By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
UTSA will host a couple of American Conference basketball games on Wednesday at the Convocation Center, with the women meeting the North Texas Mean Green at 3 p.m. and the men taking on the UAB Blazers at 7.
Women’s basketball
Game 1 — North Texas at UTSA
3 p.m.
Men’s basketball
Game 2 — UAB at UTSA
7 p.m.
Game 1 at a glance
North Texas (11-9, 5-3) — UTSA fans will have their first opportunity to see Mean Green forward Megan Nestor, who leads the nation in rebounding (13.2) and ranks eighth in the conference in scoring (12.9). A native of St. Lucia in the Caribbean, she made headlines in December with a 34-point, 31-rebound game against Texas Southern. The Wayland Baptist transfer also pulled down 27 boards in North Texas’ 57-53 loss to Tulsa at home last Friday. Another storyline centers on the return of North Texas guard Aysia Proctor to the Convocation Center. The former standout at San Antonio-area Clemens High School played two seasons at UTSA before entering the transfer portal last spring. Proctor leads the Mean Green in scoring (13.6) and steals (1.5). North Texas has lost two of its last three.
UTSA (9-9, 4-3) — Decimated by injuries to six scholarship players, the defending conference champion Roadrunners aren’t playing well. They’ve have dropped three of their last four games and two in a row. After a dispiriting 52-40 loss at Memphis last Friday, fifth-year UTSA coach Karen Aston suggested that the team had “hit the wall,” not playing with the necessary effort or concentration. However blunt the assessment, it rang true, because early in the second half it felt as if UTSA might not finish the game with 35 points. Against a team with only one win in the conference, no less. On the flip side, the Roadrunners will enter the North Texas game with solid upper-class leadership in Cheyenne Rowe and Ereauna Hardaway and talented underclassmen who tend to play better at home. Like Proctor, Hardaway may have added motivation in that she played the past three seasons at North Texas. Rowe averages 12.6 points and 8.8 rebounds, and Hardaway 10.9 points and 5.1 assists.
Game 2 at a glance
UAB (12-8, 3-4) — Sixth-year UAB coach Andy Kennedy has averaged 25 wins over the last five seasons at the program based in Birmingham, Ala. His Blazers reached the NCAA tournament in 2022, out of Conference USA, and in 2024, out of the American. If they hope to reach the 20-win plateau or the national tournament this season, they’ll need to turn it on down the stretch to get there. Knowing Kennedy and his reputation for success, though, it wouldn’t be surprising if his team is ready to make it happen. Lad by guards Chance Westry and Jacob Meyer, the Blazers average 82.4 points a game. Both score 14-plus scorers per night. Three others average 11 points plus. So, they are explosive. Also, they’ve been good lately on the road. UAB is 3-0 in the American in games played away from home. Of course, it’s a mystery surrounds why they are 0-4 in conference at home.
UTSA (4-16, 0-8) — All eyes in the Convocation Center in the night game will be on the home team Roadrunners, who will hit the floor trying to snap out of a school-record 13-game losing streak. Injuries could be a factor against the Blazers as electric sophomore Baboucarr Njie, coming off a 25-point, 10-rebound, 5-block performance last Saturday in a 70-64 loss to Temple, might be limited with his mobility. Njie tweaked an ankle early in the second half in the Temple game. Guard Dorian Hayes also could be affected with shoulder issues. Three players are out for the season, including Vasean Allette, the team’s top offseason pickup out of the transfer portal. Allette is our for personal reasons. Also sitting out are forward Macaleab Rich and guard Pierce Spencer (for the season) and center Stanley Borden (game by game).
Quotable
Second-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch had this to say Monday on a zoom conference:
“I was really happy with the way we played against Temple. Certainly the best we’ve played in the league. I don’t think anybody would debate that. You know, got to finish the first half a little bit better, but still had a halftime lead. They came out with a better three minutes in that second to build that lead to 12. I think that was their biggest second-half lead.
“I was really proud of our group to battle back the way that we did. Got the thing back to one with about seven or eight minutes left. It was just a good college basketball game (with) runs made on each side. They just made a couple more plays than we did. I told our team afterward, it’s hard. That’s the first time we’d been in that situation in league play. We got to put ourselves in more situations like that to finish those games.
“We’re excited for Wednesday. (The Temple game was) certainly something to build off of. (Monday’s) an important day of prep. We’ll get out here and run around a little bit. Have a physical (practice) tomorrow (Tuesday). We’ll build up. (Baboucarr Njie) obviously got hurt the other day. He’ll be fine but he won’t (practice) much (Monday) with his ankle, make sure he’s ready to go by Wednesday. And Dorian (Hayes), obviously, with his shoulder. We want guys getting healthy. So (Monday) will be an important day of prep and have a good one (Tuesday), as well, and come out here and play well Wednesday.”
Correction: A previous version of this report misidentified Aysia Proctor’s high school. Proctor attended Clemens High School.