Temple grinds out a 56-48 victory over the UTSA women

Jordyn Jenkins. Temple defeated UTSA 56-48 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins produced 15 points and 10 rebounds, but the Temple Owls won 56-48 in a physical battle Thursday night at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The first-place Temple Owls held UTSA without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter Thursday night, riding a strong defensive effort to a 56-48 victory over the Roadrunners at the Convocation Center. The win was the fourth in a row for the Temple women. It also gave the Owls a 2-0 sweep over the Roadrunners in the season series.

Moreover, it was the first time in five games this season that the Roadrunners played a team in first place in the American Athletic Conference standings and lost. Over the past five weeks, UTSA had claimed victories in such situations over Charlotte, North Texas and UAB, all at home, and North Texas again on the road last Sunday in Denton.

Elyssa Coleman. Temple defeated UTSA 56-48 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Center Elyssa Coleman (white jersey, No. 0) had 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Roadrunners. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Leading by seven after the first quarter, the Roadrunners couldn’t capitalize on the fast start. The Owls kept hitting the offensive boards and finding their way to the free-throw line. On the night, Temple won the rebounding battle, 48-42, including a 22-10 edge on the offensive glass. The Owls also made a living at the line, knocking down 18 of 28 to UTSA’s 9 of 15.

“We got obliterated on the boards, and that’s really the story of the game,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said on the team’s radio broadcast.

Temple led by two at halftime and by three at the end of three periods. Oddly enough, the Owls missed 11 shots in a row at one point in the third and still led 43-40 going into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, UTSA came unraveled. The Roadrunners misfired on their first six shots. Meanwhile, the Owls were doing just enough on the offensive end to start pulling away. After corralling a defensive rebound, they rushed it up the court. Guard Tiarra East passed to Denise Solis, who knocked down a jumper for a 51-41 lead with 3:31 remaining.

UTSA never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

“We just couldn’t make a perimeter shot to loosen anything up at all,” Aston said. “And then they just got to the point where they didn’t want to shoot it because they were having maybe not a good night. I thought the 22 offensive boards were the difference in the game. We just couldn’t put our foot down on them, at all. Just one of those (nights). They outplayed us.”

Temple women's basketball coach Diane Richardson. Temple defeated UTSA 56-48 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Temple women’s basketball coach Diane Richardson watched as her team forced 17 turnovers and outrebounded UTSA 22-10 on the offensive glass. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins came off the bench to produce 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Roadrunners. Center Elyssa Coleman had 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. Idara Udo, another member of the Roadrunners’ frontcourt, produced nine points and five boards. UTSA’s starting backcourt, meanwhile, struggled to find a rhythm. Three backcourt starters combined to shoot five for 21 from the field.

Guard Tiarra East led the Owls with 18 points, including 10 in the second half when she made eight of 10 at the free-throw line. Five-foot-six Aleah Nelson added 11 points and Demi Washington had 10.

Starting forward Rayne Tucker and Solis, a reserve center, came up big on the boards for Temple. Both had eight rebounds apiece and combined for seven on the offensive glass. Both Solis and Ines Piper, a forward, came off the bench to grab four offensive boards apiece.

Perhaps most frustrating for UTSA, Temple shot just 26.9 percent from the field and still managed to win. And a big win it was for the Owls, who are in the pole position coming down the stretch for the AAC regular-season title . Temple leads the race at 10-4, followed by North Texas and Tulsa at 9-5.

UAB and Rice are next at 9-6, followed by Charlotte and South Florida, both 8-7. East Carolina, SMU and UTSA are next at 7-7.

Records

Temple 16-10, 10-4
UTSA 13-12, 7-7

Coming up

FAU at UTSA, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Third quarter

As the game evolved into a defensive struggle, the Owls shot only two of 19 from the field in the third period. But they made up for it with numerous trips to the free-throw line. The Owls hit 9 of 13 at the line to forge a 43-40 lead on the Roadrunners. Conversely, UTSA did not get to the line in the quarter.

First half

Trailing by seven after the first period, the Owls retaliated with a 19-10 outburst to take a 30-28 lead at halftime. Guard Tiarra East and forward Ines Parker ignited a Temple rally in the second quarter.

East scored six points in a row for the Owls at one juncture. Roadrunners forward Jordyn Jenkins scored seven in the period to keep the Roadrunners in it. Jenkins hit three of five from the floor in the quarter, while the Roadrunners as a team managed only four of 15 afield.

