Tag Archives: men’s college basketball

TCU’s dramatic victory over Arizona State boosts Big 12 to 5-2 in the NCAA tournament

Posted on by
Reply

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

I’m still undecided on whether to buy into the concept that the Big 12 Conference is the best league in men’s college basketball this year.

I know the Big 12 has had more teams jammed into the Top 25 rankings than anyone.

But, I just haven’t seen enough of their games to know for sure.

So far, teams from the conference are doing a pretty fair job of living up to the hype in the NCAA tournament.

The Big 12 has won five and lost two in the tournament’s round of 64, capped late Friday night by the TCU Horned Frogs’ dramatic 72-70 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils.

With the game tied and the clock ticking under 10 seconds to play, Arizona State double-teamed TCU star Mike Miles Jr., who passed across the top of the three-point circle to JaKobe Coles.

Coles dribbled past a defender and lofted a 5-foot runner over the outstretched arm of forward Desmond Cambridge Jr. It swished for the game-winner with three seconds remaining.

Winners out of the Big 12 in the first round of the tournament included West region No. 1 seed Kansas, Midwest No. 2 Texas, South No. 3 Baylor, East No. 3 Kansas State and TCU, the No. 6 seed in the West.

Losers were Midwest No. 6 Iowa State and South No. 9 seed West Virginia. Here’s a glance at how Big 12 teams have fared thus far:

Thursday’s results
Round of 64
South: 8) Maryland beat 9) West Virginia, 67-65
West: 1) Kansas beat 16) Howard, 96-68
Midwest: 2) Texas beat 15) Colgate, 81-61

Friday’s results
Round of 64
South: 3) Baylor beat 14) UC Santa Barbara, 74-56
Midwest: 11) Pittsburgh beat 6) Iowa State, 59-41
West: 6) TCU beat 11) Arizona State, 72-70
East: 3) Kansas State beat 14) Montana State, 77-65.

Saturday’s games
Round of 32
West: 1) Kansas vs. 8) Arkansas, 4:15 p.m., CBS
Midwest: 2) Texas vs. 10) Penn State, 6:45 p.m., CBS

Sunday’s games
Round of 32
East: 3) Kansas State vs. 6) Kentucky, 1:40 p.m., CBS
South: 3) Baylor vs. 6) Creighton, 6:10 p.m., TBS
West: 6) TCU vs. 3) Gonzaga, 8:40 p.m., TBS

Notable

Next season, in 2023-24, the Big 12 is shaping up to be a men’s basketball juggernaut.

In July, the Houston Cougars will transition into the league along with Cincinnati and Central Florida from the American Athletic Conference. In addition, BYU will also join. Meanwhile, Texas and Oklahoma will compete in the league for the last time before they bolt to the Southeastern Conference.

So, how many top four seeds will that give the conference in the 2024 NCAA men’s tournament? I’m guessing four or five, at least.

Campos says Henson will return next season to coach the UTSA men’s basketball team

Posted on by
Reply

By Jerry Briggs
Special to The JB Replay

Steve Henson will return to coach the UTSA Roadrunners men’s basketball program next season, said Lisa Campos, the university’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics.

Campos released a statement to the media in the wake of back-to-back 10-22 seasons under Henson.

“After careful evaluation of our men’s basketball program, including candid and open discussions with Coach Henson on the team’s performance and his leadership, he will remain as head coach for the 2023-24 season,” Campos said in a statement.

“Coach recognizes that we have high expectations at UTSA for all of our athletic teams and that this year’s men’s basketball season did not meet those expectations,” Campos added. “He is committed to substantive improvement, has already begun a complete evaluation of the program and will make the changes necessary to enable success next season.”

After being hired in the spring of 2016, Henson, a former assistant coach at Oklahoma, has served as head coach of the Roadrunners for seven seasons.

In 2018, UTSA extended his original contract by three seasons through 2023-24, raising his base salary from $280,000 to $325,000 per year.

UTSA men’s basketball, in its 42-year history, has never enjoyed sustained success. The program has qualified for the NCAA tournament only four times. The Roadrunners haven’t been to the NCAA since 2011.

Prior to Henson’s arrival, the program had suffered four straight losing seasons. The Roadrunners were 10-22, 8-22, 14-16 and 5-27 through 2015-16, the last of Brooks Thompson’s 10 years as the school.

Henson’s chief accomplishment to this point has been his recruitment and development of guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace.

Both joined the team in 2017 and, by the time they departed in 2021, both had became the top two scorers in school history. UTSA had winning seasons overall and in conference play in three of their four seasons.

The Roadrunners have struggled the past two seasons without the two high-scoring guards. Especially in conference play. This year, they finished in last place in Conference USA at 4-16. UTSA will move into the American Athletic Conference next season.

Steve Henson’s record

2016-17 — 14-19 and 8-10 in Conference USA
2017-18 — 20-15 and 11-7 C-USA
2018-19 — 17-15 and 11-7 C-USA
2019-20 — 13-19 and 7-11 C-USA
2020-21 — 15-11 and 9-7 C-USA
2021-22 — 10-22 and 3-15 C-USA
2022-23 — 10-22 and 4-16 C-USA
Overall: 99-123
x-UTSA played in the CIT postseason tournament in 2018

Undefeated New Mexico fends off a spirited effort from UTSA, 94-76

Posted on by
Reply

Trailing by 21 points early in the first half against the undefeated University of New Mexico Lobos, the UTSA Roadrunners battled from behind and gradually scratched their way back into contention. At one point after intermission, UTSA surprisingly pulled to within six.

