Freshman duo leads UTSA past New Mexico State, 58-55

Idara Udo (No. 25) had a key blocked shot with 7 seconds left. UTSA beat New Mexico State 58-55 in women's basketball on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Idara Udo (at right) blocked a shot and controlled it with seven seconds left in UTSA’s 58-55 victory over New Mexico State on Friday night at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special to The JB Replay

A women’s college basketball duel between scrappy defenses unfolded Friday night at the Convocation Center, and in the end, the UTSA Roadrunners out-scrapped the New Mexico State Aggies, 58-55.

The Roadrunners willed themselves out of a five-point halftime deficit and into the euphoric realm of their first victory of the season by holding the Aggies to a combined 24 points over the course of the third and fourth quarters.

Idara Udo (No. 25) had a key blocked shot with 7 seconds left. UTSA beat New Mexico State 58-55 in women's basketball on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Idara Udo screams in celebration after she blocks what could have been a game-tying field goal attempt by New Mexico State’s Molly Kaiser in the final seconds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Another highlight of the team’s home opener centered around the play of two freshmen, guard Aysia Proctor and forward Idara Udo.

Proctor, who played in high school last season at Clemens in the San Antonio area, hit eight of nine shots from the field and scored a team-high 19 points.

Udo, from Plano East in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, contributed a steal and a blocked shot in the final minute to help fend off the Aggies.

The last 2:34 of the game was definitely a “how-about-that” type of moment for 712 fans who were watching to see what would happen down the stretch without injured Roadrunners star forward Jordyn Jenkins.

The two freshmen didn’t flinch, and UTSA ended up celebrating a significant victory against a team that won 18 games last season.

“I loved it,” UTSA senior Kyra White said. “I believe they both played well. Aysia, I’ve seen it first hand, how she can score the basketball. So, just having that element out there, it really takes a lot of pressure off me, Sid (Love) and Elyssa (Coleman).

“And Idara just being a big physical presence down there, it allows us guards to know that we can get up and pressure the ball, knowing we have somebody at the back, behind us, protecting the rim.”

With the crowd on edge near the end of the game, Proctor circled the defense, caught a looping pass from White and hit a layup for five-point UTSA lead with 2:34 remaining.

Udo saved her dramatics for the final 31 seconds. First, she made a steal and then she blocked Molly Kaiser’s shot with seven seconds left.

After the block against a driving Kaiser, the crowd erupted, with Udo and teammate Hailey Atwood jumping up for an emphatic chest-bump.

“When she got that block, I was super excited for her,” said Proctor, who sank one of two free throws with three seconds left for the game’s final point. “That’s my girl, Idara.”

Aysia Proctor. UTSA beat New Mexico State 58-55 in women's basketball on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Aysia Proctor scored 19 points on eight-of-nine shooting in her UTSA home debut. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA opened the season on Monday on the road at Arizona State. Playing without Jenkins, who is recovering from a knee injury, it was not a positive experience for the Roadrunners, who fell behind by as many as 27 points before losing 70-55.

Against New Mexico State, UTSA shot it poorly in the first half but didn’t collapse.

“It’s been a long time since we played (at home),” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “So I think it was exciting for everyone to get back in the Convo. It’s been a good place for us. Our crowds have grown. Our players get excited to play at home. We looked like a different team tonight than we did in Arizona.”

Aston said maybe the Roadrunners “took a growth step” in Arizona in learning how to deal with pressure. At Tempe, Aston said it looked like her players “played with fear.”

“Tonight I thought we stayed calm,” she said. “We didn’t look rattled by anything. It’s hard to describe how much we improved in 48 hours defensively, so I’m super proud of that. I think we’ll shoot the ball better than we shot tonight. I’m not worried about that. These kids are in the gym all the time. I know that improvement will happen.”

Records

New Mexico State 0-2
UTSA 1-1

Coming up

UTSA at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Wednesday, at 7 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners played extended portions of the game with an all-San Antonio area backcourt of Kyra White (Judson High School), Sidney Love (Steele) and Proctor (Clemens).