Notable

The UT System on Wednesday approved a funding plan for UTSA’s proposed Volleyball and Basketball Training Facility. According to the UT System’s agenda, posted online, the facility will cost $35 million. Broken down, $15 million will come from Revenue Financing System Bond Proceeds, $10 million from designated funds and $10 million in grants from the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. The facility will be built adjacent to the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence on the west end of campus. Construction is expected to start in 2025, with ‘substantial’ completion by August 2026 and ‘final’ completion in November of 2026.

UTSA women host first-place Temple tonight at the Convocation Center

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Undefeated in games against first-place teams in the American Athletic Conference, the UTSA women hope to win again against another league leader tonight when they host the Temple Owls at 6:30 at the Convocation Center.

Temple (15-10 overall) has won three in a row and five out of its last six to take the lead in the 14-team AAC race at 9-4. UTSA (13-11) has won two of its last three to move into sixth place at 7-6.

Over the past five and a half weeks, the Roadrunners have earned a reputation for beating AAC leaders, knocking off Charlotte, North Texas, UAB and North Texas again.

Most recently, they came away with their biggest road victory of the season when they downed North Texas 66-63 on Sunday afternoon in Denton. Forward Jordyn Jenkins, in her third game back after sitting out the first 21 recovering from a knee injury, led the way with 29 points off the bench.

In facing the Owls, the Roadrunners will meet a team that handed them a loss in their first AAC game. On Dec. 30, the newcomers to the conference played the Owls in Philadelphia and took a beating. Temple won 71-58 after dominating the fourth quarter, 20-12.

Afterward, UTSA coach Karen Aston credited the Owls’ guard play as making a difference in the outcome.

“Their guards were tough,” Aston said after the game. “(They had) tough-minded guards, with the ability to rise up and make really tough shots.”

Backcourt players Aleah Nelson, Tiarra East and Demi Washington lead the Owls in scoring for the season. Against the Roadrunners in the first meeting of the season, guards Terriyonna Gary and Tristen Taylor played well late in the game.

Records

Temple 15-10, 9-4
UTSA 13-11, 7-6

Coming up

FAU at UTSA, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Surprising Tulane women sink 13 threes in defeating UTSA, 75-64

Tulane Amira Mabry

Forward Amira Mabry, a Tulane sophomore from San Antonio-area Judson High School, scored 15 points Sunday to lead the Green Wave to a 75-64 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

College basketball sometimes is just a crazy game. Sometimes, up is down and down is up. That might be one explanation for what happened Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.

The Tulane Green Wave women entered the matinee at UTSA with an 0-4 record in their four American Athletic Conference road games. UTSA came in 4-0 at home in the AAC.

So, what happened? Tulane knocked down 13 three-point baskets, held UTSA to 39 percent shooting and emerged with a 75-64 victory.

Elyssa Coleman. Tulane beat UTSA 75-64 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Elyssa Coleman led the charge for UTSA with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Coleman scored nine in the fourth quarter when the Roadrunners made a push to get back in the game. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Amira Mabry, a Tulane sophomore from Judson High School, led the Green Wave with 15 points. She hit six of eight from the field, including two of three from the three-point arc.

For Mabry, the day was made all the more special given she had fans cheering her on from one section of the West Side seating of UTSA’s home arena.

“It felt like a home game,” Mabry said. “You know, this is the first time that I’ve been able to play in front of my whole family and support system since I’ve been in college, and it just felt really good.”

Guard Marta Golic led five Tulane players with multiple three-point baskets made with four. Mabry, Kaylah Rainey, Chiara Grattini and Kyren Whittington sank two apiece.

Another factor in the outcome turned out to be Tulane’s zone defense and its effect on UTSA’s offense, particularly early in the game.

Struggling to find a rhythm, the Roadrunners shot 4 of 19 from the field and turned it over five times in the first quarter. In the second period, the UTSA shooters did a little better, making 5 of 12 afield. Nevertheless, the offense continued to falter with another five turnovers for a maddening total of 10 in the half.

By that time, Tulane really started get hot from the perimeter. The Green Wave hit six triples in the second period and took a 36-23 lead into intermission.

Aysia Proctor. Tulane beat UTSA 75-64 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman guard Aysia Proctor played well, producing 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I think when we play together and communicate and work together, our zone (defense) is really our man,” Mabry said. “That’s just a big asset that we have.”

For the Roadrunners, a good sign for the program emerged with an announced crowd of 990 turning out on a sunny weekend afternoon in February.

UTSA coach Karen Aston thanked the fans for their support and said she wished her team could have played better.

“It just seemed to be one of those days that we didn’t have our best in us,” she said. “I didn’t think we had a sense of urgency about us, but I think Tulane played really, really well.