But the Lobos, playing at home at the Super Pit in Albuquerque, didn’t flinch at the challenge and eventually rolled to a 94-76 victory in a men’s college basketball contest played before an announced crowd of 10,049.

“There were a lot of things in this game that were not good,” UTSA coach Steve Henson told the team’s radio broadcast. “But there were a few stretches where it encourages us, that we’re headed in the right direction in certain areas. This is the best team we’ve played. These guys are really good, and (it’s a) good environment.”

Coming in to the game, the Roadrunners knew they would need to deal with the Lobos’ top players in forwards Morris Udeze and Josiah Allick and guards Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. Regardless, all four played well.

Udeze had 24 points and eight rebounds, while Allick chipped in with 13 points, six boards and three blocks. House scored 21 points and hit four of five three-point shots. Mashburn had 18 points, including 13 of them in the second half to keep UTSA at bay.

For UTSA, D.J. Richards poured in 20 points in a career-high showing for the 6-foot-5 freshman guard, who has established himself as one of the team’s most reliable players through the first nine games.

Going up against an elite backcourt, Richards hit four of eight from the field, four of six from three and eight of nine at the line.

The Houston native from Cypress Creek High School continues to impress as a perimeter threat, having hit at least one shot from beyond the arc in all nine games and more than one on five occasions.

New Mexico did a much better job against some of UTSA’s more experienced players. For instance, center Jacob Germany had a string of two-straight double-doubles snapped, as he was held to eight points (on three of seven shooting) and seven rebounds.

The starting backcourt of Japhet Medor and John Buggs combined for 17 points, though they did have nine assists between them.

Medor, who had six points and five assists and fouled out in 19 minutes, finished three for seven from the field and did not get to the free-throw line. Buggs hit a couple of threes and scored 11, but he was three for 10 overall.

Records

New Mexico 9-0
UTSA 5-4

Quotable

“Really proud of Massal. He impacted the game in a positive way.” — UTSA coach Steve Henson said on the team’s radio broadcast, commenting on the play of 6-foot-9, 240-pound freshman Massal Diouf from The Netherlands. Diouf had three points and four rebounds and fouled out in 12 minutes.

Coming up

UTSA plays next at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

Playing above the rim: Carlton Linguard electrifies during UTSA basketball practice

Posted on by
Reply
UTSA men's basketball player Carlton Linguard Jr. at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander

Will promising center Carlton Linguard Jr. play for the UTSA Roadrunners this season? If he is cleared, it could alter the team’s trajectory in a positive way leading into Conference USA play in a few weeks. — Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coaches and players within the UTSA men’s basketball program on Tuesday afternoon caught a brief glimpse of the future. The image of 7-foot center Carlton Linguard Jr. leaping off the floor to throw down a resounding dunk was an eye-opening visual, for sure.

Eye opening and memorable. When Linguard elevated, observers at practice could see that his reach extended to the middle of the backboard square.

UTSA men's basketball player Carlton Linguard Jr. at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander

Seven-foot Carlton Linguard Jr. played the past two seasons at Kansas State in the Big 12 conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander

This time, though, the visual also came with audio. As he descended back to the court, the force of his two-handed jam created sound effects. You know, the sound that a collapsing rim makes in an empty gym just before it snaps back into position.

As Linguard completed the play and turned to run to the other end of the floor, some confusion was evident. What in the world just happened? Then, suddenly, his teammates let out a hearty cheer — in unison — for the well-traveled former standout from San Antonio’s Stevens High School.

For a program still languishing in the nether regions of the NCAA Division I NET rankings, it was a thrilling moment. But it was also a happening that arrived with some uncertainty. While Linguard is clearly getting closer to being in game shape, he also faces a few more important questions.

First, will the former Kansas State Wildcats center be allowed by the NCAA to play for the Roadrunners this season? If so, when? In a few more weeks, at the semester break, perhaps? Or, will it be next fall, when UTSA starts play in the American Athletic Conference, after a 10-year run in Conference USA?

Important questions, indeed, for a program that has been down the past few years. In an interview Tuesday afternoon, UTSA coach Steve Henson opened up about Linguard’s situation, acknowledging initially that the big man has looked good in recent practices.

“Yeah, it’s been fun watching him,” the coach said.

Since early in the fall semester, it’s been tough for neutral observers to tell exactly what the team had in Linguard. With his left knee issue, he initially was relegated to individual drills on the side of the court.

As official practices opened in late September, Linguard was doing a little more, and then as weeks passed he began to work out some with teammates in halfcourt drills. Last Friday, he started to run up and down the court in five-on-five, full contact practices. Since then, Linguard has engaged in four full workouts.

“He’s improved a lot in the last week and a half,” Henson said. “You know, a lot of that is conditioning and the confidence that goes with conditioning. Probably having that knee feel good for the first time in a long time adds to the confidence factor. He’s been pretty impressive.”

