play nearly worked, as the 49ers hit a three off the wing, only to have the tying basket waved off on an offensive foul under the basket. The Niners asked for a review, and the call was upheld.

In the last 15 seconds, Hardaway hit three of four free throws and stole a pass to seal UTSA’s 12 straight victory in conference play dating back to last season.

UTSA pulled out the win after falling behind 9-0 to start the game and then after losing point guard Adriana Robles to an apparent ankle sprain late in the first half.

Robles, a starter, played only one minute after intermission following her injury at the end of the first half.

Forward Cheyenne Rowe had another big day with 16 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Again, I continue to be super proud of this team, just the resiliency that they’ve shown,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “It’s just one of those things where it seems there’s always something, as far as having kids out.

“This one (Hardaway) was out most of the week. Had a couple more kids out, and then Adriana goes down. It’s just a testament, first of all, to our leadership. Cheyenne (Rowe) and (Hardaway) are really leading the way.

“And the young guys are just doing what we’re asking them to do.”

One of the “young guys,” sophomore guard/forward Mia Hammonds, had one of her better games with her defensive effort and with 17 points on six of 10 shooting. Rowe hit eight of 13 from the floor and finished with 16.

For Charlotte, Anderson and Zoe Best did the most offensively. Anderson scored her 20 on nine of 19 shooting. Best knocked down eight of 12 and scored 19. Guard Asianae Nicholson produced seven points and 18 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end.

Janavia Gage also pulled down 12 as the 49ers won the rebounding battle, 47-34.

Records

Charlotte 8-9, 2-2
UTSA 8-6, 3-0

Coming up

UTSA at South Florida, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at Florida Atlantic, Friday, 6 p.m.

Notable

Injured UTSA forward Idara Udo did not play, but in a positive sign, she arrived at the arena without a walking boot that she had been wearing.

The Charlotte 49ers, under coach Tomekia Reed, came ready to play. They scored the first nine points of the game, took a 14-10 lead into the second quarter and held a one-point advantage with 3:39 to play. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The 6-1 junior from Plano sat out her fourth straight game against Charlotte. Also not playing and listed as out for the game were Maya Linton and Saher Alizada. Players listed out for the season were Taylor Ross, Sema Udo and Nyayongah Gony.

Of those six players, only Udo has played this season, which makes it all the more remarkable that the Roadrunners are 3-0 in conference. Last week, UTSA started league play with a 65-63 victory at home against Tulane and followed it with a 50-47 win on the road against Temple.

First half

Rowe turned and fired a 15-footer that swished at the halftime buzzer, lifting the UTSA Roadrunners into a 22-21 lead on the Charlotte 49ers.

The 49ers started fast, racing to a 9-0 lead on the Roadrunners, with guard Zoe Best scoring five of the points.

Charlotte went on to take a 14-10 advantage after one quarter as it held the home team to four of 17 shooting from the field.

UTSA retaliated in the second quarter with a defensive stand of its own. The Roadrunners held the 49ers to seven points on five of 18 shooting.

Mia Hammonds scored seven and Ereauna Hardaway six in the first half for the Roadrunners. Cheyenne Rowe, who didn’t have a shot attempt in the first quarter, scored four points in the second.

Rowe limped to the bench and had to come out for a minute in the first quarter.

Guard Adriana Robles, who helped fuel UTSA’s comeback, had to be helped off the floor in the last minute of the half. She was favoring an ankle.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Short-handed in the front court with an injury to Idara Udo and others, the UTSA Roadrunners found a way on Saturday.

They held on at the end of a tense struggle in Philadelphia to beat the Temple Owls, 50-47, behind a 14-point, 18-rebound performance from senior forward Cheyenne Rowe.

It was Rowe’s third double-double of the season and her second in two close American Conference victories.

“I thought she was a monster,” UTSA coach Karen Aston told the ESPN broadcast team. “She was very determined, on the boards, in particular. We’re obviously short-handed, and she was a beast.”

UTSA (7-6, 2-0) has won its first two games in American without Udo, who has been out for the past three games, and without three other power forwards who are out for the season.

The Roadrunners escaped the Liacouras Center victorious with a strong defense, holding the Owls (6-7, 0-1) to 27 points on 9 for 44 shooting through three quarters.

UTSA, the defending conference champions, built a 14-point lead late in the third and then fended off a charge at the end to claim its 11th straight regular-season conference victory dating back to last season.

Last year’s team won the conference with a 17-1 record.

“I thought we played really (resiliently) today,” Aston told the ESPN broadcasters. “We’ve had a lot of adversity this year. We’ve got kids out. You know, this group is growing up. We’re really super young. A lot of them haven’t been in this moment before.

“…I can’t say enough about how great my staff is doing with the preparation and how locked in the kids are. I mean, they’re really trying. They really want to be good.”

UTSA won in spite of some poor offensive execution. The Roadrunners shot only 34 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from the three-point line. From three, they hit only two out of 14.

At the end, in the final nine seconds, the Roadrunners missed three out of four free throws, leaving the door open for the Owls to send the game into overtime.