“I think sometimes you have to give some credit to your opponent and how they played the game. They shot the ball really, really well and we just didn’t have an answer for them today.”

Center Elyssa Coleman led the Roadrunners with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Aysia Proctor scored 14 points and Sidney Love 10. UTSA finished with 26 of 66 shooting (for 39.4 percent) and 17 turnovers.

The Green Wave, who shot 55.1 percent for the game, played particularly well in the middle two quarters. They led by 18 at the end of the third period and by as many as 22 in the fourth.

Idara Udo. Tulane beat UTSA 75-64 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Surrounded by defenders in the paint all afternoon, forward Idara Udo had eight points on four of eight shooting. – Photo by Joe Alexander

For UTSA (11-10, 5-5 in the American), the loss was a tough way to open the second half of the conference schedule after winning games in the first half against the Charlotte 49ers, the South Florida Bulls and the North Texas Mean Green.

The Roadrunners had beaten North Texas, the leader in the American, in overtime on Wednesday. A victory over Tulane would have elevated them into a six-way tie for fourth place. Instead, they fell back to ninth.

For Tulane (10-11 overall, 3-7 in the American), the victory represented a step forward. Last Sunday, the Wave lost at home to Temple by 18 points for their fourth straight loss. Since then, they have pushed ahead, winning at home against the 49ers on Wednesday and now on the road against the Roadrunners.

Records

Tulane 10-11, 3-7
UTSA 11-10, 5-5

Coming up

UAB at UTSA, Sunday, Feb. 11, at 1 p.m.

Karen Aston. Tulane beat UTSA 75-64 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston’s Roadrunners had notched victories over Charlotte, South Florida and North Texas in conference before they fell on Sunday to the hot-shooting Tulane Green Wave. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Notable

UTSA outrebounded Tulane 39-21, including a 22-6 margin on the offensive glass. Coleman was a force on the offensive boards with nine. UTSA finished the game by hitting only six of 22 from the three-point arc. Tulane sank 13 of 28 triples.

First quarter

Much to the Roadrunners’ chagrin, the Green Wave scored the last eight points of the period and took an 11-10 lead after the game’s first 10 minutes.

Guard Marta Galic sparked the outburst with two threes, one from the top of the arc and the other from deep off the left wing.

Tulane’s zone defense was effective, limiting UTSA to 4 of 19 shooting from the field. The Roadrunners also turned it over five times.

Second quarter

Tulane’s inspired play at the end of the first period carried over into the second. The Green Wave hit eight of 13 from the field and knocked down six of of nine from three-point distance.

In the last three minutes, Tulane made four straight three balls to take a stunning, 36-23 lead on UTSA’s home court.

First, Kyren Whittington dropped back-to-back triples on the Roadrunners. Later, to end the half, Chiara Grattini did the honors with two straight.

All told, Tulane knocked down nine triples in the first half. Defensively, the Green Wave executed a zone defense that held the Roadrunners to nine of 31 shooting for 29 percent.

Third quarter

Even though the Roadrunners started off well, with Kyra White and Proctor making consecutive three-pointers to trim the lead to Wave’s lead to seven, Mabry and Galic answered with consecutive triples of their own to push the lead back to 13.

Later, UTSA constructed a 7-0 run capped by Siena Guttadauro’s corner three. When Guttadauro’s shot found the mark, UTSA was within eight with 4:27 to go. But Tulane promptly went on a 12-2 burst to take a 56-38 lead into the final period. Galic knocked down two threes in the streak.

UTSA women take down another first-place team, beating North Texas, 75-67, in OT

Idara Udo made a basket and was fouled 3:36 left in OT put UTSA up 60-59 and gave the Roadrunners the lead for good. UTSA beat North Texas 75-67 in overtime in American Conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman Idara Udo shouts at the fans after she hits a basket that turned into a three-point play in overtime. As Udo finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, the Roadrunners stopped a seven-game winning streak by the North Texas Mean Green.- Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After a month of women’s basketball games in the American Athletic Conference, Coach Karen Aston’s UTSA Roadrunners have started to build sort of a dual identity.

On the road, they play with maddening inconsistency, sometimes on both ends of the floor. At times, their play results in blowout losses.

At home in the Convocation Center, they seem to take on a different personality altogether — hungry, focused, confident — even against the best teams in the AAC.

Kyleigh McGuire. UTSA beat North Texas 75-67 in overtime in American Conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Kyleigh McGuire defends the basket as Madison Cockrell drops down to crowd a North Texas offensive player. The Roadrunners held the Mean Green to 28.9 percent shooting. North Texas came in shooting 47.6 percent. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Roadrunners showed off their winning form in front of the home fans again on Wednesday night, knocking off the North Texas Mean Green 75-67 in overtime.