At times during his comeback, Linguard’s presence on the offensive end has been most noticeable. He can move around in the post area with his back to the basket and he can also spot up and shoot threes pretty comfortably. Asked what he does best, Henson initially mentioned his potential on defense.

“He covers a lot of ground,” Henson said. “He’s got a physicality in certain areas. He’ll bump some cutters. He’ll bump roll guys. He’ll wall up in the post. He covers a lot of ground and blocks more shots than our other big guys do, for sure.

“You notice him when he’s in there. Guys who get penetration and are used to finishing down in there, he’s challenging those shots. He just plays noticeably bigger than our other big guys.”

But, as mentioned, Linguard has other hurdles to clear before coaches can even begin to think about including him in a game plan. Technically, he is academically ineligible, and UTSA will need to get a waiver from the NCAA for him to play this season.

Also, the appeals process is only in the discussion phase right now. So, even though fall semester final exams will conclude at the end of the week, don’t expect Linguard to be on the floor when UTSA (5-3) opens a road trip on Saturday against the undefeated University of New Mexico Lobos (8-0).

Henson seemed reluctant even to speculate on when he expected to learn whether Linguard can play this year. “I don’t know if it’s between semesters, or what,” the coach said. “There’s nothing really we can do about it. We can push and ask and all that, but I don’t have any idea.”

Even though the school’s compliance office has been contacted on the matter recently, nothing has been filed with the NCAA.

“We were talking with compliance the other day on the best way to go about it,” Henson said. “We trust them. They know how it works. We’re kind of monitoring the semester and all that and monitoring his health along the way, as well … Hopefully we can get something submitted (to the NCAA office) very soon.”

Whatever happens, Linguard is expected to play for the Roadrunners at some point. After high school at Stevens, he played one year at Temple Junior College, where he attracted attention from high-major basketball programs, and then the last two at Kansas State.

So, it is UTSA’s thinking that if he is allowed to play after the semester break, then presumably he’d have just one year of eligibility remaining in 2023-24, but if he can’t play this year, then he’d have two years, through 2024-25.

Likely, players on this year’s team would love to have him back as soon as possible.

You can sense that much by the sight of him running up and down the floor in practice, by the look of excitement on players’ faces and by the cheers that echoed through the Convocation Center after one certain play above the rim Tuesday afternoon.

Germany’s double-double helps UTSA beat UIW to end a two-game losing skid

Posted on by
Reply
Jacob Germany. UTSA beat Incarnate Word 68-62 in men's basketball on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA senior Jacob Germany has joined the school’s 1,000-point club. He’s got 1,027 for his career. Germany muscled for 15 points and 11 rebounds against Incarnate Word.
– Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners rebounded from two tough losses to win in the finale of the 210 San Antonio Shootout, riding a double-double from senior Jacob Germany to a 68-62 victory Monday night over the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals.

After the Cardinals pulled to within three points in the final minute, Germany, a 6-foot-11 center, sealed the victory for the Roadrunners by hitting three of four free throws. He finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

It was a redemption victory for the Roadrunners, in a sense, considering that they had entered the Shootout last week riding a three-game winning streak and then had been humbled, losing by 20 to Grambling State on Friday and by one in overtime to Dartmouth Sunday.

Japhet Medor. UTSA beat Incarnate Word 68-62 in men's basketball on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Japhet Medor is met at the rim by UIW forward Stephon Payne III. Medor, who twisted an ankle Sunday night, played through some pain in Monday’s finale of the 210 San Antonio Shootout. He produced 11 points and three assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Because of the possibility that they could have been swept at home in their own multi-team event with a loss to UIW, Germany acknowledged a certain tension in the locker room before the game tipped off.

“We obviously kind of had that chip on our shoulder,” he said. “We obviously wanted to keep our little winning streak going, to not lose at home. But coach said after the game (Sunday) that it’s hard to win games, especially when any team can get hot, whenever.

“So, going into the game (tonight) we were kind of upset. But I don’t think that affected completely how we played. Obviously, we were going to play hard, because we wanted to win.”

In the first meeting between the only two NCAA Division I basketball programs in San Antonio, UIW more than held its own. The Cardinals built a lead to four points once in the first half and then went on a 10-0 run early in the second half to go ahead by two.

But in the end it was Germany, Japhet Medor and John Buggs III coming through with clutch plays to give the Roadrunners San Antonio bragging rights, not to mention their fifth victory overall in eight games this season.

“It just felt good to get the win,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “We talked about that a lot. We walked out of here last night and, one play goes the other way and our mood is different, our lives are different.

“It doesn’t change the way the game was played but the effect of winning and losing on your mentality is pretty large. So many games, (it comes down to) one play. This ball game, it got real close at the end. If we hadn’t found a way to win we’d be sick right now. So it felt pretty good.”

It felt good in another way, as well. UTSA discovered that it can win Division I games with others besides Medor playing well on the offensive end. Curiously, the Roadrunners’ growth came about after the 6-foot senior from Florida turned an ankle Sunday night.

As Medor struggled, playing most of his 19 minutes after the injury early in the game against the Big Green from the Ivy League, Germany got himself going and scored a season-high 27.