The second quarter opened with the game tied, but New Mexico State surged late in the period behind forward Tylie Jones to take a 31-26 lead.

Down by five at the break, the Roadrunners turned it on in the third period, outscoring the Aggies 19-9 to take a 45-40 advantage. Proctor and White had five points each in the run and Maya Linton, hustling on both ends of the floor, scored four.

Individuals

New Mexico State — Six-foot forward Tylie Jones scored 17 points and stepped out to hit four of five from the three-point arc. Guards Molly Kaiser and Sabou Gueye had 13 points apiece. Gueye was busy in many facets of the game, gathering seven rebounds (four on the offensive glass) and making four steals. Ene Adams led the Aggies with nine boards.

UTSAAysia Proctor scored 19 points and pulled down five rebounds in a little more than 22 minutes off the bench. She scored on drives, from the mid range and at the three-point line, where she knocked down two of three. Kyra White was all over the place on the box score, including scoring (13 points), rebounding (eight), assists (three) and steals (three). Idara Udo snared a team-high 11 rebounds, blocked two shots and scored two points. Elyssa Coleman, who was held scoreless before fouling out at Arizona State, bounced back with a seven-point, seven-rebound and four-block showing against New Mexico State.

Idara Udo (No. 25) had a key blocked shot with 7 seconds left. UTSA beat New Mexico State 58-55 in women's basketball on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

A moment to celebrate came late in the fourth quarter as UTSA players held on for their first victory of the season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA women in home opener Friday against New Mexico State

By Jerry Briggs
For The JB Replay

The UTSA basketball teams return to action Friday, with the women hosting the New Mexico State Aggies and the men hitting the road to meet the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Here is a look at the matchups:

New Mexico State at UTSA women

At a glance: The Aggies (0-1) and the Roadrunners (0-1) will play Friday at 7 p.m. at the UTSA Convocation Center.

New Mexico State: The Aggies lost 68-57 at home Monday night to the Arizona Wildcats. Falling behind by 13 points after one quarter, New Mexico State rallied to make it close but couldn’t overcome 49 percent shooting by Arizona. Senior guard Molly Kaiser produced 22 points and six rebounds for the Aggies. Kaiser hit four of six from 3-point distance. Junior guard Sabou Gueye scored 13 points. New Mexico State has joined a revamped Conference USA, and in the C-USA preseason poll, the Aggies were picked sixth out of nine teams. Coach Jody Adams has entered her second season with the program, after leading New Mexico State last year to records of 18-17 and 10-8 in the Western Athletic Conference.

UTSA: Playing without injured star forward Jordyn Jenkins, the Roadrunners lost 70-55 at Arizona State on Monday night. Jenkins, the reigning Player of the Year in Conference USA, is likely out for the New Mexico State game and is considered week-to-week as she continues rehabilitation. On Monday, playing on the road in the Pac-12 in her absence, the Roadrunners fell behind 25-12 after one quarter and could not recover. Though they out-rebounded the Sun Devils by 10, a few of their interior players found themselves in foul trouble and two of them, Elyssa Coleman and Maya Linton, fouled out. Offensively, UTSA shot 34.5 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from three. Freshman power forward Idara Udo debuted with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Coming up: UTSA at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m.

UTSA at Minnesota men

At a glance: The Roadrunners (1-0) and Golden Gophers (1-0) will meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Minneapolis.

UTSA: The Roadrunners won 78-68 in overtime Monday night against Western Illinois. Playing at home, they called on Christian Tucker and Trey Edmonds to make big plays in the extra period, when they outscored the Leathernecks, 13-3. Tucker finished with 18 points and eight assists. Edmonds had 15 points and eight rebounds. Roadrunners now look to carry the momentum into Minneapolis. In facing the Gophers, the Roadrunners are looking to snap a 25-game losing streak against Power 5 competition. They haven’t won a game against a team from the Big Ten, the Big 12, the ACC, the SEC or the Pac-12 since November of 2009 when the defeated Iowa (of the Big Ten) on the road. UTSA coach Steve Henson is 0-13 against the P5 in his seven previous seasons.

