
Jordyn Jenkins finishes cutting down the net at the Convocation Center after UTSA clinched the 2024-25 American Athletic Conference regular-season title on Saturday. – Photo by Joe Alexander
By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
Forget about all those losing seasons in years past. Turn down all the negative vibes. As of about 2 p.m. Saturday, the UTSA Roadrunners became champions. Undisputed champs. For real. They donned championship hats, danced in sprays of confetti and then cut down the nets at the Convocation Center.
Led by a subtle tour-de-force showing from star forward Jordyn Jenkins on Senior Day, the Roadrunners downed the FAU Owls 60-42 to win the American Athletic Conference women’s basketball title outright, establishing school records for wins in a season (25) and single-game attendance (2,250) in the process.
With only a Tuesday night road game at East Carolina remaining before the AAC tournament, the Roadrunners improved to an eye-popping 25-3 overall and to 16-1 in the conference. In addition, the team added to its burgeoning legacy in the program’s history by finishing the home schedule undefeated (13-0) for the first time since 1984-85.
“I think we all want to take a deep breath right now,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “It’s been a long journey, for sure. A lot of pressure, to be honest with you. Three quarters of the way through (the schedule) I think we knew we had a shot at this thing. I know the players have felt pressure.
“It’s been a pretty wonderful journey — and we’re not done yet. This is a pretty unbelievable experience for all of us.”
Next week, UTSA will enter the AAC tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Roadrunners have earned a double bye and will open play in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 10, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
In Fort Worth, they likely will need to win three games in three days to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament, which has always been the team’s ultimate goal. But for now, the Roadrunners will savor the present. And, by all measure, they have earned that luxury after winning eight games in a row and 18 of their last 19.
“I think this has been a goal of ours from the very beginning,” Jenkins said, “so finally tasting it is, like, surreal. I mean, like, confetti. What? But, no, it’s cool. Cutting the net down? All that. We kind of manifested this and have been working toward this goal. We’re now just living it.”
The festivities started early in the morning at the Convocation Center, with fans sitting in the parking lot, cooking food and listening to country music. A blow-up house in which kids could enter and bounce up and down on a sunny morning was part of the scene.
Inside the building, there was a distinctive bounce to the atmosphere, as well. By the time officials saluted seniors Jenkins and Nina De Leon Negron in a pre-game ceremony, fans had jammed the seats in the lower section.
Some were even watching from the upper section of seating, which has been unheard of at UTSA women’s basketball until this season, when the Roadrunners have suddenly become a talking point on social media.
Marketing has also been in overdrive, promoting the regular-season home finale as “The Last Dance,” with an image of Jenkins and De Leon Negron on a poster.
“I mean, I just feel like just celebrating this moment,” De Leon Negron said. “And, like, every single emotion I’ve been feeling, I feel like I never felt ’em before. It just feels like everything’s worth it. I’m just happy. I’m just really happy.”
Watching her teammates rolling on the floor in the confetti and all the fans mingling, shaking hands and making cell-phone photos, UTSA junior Sidney Love had a wide grin on her face, saying the championship had a spiritual meaning for her.
“It feels amazing,” Love said. “All our hard work just paid off. This is just a testament to that. We give all our glory to God, though. We got God first. It’s just an amazing feeling. He led us all the way here, and we’re going to keep going.”
For the Roadrunners, winning 89.3 percent of their games this season hasn’t always been as stress-free as Saturday’s clincher against the AAC’s last-place Owls, who never led. In fact, UTSA has won three in conference by two points.
In another, on the road against the second-tier Memphis Tigers, they trailed by 11 with 3:44 remaining, started a furious rally and ended up winning by nine. Reporters have asked the Roadrunners a compelling question in the wake of these gut-it-out victories. What makes them so tough?
“I don’t know,” Love said. “I just think we all have our eyes on the prize, and we’re all really determined to get to that goal.”
In the 68-team NCAA tournament, teams have two avenues into the field — either with an automatic bid as a reward for winning a conference tournament, or with an at-large bid.
In the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings published Saturday morning, UTSA was ranked 73rd in the nation, with 20 non-power conference programs ranked higher, so it might be a long shot to think that the Roadrunners would have a realistic chance of getting an at-large bid.
Aston said UTSA and other top teams in the AAC should get consideration if they come up short of winning it all Fort Worth.
“I think the American is too good for a one-bid league,” she said. “I’m sorry. I can’t buy that, and I hope we get some recognition somewhere along the way.”
Regardless, the coach of the Roadrunners said she believes her team will be ready after being ousted in the semifinals last year. Aston’s best player said she is ready.
“I’m excited,” Jenkins said. “I know it’s going to be tough. Three games in three days. But, I played two games in two days twice this year. I feel like my body’s ready to get a third one in there.”
Records
Florida Atlantic 10-20, 2-15
UTSA 25-3, 16-1
Coming up
UTSA at East Carolina, Tuesday, 5 p.m.
(end of regular season)
UTSA at AAC tournament, in Fort Worth, March 10-12
Notable
The Roadrunners flexed their muscle as one of the top rebounding teams in the nation statistically, out-boarding the Owls 43-28, including 21-9 on the offensive glass. Because of the rebounding disparity, and also because of 19 FAU turnovers, UTSA took 20 more shots than the visitors. The Roadrunners were a modest 23 of 63 from the field. But the Owls were even more modest, 15 of 43.
Individuals
FAU – Guard Stefanie Ingram led the Owls with 17 points on six of 11 shooting. She hit four of six from three. The rest of the team couldn’t find the mark from behind the arc, shooting just two of 16. The Owls had only 10 players warming up before the game and all played
UTSA – Forward Jordyn Jenkins finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes. She also had two steals and two blocked shots. With Jenkins drawing attention from the defense, small forward Maya Linton hit three of the team’s seven three-point baskets and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Linton pulled down five boards on the offensive end. Sidney Love scored 10, all in the third quarter. Nina De Leon Negron, heralded in Senior Day ceremonies, finished with three points, six rebounds and three assists. Idara Udo and Cheyenne Rowe, key members of UTSA’s powerful frontcourt, each scored nine. Rowe hit three for five from the field, boosting her field goals to 12 for 20 over the last four.
First half
The Roadrunners hit four of their last six shots from the field to open up a 29-18 lead at halftime. Included in the spree were three three-point shots, one each by Maya Linton, Cheyenne Rowe and Jordyn Jenkins.
After Senior Day a Senior Day ceremony in the pre-game, one of the seniors, Jenkins, produced nine points, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the half. The other, Nina De Leon Negron, had three points, four rebounds and three assists.