John Buggs III. UTSA beat Incarnate Word 68-62 in men's basketball on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

John Buggs III enjoyed a solid offensive game with 14 points on five of seven shooting. He hit four of six from 3-point distance. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Germany on Monday continued to play aggressively against the Cardinals, taking 14 shots and hitting six of them. Of his 11 boards, four were on the offensive glass.

In addition, Buggs played efficiently, scoring 14 points on five of seven shooting, and others such as Josh Farmer and Aleu Aleu looked much more comfortable and in synch than they did against Grambling or Dartmouth.

Meanwhile, Medor battled through some discomfort in the ankle to score 11 points against the Cardinals, eschewing his drives to the bucket to step back occasionally and take an open three. In fact, he knocked down two of them.

As the Cardinals made a run at the Roadrunners down the stretch, Henson said he remembers Buggs and Medor in the mix, helping their team win.

“There were a lot of drive and kick opportunities there,” Henson said. “I felt like Buggs and Japhet knocked a couple down. Japhet, we ran a set for him to get to the rim. He tried to go in a couple of times, going into bodies, hoping to get foul calls and wasn’t getting them.

“But then we ran a nice set for him to get downhill and finish with his right hand. That was a big bucket for us.”

Forward Davante Davis did most of the damage for UIW, exploding for 22 points and seven rebounds in nearly 29 minutes. Point guard Jonathan Cisse hit four 3-point shot and finished with 19.

Guard Brandon Swaby also made an impact, hitting four of seven shots for eight points. He dished out three assists and had five rebounds.

Henson credited UIW coach Carson Cunningham for leading the Cardinals to two wins in three games at UTSA this weekend.

“He’s doing a really good job,” Henson said. “They had a great game plan this week. They were very well prepared. They play to their strengths. They tried to neutralize their opponents (with) their defense, it’s real active at times.

“It’s a real credit to them. They came in here and played great.”

First half

Stung by losses at home to Grambling State and Dartmouth over the past three days, UTSA came out with a determined focus in the first half. Jacob Germany, Erik Czumbel and John Buggs III played well and helped the Roadrunners forge a 32-26 lead on the UIW Cardinals at the intermission.

Germany had six points and six rebounds in the half. Czumbel came off the bench and scored five while passing for a couple of assists. Buggs bounced back from a poor shooting night on Sunday against Dartmouth to hit both of his shots, one of them a three. The UTSA newcomer also finished the half with five points.

For UIW, guard Jonathan Cisse had eight points to lead the Cardinals, who had come into the UTSA game having knocked off both Dartmouth and Grambling.

Records

UTSA 5-3
UIW 4-4

Coming up

Dallas Christian College at UIW, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. UTSA at New Mexico, Dec. 10.

Notable

Christon Cameron and Virshon Cotton both scored 15 points Monday afternoon as the Grambling State University Tigers downed the Dartmouth College Big Green, 73-49. Both UIW and Grambling finished 2-1 in the four-day, 210 San Antonio Shootout. UTSA and Dartmouth both finished 1-2.

Jacob Germany has joined the 18-member 1,000-point scorers club in UTSA men’s basketball history.

After hitting for 27 points on Sunday and another 15 on Monday against UIW, the senior from Kingston, Okla., has now amassed 1,027, passing Steve Meyer (1,001) and tying LeRoy Hurd for 16th on the school’s all-time list.

Germany joked that he is now going after Jhivvan Jackson‘s school record. “I think I got, like, 1,500 (more) points to catch Jhivvan,” Germany said, smiling. “You never know, man.” Jackson, from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, scored 2,551 points from 2017-18 to 2020-21.

The University of the Incarnate Word is a newbie in NCAA Division I, as this is only the university’s 10th season at the top level.

Known originally as the Incarnate Word College Crusaders, the school started as an NAIA athletics program in the 1980s and moved into NCAA Division II in the 1990s, and then into Division I and the Southland Conference in 2013-14.

After four seasons of transition to Division I through 2016-17, UIW has been eligible for national postseason play for only the past five years.

In that time, the women’s basketball team made the NCAA tournament once — last season. But the men have yet to reach the NCAA’s Big Dance.

UIW coach Carson Cunningham, in his fifth season at the school, entered play Monday night with a 34-89 record.

Dartmouth’s Big Green comes back to shock the UTSA Roadrunners in overtime, 78-77

Posted on by
Reply
Jacob Germany. UTSA lost to Dartmouth 78-77 in men's basketball on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jacob Germany had a season-high 27 points, but the UTSA Roadrunners lost to the Dartmouth Big Green in overtime, falling to 0-2 as the home team in the 210 San Antonio Shootout. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special to The JB Replay

Trailing by four points in overtime, the Dartmouth Big Green rallied Sunday night for a 78-77 victory over the struggling UTSA Roadrunners in the 210 San Antonio Shootout.

With the loss, UTSA fell to 0-2 in the Shootout going into the final day. As the event concludes on Monday, Dartmouth will play Grambling at 3 p.m., before UTSA will host the University of the Incarnate Word at 6:30 p.m.

Isaiah Addo-Ankrah. UTSA lost to Dartmouth 78-77 in men's basketball on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Isaiah Addo-Ankrah fires away with a jumper against Dartmouth. Addo-Ankrah finished with 11 points and three assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Dartmouth and Grambling are both 1-1 in the games played since Friday at the UTSA Convocation Center. Surprising UIW is 2-0.

