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.