Minnesota: The Gophers played at home Monday and scored an 80-60 victory over Bethune-Cookman, Fla. Forward Dawson Garcia produced 23 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. The 6-foot-11, 230-pound Garcia hit 14 of 16 at the free throw line. Minnesota led by 24 points at intermission and by 27 early in the second half, only to see Bethune-Cookman chip away and pull to within 10 with five minutes remaining. With Garcia leading the charge in the opener, the other frontcourt starters were 6-7 Joshua Ola-Joseph and 6-9 Pharrell Payne. In the backcourt, the Gophers went with 5-11 Howard transfer Elijah Hawkins and 6-4 Braeden Carrington. Minnesota finished 9-22 and 2-17 in the Big Ten last year. The Gophers, led by third-year coach Ben Johnson, are picked 14th (last) in the league.

Coming up: UTSA at Lamar, Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m.

Trey Edmonds. UTSA beat McMurry 125-84 in a men's basketball exhibition game on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

With a physical style, forward Trey Edmonds is emerging as one of the most significant newcomers on UTSA’s roster. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA women win, 67-46, in exhibition against St. Mary’s

Kyra White. UTSA beat St. Mary's 67-46 in a women's basketball exhibition game on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Kyra White hit three 3-point baskets in the fourth quarter Wednesday as UTSA pulled away and downed San Antonio’s St Mary’s University, 67-46, in an exhibition game at the Convocation Center. White finished with a team-high 19 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Idara Udo. UTSA beat St. Mary's 67-46 in a women's basketball exhibition game on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman forward Idara Udo produced 16 points and eight rebounds in her first game at home. Seven of her rebounds came on the offensive glass. – Joe Alexander

Sidney Love. UTSA beat St. Mary's 67-46 in a women's basketball exhibition game on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sophomore guard Sidney Love had 11 of her 14 points in the first quarter as UTSA took a 20-11 lead.. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Newcomers hope to make their mark in UTSA women’s basketball

Idara Udo at UTSA women's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Idara Udo hoists a shot at UTSA women’s basketball practice Wednesday afternoon at the Convocation Center. Udo, a 6-foot-1 forward, played in high school at Plano East. – Photo by Joe Alexander

With less than a month remaining in preseason camp, the UTSA Roadrunners are hard at work. Here are some images of new faces on the team, including freshmen Idara Udo, Aysia Proctor and Emma Lucio and also sophomore transfer Cheyenne Rowe, all first-year players in the program. Nissa Sam-Grant was with the team last year but did not play, and so she, too, hopes to make her debut as the Roadrunners work toward a Nov. 1 home exhibition game against St. Mary’s University and a Nov. 6 regular-season opener on the road at Arizona State.

Aysia Proctor

Aysia Proctor at UTSA women's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Aysia Proctor, a 5-foot-8 freshman guard from Clemens High School in Schertz, emerged last year as one of the top players in the San Antonio area. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Emma Lucio

Emma Lucio at UTSA women's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Emma Lucio, a 5-9 guard, arrives at UTSA coming off a standout career in the Rio Grande Valley at Edinburg Vela High School – Photo by Joe Alexander

Cheyenne Rowe

Cheyenne Rowe at UTSA women's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Cheyenne Rowe, a 6-2 forward who played in high school in Ontario, Canada, spent last season at James Madison University. She transferred to UTSA in the spring. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Nissa Sam-Grant

Nissa Sam-Grant at UTSA women's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Nissa Sam-Grant also played her high school basketball in Canada. She comes from Toronto. Sam-Grant played at Arkansas-Pine Bluff for two seasons and at Panola College for one before coming to UTSA, where she practiced but did not play in 2022-23. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Idara Udo

Idara Udo at UTSA women's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Idara Udo was an all-district player four years in a row at Plano East, including first-team in her last three years. She was defensive player of the year twice, once as a sophomore and again as a senior. – Photo by Joe Alexander