The Roadrunners lost to Grambling by 20 points on Friday night, and after a day off in between games, they battled through some adversity but ended up dropping a close one to the Big Green of the Ivy League.

“We weren’t good enough with the game on the line,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said.

Trailing for most of the second half, the Roadrunners rallied to tie it in regulation behind the scoring and inside presence of center Jacob Germany.

In the extra period, UTSA took charge in the early going of the alloted five extra minutes, and the home team appeared to be on its way to a victory, even with guards Japhet Medor and John Buggs on the bench.

Medor was slowed during the game by a sprained ankle and played only 19 minutes.

With Medor and Buggs watching from the side, UTSA started to make a few plays. A driving layup by freshman DJ Richards lifted the Roadrunners into a 75-71 lead with 3:17 remaining.

DJ Richards. UTSA lost to Dartmouth 78-77 in men's basketball on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

DJ Richards had 13 points and seven rebounds and played a season-high 30 minutes off the bench. – Photo by Joe Alexander

From there, the Big Green steadied themselves and pulled out the victory.

Key plays down the stretch included two free throws by Ryan Cornish with 2:16 remaining and a driving layup by Cam Krystkowiak with 1:08 left.

Krystkowiak is the son of former Spurs forward Larry Krystkowiak, who has attended his son’s games in the Convocation Center. Larry Krystkowiak played one season for the Spurs as an NBA rookie in 1986-87.

Later in his career, he was teammates with Henson on the Milwaukee Bucks. Krystkowiak has also been a college head coach, most recently at the University of Utah. Henson is in his seventh-year as coach of the Roadrunners.

Cornish, a guard, led the New Hampshire-based visitors with 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists. He hit three of six from 3-point distance and 10 of 10 at the free throw line. Dame Adelekun added 15 points and six rebounds.

Steve Henson. UTSA lost to Dartmouth 78-77 in men's basketball on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Steve Henson had to improvise down the stretch against Dartmouth with point guard Japhet Medor slowed by a sprained ankle. Medor’s status for Monday against UIW is uncertain. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Off the bench, Dartmouth was strong, with Jackson Munro scoring 10 points, Izaiah Robinson eight and Cam Krystkowiak, a freshman, seven.

For UTSA, Germany asserted himelf with a season-high 27 points. The 6-11 senior also hauled in 13 rebounds. Off the bench, DJ Richards and Erik Czumbel scored 13 points each and played down the stretch in regulation and overtime.

Isaiah Addo-Ankrah, who missed a three off a broken play at the buzzer, started at small forward and had 11 points.

As for Buggs, the team’s promising redshirt sophomore, it was a tough night. He contributed only three points and sat out most of the second half to the regulation buzzer. Medor, a senior, had two points. Neither one of the two sparkplugs played in the overtime.

UIW coach Carson Cunningham gives directions late in the game as UIW beat Grambling State 63-61 in men's basketball on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UIW coach Carson Cunningham is 2-0 in the 210 San Antonio Shootout. His Cardinals rallied to beat Grambling State, 63-61. — Photo by Joe Alexander

While Medor struggled through his night’s work with a sprained ankle that he suffered early in the first half, Buggs was fine physically. He just struggled. The redshirt sophomore finished his day one of nine from the field and one of four from three.

As for how UTSA plays against UIW, it’s up in the air depending on Medor’s ankle. If he plays, it might just be in limited minutes again.

Isaiah Addo-Ankrah said his teammate is tough. “He’s got some dog in him,” Addo-Ankrah said of Medor, who scored 28 at home last Tuesdayt night against Prairie View A&M. “I think he’ll play.”

If he can’t play, Addo-Ankrah said sternly that “It’s a next-man-up mentality, and I think we’re ready for that.”

Henson said UIW, a member of the Southland Conference, is playing well.

“They’ve done a great job in these two games here,” the coach said. “They’ve come in with a real solid offensive game plan … I don’t know their numbers, but in the two games I’ve seen, it looks like they they could be a seven-eight-nine turnover a game team.

“Looks like the offense is not real high risk, and they get some late (in the) shot clock shots. They get down in there and attack some people one on one … They attack the paint, kind of like (Texas A&M) Corpus Christi does. And tonight, they knocked down some threes.

“No, they’re playing great, and they’re feeling good. They’re going to come in here fired up and ready to go. We don’t have time to sulk. We got to respond, and I think we will.”

Records

UTSA 4-3
Dartmouth 2-4

Medor’s injury

Medor appeared to turn an ankle a little more than a minute into the game. He limped off the floor and tried to stay loose behind the bench, riding a stationary bike. Medor returned about six minutes later, but he wasn’t playing the same game.

Normally an attacking guard who takes it to the rim, he wasn’t doing anything like that in the limited time that he played the rest of the night. He finished with two points, three rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes and 25 seconds.

Jonathan Cisse scored 10 points including a basket with five seconds left to tie the game as UIW beat Grambling State 63-61 in men's basketball on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jonathan Cisse scored 10 points including a basket with five seconds left to tie the game as UIW beat Grambling State 63-61. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Down late, UIW finds a way to win

The Incarnate Word Cardinals erased a five-point deficit in the final 35 seconds Sunday afternoon to knock off the Grambling State Tigers 63-61 in the 210 San Antonio Shootout at UTSA.