With the victory, they successfully defended home court in conference play, running their record to 4-0 at the Convocation Center in AAC games.

Moreover, two of those victories have come against teams that were in first place in conference when they arrived in San Antonio — Charlotte, and now North Texas.

“Obviously, our team likes playing at home,” Aston said. “We like the confines of the Convocation Center, and we like playing in front of our fans.

“Just super proud of our defensive effort tonight, just our resilience.

“It was one of those games where nothing was perfect and everything didn’t go our way all the time, but I loved our attitude — particularly in overtime. It was just a very focused group tonight. Very proud of ’em.”

Two freshman helped UTSA win the game in the five-minute extra period. Aysia Proctor scored seven points and Idara Udo had five.

The Roadrunners surged late in the overtime behind Proctor, Udo and others.

Undeterred, the Mean Green made a game of it, cutting down a nine point lead to four when Jaauckland Moore drained a long three with 25 seconds left.

Sidney Love. UTSA beat North Texas 75-67 in overtime in American Conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sent to the bench in foul trouble early, Sidney Love rebounded to finish with 13 points and six boards. Love is a sophomore from San Antonio area Steele High School. — Photo by Joe Alexander

On UTSA’s next possession, the Roadrunners stayed solid against the Mean Green’s pressure and got the ball to Proctor, who hit two free throws at 0:11 to put it out of reach.

UTSA’s defense was the story.

The Mean Green entered the game averaging 75 points per outing, with their two post starters — DesiRay Kernal and Tommisha Lampkin — averaging 32 points between them.

In the end, the two weren’t much of a factor, combining for only 12 points and 3 of 23 shooting from the field. Kernal, a Player of the Year candidate, was 0 for 9 and scored only three points.

Asked how it happened, Aston said, “Honestly, just some determination (by) our entire team. I thought we had special moments where we helped each other. But just the determination of our post players to beat them to spots and make their shots tough.

“They’re really, really good. I think we knew that and respected that and we played like we respected it.”

On Jan. 14, Udo played a major role in UTSA’s 81-80 double-overtime victory against Charlotte. Not only did she score a career-high 26 points, but she also hit the game winning shot with 2.3 seconds remaining.

Udo’s presence again was a factor in an overtime game against a contender, as she rebounded her own miss, followed it with a layup and drew a foul with 3:36 remaining against North Texas.

Alexis Parker. UTSA beat North Texas 75-67 in overtime in American Conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sophomore Alexis Parker from San Antonio’s Brandeis High School had a solid game with six points and four rebounds in 17 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

After a UTSA home crowd announced at 942 stopped screaming, she knocked down the free throw to give the Roadrunners a two-point lead.

“Just doing what I can to get stops, get rebounds, putbacks,” Udo said. “Whatever I can.”

Clearly in the running for an all-freshman team designation in the AAC, Udo led the Roadrunners in scoring with 14 points on five of nine shooting. She also had a team-leading 12 rebounds, with six of them on the offensive end. From the backcourt, Sidney Love scored 13 and Proctor had 11, while 6-foot-3 center Elyssa Coleman was a steady force throughout, notching nine points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

Coleman, UTSA’s all-time leader in blocks with 129, seemed to save her rejections for the most opportune times for the Roadrunners. She had one near the end of the second quarter, one at the end of the third and another right at the start of the overtime period.

“Since I’m the last line of defense, in my head, it’s a dire need to get a stop,” Coleman said, in discussing what it’s like to swat away a shot. “I’m pretty lanky, and I time things pretty well. I’ve been getting away from that these past two games, but I think I’m back.”

Records

North Texas 17-4, 7-2
UTSA 11-9, 5-4

Coming up

Tulane at UTSA, Sunday, 2 p.m.

Notable

UTSA coach Karen Aston went deep into her bench in the second quarter and it paid off with solid performances from Alexis Parker, Kyleigh McGuire, Cheyenne Rowe and others. When it was over, the Roadrunners were leading at halftime, 35-28.

Parker came alive with five points in the period, including a drive that turned into a three-point play with about a minute remaining. Rowe and McGuire played well on the defensive end and Rowe, at one point drove it into the teeth of the Mean Green defense and scored.

In the last five minutes of the half, the Roadrunners dominated the top team in the conference, running off on a 15-4 run to the buzzer. UTSA his six of seven shots from the field in the sequence.


Aysia Proctor, a freshman from San Antonio-area Clemens, drills a three that puts UTSA ahead by nine points with 1:24 left in overtime. Proctor had seven points in the extra period. – Video by Jerry Briggs