With Temple down by the eventual final score, the Owls failed to capitalize. Coming out of a timeout, they got the ball to guard Tristen Taylor, who missed a long three-pointer at the buzzer.

Rowe was the difference for the Roadrunners, as the senior from Canada made four of 13 from the field and six of six at the free throw line. On the boards, she pulled down four offensive and 10 defensive boards for her career high.

Damara Allen finished with 12 points, and Mia Hammonds and Ereauna Hardaway added 10 apiece.

For the Owls, Taylor scored 18 points and Drew Alexander added 11, including nine in the fourth quarter on three 3-pointers.

Kaylah Turner, the leading scorer in the conference, averaging 17 points per game, couldn’t get going. She was held to seven points on 3 for 18 shooting. One of the most prolific three-point shooters in the nation, Turner hit only one of seven from beyond the arc.

Records

UTSA 7-6, 2-0
Temple 6-7, 0-1

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA, Saturday, Jan. 10, noon.

First half

Rowe asserted herself with six points and four rebounds in the second quarter, leading the Roadrunners into the dressing room with a 25-18 lead at intermission.

With UTSA outscoring Temple 18-10 in the second, Damara Allen, Mia Hammonds and Adriana Robles also played key roles.

Allen scored four points on a couple of strong moves to the rim with left-handed layups. Hammonds also had four points in the period, one on a drive through traffic for a layup.

On another play, Robles and Hammonds trapped Temple star Kayla Turner and forced a turnover. Robles picked up the loose ball and tossed ahead to Hammonds for a layup.

The Owls made a play at the end to stem the Roadrunners’ momentum, with Turner getting a steal off Ereauna Hardaway and driving for a layup with one second left.

For Turner, the leading scorer in the American Conference, it was only her second field goal. The Roadrunners held her four points on two of 10 shooting.

Neither team could execute in a first quarter that ended with the Owls holding an 8-7 lead. Temple shot 4 of 19 in the period to UTSA’s 3 of 15.

Notable

Once again, the Roadrunners started the game with a two point-guard lineup, with both Ereauna Hardaway and Adriana Robles on the floor, along with Damara Allen on the wing.

Starting forwards were Cheyenne Rowe and Emilia Dannebauer.

Cleared to play for the first time this season, UTSA guard Siena Guttadauro played seven minutes off the bench and misfired on all three field goal attempts, including two 3-pointers. She sat out the team’s first 12 games. Guttadauro gave birth to a son, Dante, on July 24.

With Guttadauro in the lineup again, it left the Roadrunners with six scholarship athletes on the inactive list. Besides Udo, power forwards who are out for the season include Nyayongah Gony, Taylor Ross and Sema Udo.

Sema Udo is Idara Udo’s younger sister.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Gavin Griffiths scored 23 points and San Antonio’s Jordan Mason produced a double double Saturday afternoon as the Temple Owls turned back the UTSA men, 76-57, handing the Roadrunners their seventh straight loss.

The Owls, playing at home in the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, produced runs of 15-2 in the first half and 10-0 after intermission to remain undefeated in the American Conference. It was their sixth straight victory.

Coming out on top in a duel of point guards from San Antonio, Mason (from Clark High School) finished with 15 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. Mason hit five for 10 from the field.

UTSA’s Austin Nunez (from Wagner) had 12 points, three assists and a steal. Nunez shot four for five from the floor and four for four at the free throw line.

Jamir Simpson, Kaidon Rayfield and Dorian Hayes each scored 11 for the Roadrunners, who shot 32 percent from the field.

Records

UTSA 4-10, 0-2
Temple 10-5, 2-0

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

First half

Mason produced 10 points and five assists as the Owls built a 39-30 halftime lead on the Roadrunners.

Temple surged on a 15-2 run late in the half to break the game open. Forward Babatunde Durodola sparked the burst with two three-point plays.

He spun past UTSA forward Mo Njie, got fouled and hit a free throw with 5:14 remaining to push the Owls into a 32-18 advantage.

UTSA retaliated by scoring eight of the next 11 points, with seven of them coming from freshman guard Dorian Hayes.

Later on, with less than a minute remaining, Nunez executed a cross-over dribble to free himself for a driving layup, and UTSA had pulled to within 37-30.

On the other end, Mason finished the scoring for the half on a drive to the bucket and a layup.

Hayes led the Roadrunners in the half with nine points on two of five shooting. With the performance he broke out of a slump in which he shot three of 24 from the field in his last three games.

Notable

Temple played without Derrion Ford, the team’s leading scorer. UTSA was without forward Macaleab Rich, who suffered a groin injury in a loss at Florida Atlantic on New Year’s Eve.

UTSA has lost seven in a row, the longest skid in Austin Claunch’s two years as coach. The Roadrunners haven’t won since it defeated Georgia Southern on Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla.

Two of the losses have been by 40 points more more, including 97-55 at Alabama and 110-70 at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday. UTSA’s opponents in the skid were 75-24 coming into the weekend.