Grambling, which trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, built a 61-56 lead with 35.8 seconds remaining on two free throws by Shawndarius Cowart.

From there, the Cardinals worked some magic and won, improving to 2-0 in the four-day, four-team event. First, Brandon Swaby hit a long three to make it a two-point game. Pressuring on the inbounds, UIW forced a turnover, which led to a game-tying layup by Jonathan Cisse.

Grambling coughed it up again on the inbounds and fouled, sending UIW’s Trey Miller to the free-throw line. Miller hit both ends of a one-and-one to account for the game’s final points.

A length-of-the-court inbounds by Grambling was off the mark, and the buzzer sounded to end the game, with UIW players and coaches celebrating.

Josh Morgan led the Cardinals with 12 points. He hit two of UIW’s eight 3-point baskets. Cisse finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Swaby finished with 10 points. In all, UIW made eight of 22 from deep.

For Grambling, Cameron Christon scored 20 on nine of 13 shooting. Carte’Are Gordon had 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

UIW opened its second game in the Shootout with a solid first half, surging to a 13-point lead in the first 17 minutes.

The San Antonio-based Cardinals held on to take a 29-24 edge into intermission. All games in the event are being played at the UTSA Convocation Center.

UIW opened Friday with a 69-64 victory over Dartmouth College Big Green. Grambling entered its second game in the classic coming off a 75-55 victory over UTSA.

Records

Incarnate Word 4-3
Grambling State 3-4

Monday’s games

Grambling vs. Dartmouth, 3 p.m.
Incarnate Word vs. UTSA, 6:30 p.m.

UTSA notebook

Voters in San Antonio approved a massive city bond last spring that included $5 million earmarked for a men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball practice facility.

UTSA is expected to build a 49,774-square-foot structure adjacent to the Roadrunner Center of Excellence (RACE) on the west side of campus. Its cost is projected as $29.5 million.

An athletics department spokesman said in an email that there is no timeline yet on when construction would start or when the project could be completed.

20-point homecourt losses

Historically, it’s been tough to beat Coach Steve Henson on his home court at UTSA. Opponents have won only 30 out of 98 games against Henson-coached teams at the Convocation Center.

Even more rare are games in which an opponent has won by 20 or more. One of only two 20-point homecourt losses for Henson came Friday night against the Grambling State Tigers in the opener of the 210 San Antonio Classic.

Nov. 25, 2022 — Grambling State 75, UTSA 55
Nov. 12, 2018 — Oklahoma 87, UTSA 67

Grambling State rolls behind Gordon to a 75-55 victory over UTSA

Posted on by
Reply

The UTSA Roadrunners played with a certain edge in a recent three-game winning streak. In downing the St. Mary’s Rattlers, the Texas State Bobcats and the Prairie View A&M Panthers, they didn’t blow anyone off the court, but they also put together winning plays in key moments that allowed them to prevail.

Moreover, they found a potential go-to scorer in point guard Japhet Medor.

Coach Steve Henson. UTSA lost to Grambling State 75-55 in men's basketball on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Steve Henson says: ‘We need other people to create a little bit more for us’ on the offensive end. – Photo by Joe Alexander

All that came to a disappointing halt on Friday night on the first day of the 210 San Antonio Classic. The visiting Grambling State University Tigers shut down Medor early in the game, successfully keeping him from doing much damage with his drives to the hoop en route to a 75-55 victory at the UTSA Convocation Center.

“They were switching a lot,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “I mean, first couple of possessions, he didn’t have any success. Then he did. He got in there and drew nine fouls. He found his way.”

Regardless, Medor couldn’t match his production from Tuesday, when he ripped Prairie View for 28 points, including 16 of 20 free throws. The jet-quick senior drew 14 fouls against the Panthers and hit six of 10 field goals. Against Grambling, he was limited to 12 points on four of eight from the line and four of six from the field.

“You know, we don’t have anything offensively that’s just automatic for us,” Henson said. “We’re counting on him to get a lot done. When shots are going in, sometimes it’s because of his penetration. We need other people to create a little bit more for us. Last couple of games, it’s become a pretty obvious area of need for us … to get other people making plays.

“That didn’t really happen all night.”

Grambling State, on the other hand, had plenty of people making plays. Forward Carte’are Gordon led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds. Cameron Christon hit three of five on 3-point shots and scored 13. Meanwhile, Shawndarius Cowart, Virshon Cotton and Quintin Murrell scored eight each.

Japhet Medor drives against . UTSA lost to Grambling State 75-55 in men's basketball on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Japhet Medor goes top shelf against Grambling State’s Cameron Christon. Medor had 12 points and seven rebounds against Grambling. – Photo by Joe Alexander

On the other end of the floor, the Tigers’ defense stifled a UTSA offense that had looked very good earlier in the week. Coming off 60 percent shooting in the second half against Prairie View, the Roadrunners couldn’t get anything going. Grambling held the Roadrunners to 25.9 percent in the first half and 29.6 percent shooting for the game.

The Tigers led by as many as 24 points in the before intermission and by 28 once in the second half. With 3:41 remaining, the visitors had the Roadrunners down 70-42 after Cowart hit a shot in the lane to cap a 14-5 run. Oddly, the eventual final score matched the score of UTSA’s last loss, which came at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 11.

It may well be that the Roadrunners could be a team that looks good against certain squads this season because of certain matchups. Then, not so good against others. For instance, they didn’t seem to have trouble with Prairie View. Conversely, against a team such as Grambling, with more overall size, athleticism and quickness, UTSA may find the going tougher.

“I don’t disagree with that,” Henson said. “But, we got to figure something out offensively. I mean, defensively, it wasn’t good enough. But offensively, it’s just too many hard shots. Too many turnovers. Our turnovers are not out of a selfish nature. Our guys are trying to do the right things.

“We got to keep searching a little bit and find a way to make easier plays. Stronger plays. Create separation off our screens. Off ball screens. On ball screens. And better slips. Tonight, they were switching. We knew we needed to slip a lot and we just didn’t get much of that done.”

Records

Grambling (3-2)
UTSA (4-2)

Jacob Germany. UTSA lost to Grambling State 75-55 in men's basketball on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA senior Jacob Germany produced eight points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First half

The Tigers bolted to a 24-point lead and held off the Roadrunners at the end to take a commanding 35-19 advantage into the intermission.

Playing stifling defense on one end and scoring with regularity on the other, the Tigers jumped out to take charge early at 7-0, 16-4 and then, with a little less than 11 minutes remaining, 21-4.

Erik Czumbel. UTSA lost to Grambling State 75-55 in men's basketball on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Erik Czumbel battles to save a possession against Grambling State. – Photo by Joe Alexander

They took their largest lead at 33-9 when Murrell hit a three with 4:23 left. The Roadrunners went on a 10-2 run to the buzzer.

Nine players scored for Grambling in the half, including Cotton with eight points and Christon with five. In the early going, the Tigers dominated, hitting nine of their first 17 shots, while limiting the Roadrunners at the outset to three of 19.

Incarnate Word wins, 69-64

Jonathan Cisse produced 22 points and seven rebounds to pace the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals past the Dartmouth Big Green, 69-64, on Friday afternoon at the UTSA Convocation Center.

In the opening game of the 210 San Antonio Shootout, UIW’s Davante Dennis added 17 points and seven boards, while Trey Miller scored 15.

Brandon Mitchell-Day had 14 points and six rebounds for Dartmouth.

With the victory, UIW improved its record to 3-3 on the season. Dartmouth dropped to 1-4.

The four-team event takes a break on Saturday before continuing with two games each on Sunday and Monday at UTSA.

Records

Grambling (3-2)
UTSA (4-2)

Sunday

Incarnate Word vs. Grambling, 5 p.m.
Dartmouth vs. UTSA, 7:30 p.m.

Monday

Grambling vs. Dartmouth, 3 p.m.
Incarnate Word vs. UTSA, 6:30 p.m.

Medor and Buggs combine for 46 points as UTSA downs the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 82-75

Posted on by
Reply

By Jerry Briggs
Special to The JB Replay

As pages on the calendar flip to November, as the weather turns cooler and as the Thanksgiving holiday comes around, native Floridian Japhet Medor always thinks about the taste of his mother’s macaroni and cheese.

For John Buggs III, his thoughts sometimes take him home to Louisiana and a heaping plate of Cajun turkey.

This year, Medor and Buggs will spend their first turkey day in San Antonio with their new family — with their coaches and teammates in the UTSA basketball program. It promises to be a good day, with a morning practice, followed by lunch at the home of head coach Steve Henson.

John Buggs III. UTSA beat Prairie View A&M 82-75 in men's basketball on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Shooting guard John Buggs III rises up to let one fly over a defender on the way to 18 points against the Prairie View A&M Panthers. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The impending holiday was made all the more special Tuesday night when the surprising Roadrunners won their third straight game and their second straight against a solid, mid-major program in NCAA Division I.

Five days after UTSA downed the two-time defending Sun Belt Conference champion Texas State Bobcats, Medor and Buggs started to cook on high heat offensively in an impressive 82-75 victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers.

Medor, playing in only his fifth game as a Division I player, followed a 16-point effort against the Bobcats with 28 against the Panthers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Employing quick bursts into the paint and to the rim, he drew 14 fouls and hit 16 of 20 from the free throw line. On top of that, he added seven assists, for good measure.

Not to be outdone, Buggs scored 18 and matched teammate Isaiah Addo-Ankrah with four 3-pointers. As a team, the Roadrunners knocked down 11 from long distance, including two from D.J. Richards and one from Josh Farmer, to keep the Panthers on their heels.

Outside of nine second-half turnovers, the UTSA offense was about as good as coaches could have asked for.

The Roadrunners shot 60 percent from the field in the second half and 52 percent for the game. Additionally, in notching 13 assists on 24 baskets, UTSA underscored once again its emphasis on sharing the ball.

Isaiah Addo-Ankrah. UTSA beat Prairie View A&M 82-75 in men's basketball on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Isaiah Addo-Ankrah snapped out of a shooting slump by making four of seven from 3-point distance.
He had 13 points, two rebounds and two assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Asked about the meaning of a victory over a group of veteran players like the Panthers, who defeated the Pac-12’s Washington State Cougars last week, Medor didn’t hesitate with a reply. “It means that the sky’s the limit for us,” he said. “We have room to improve, and we’re making it happen. So I feel like the sky’s the limit for our team, and we’re going to get better every day.”

Seemingly, as Medor and Buggs have gained confidence, the players around them also have taken a few positive mental steps forward, as well.

“That’s what we talk about,” Henson said. “With Japhet, he did (tonight) exactly what our coaches said he did when (they) went to recruit him (last spring in Florida). I saw him practice. Our coaches saw him play in games. They came back and said he just draws fouls, puts pressure on the defense.

“He showed signs of that here and there (early this month). He had some stretches in the exhibition game (against Schreiner University), just serving everybody up. I mean, in the second half against St. Mary’s, when he took over the game … He’s had stretches before, and then obviously he took over tonight.

“Drawing 14 fouls,” the coach said, looking again at the stat sheet, “I don’t know if I’ve seen that very often.”

Records

UTSA 4-1
Prairie View A&M 3-2

Coming up

The Roadrunners host the 210 San Antonio Shootout this weekend. They’ll play Grambling State on Friday night (at 7:30), followed by games against Dartmouth on Sunday (7:30) and Incarnate Word on Monday (4:30).

Notable

Some in the program might be a bit surprised at the team’s record leading into Thanksgiving after a trip Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the second game of the season ended with a 75-55 loss. UTSA took a beating in the second half on that Nov. 11 evening on the Gulf Coast, giving up 50 points.

DJ Richards. UTSA beat Prairie View A&M 82-75 in men's basketball on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman DJ Richards scored eight points in 18 minutes off the bench. He made two of five 3-point shots, giving him nine of 21 for the season. His 42.3 percent on threes ranks second on the team to John Buggs’ 45.2. – Photo by Joe Alexander

In one stretch covering 17:30, the Islanders pounded the Roadrunners, 47-19. What has changed since then? In a sense, not much. But, then again, maybe the game opened some eyes about what can happen when not everyone on the roster is dialed in and ready to play.

“I think that loss at Corpus kind of lit a fire under us, making us not want to feel that feeling again,” Buggs said. “We’re just doing everything we can to power through games and just push through to get the win.”

Individuals

Prairie View A&M — Guard Will Douglas had 19 points on six of 12 shooting. Douglas also hit seven of nine at the line. Guard Jeremiah Gambrell produced 18 points, seven of 18 from the field. He hit two of seven from long distance. Tekorian Smith had 10 points, three assists and three rebounds. Kortrijk Miles produced eight points and four steals off the bench.

UTSA — Japhet Medor had 28 points on six of 10 shooting from the floor. He made 16 of 20 at the free-throw line. In a dominant showing, the Roadrunners’ point guard made three fewer free throws than Prairie View made as a team. John Buggs III had a career-high 18 points and hit four of seven from three. Buggs has made 11 of 18 from distance in his last three games. Isaiah Addo-Ankrah also hit four of seven from distance. A long-distance specialist, he started the season three for 23 in his first four games.

Medor’s first half

UTSA unleashed Medor offensively in the first half, and the Florida native responded with a Jhivvan Jackson-like tour de force. Known mostly as a pass-first point guard at Hillsborough College in Tampa, he scored 18 points as the Roadrunners surged into a 36-32 lead.

The San Antonio Spurs' Keldon Johnson. UTSA beat Prairie View A&M 82-75 in men's basketball on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

San Antonio Spurs guard Keldon Johnson, seated courtside at the Convocation Center, shares a laugh with a friend at the Prairie View-UTSA game. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Playing man-to-man defense, the Panthers simply couldn’t stay in front of the 6-footer, who consistently drove past his man. When that happened, he usually would draw contact from someone else, the whistle usually would blow, and then he’d go to the free-throw line.

“I was told to be more aggressive, and my teammates helped me out a lot,” Medor said. “They closed out on Buggs a lot, and they were denying a lot, so it made it a lot easier.”

Another issue faced by the Panthers’ defense revolved around 6-foot-11 center Jacob Germany, the Roadrunners’ leading scorer from last year. The Panthers seemed reluctant to cheat off Germany, which gave Medor more room to operate.

Buggs and Medor have been in San Antonio working out together since June. In that regard, nothing that Medor does on the floor in a game will surprise Buggs.

“I see this every single day in practice,” he said. “One way or the other, if he’s not having 10 assists, hey, tonight, ya’ll saw 28 points. There’s nothing he really can’t do. So, it doesn’t surprise me at all.”

Prairie View’s rise

Under Coach Byron Smith, the Panthers forged records of 22-13, 19-13 and 16-5 in three seasons from 2018-19 through the 2020-21. In 2019, they won both the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular and postseason titles and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Last season, they fell off to 8-19. But coming into San Antonio, they had won three of their first four games, including a 70-59 victory last Tuesday at home against Washington State.

Japhet Medor. UTSA beat Prairie View A&M 82-75 in men's basketball on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Japhet Medor sank 16 of 20 free throws and scored a career-high 28 points as the UTSA Roadrunners downed the Prairie View A&M Panthers at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA makes just enough plays to hold off the St. Mary’s Rattlers

Posted on by
Reply

Coming off a 20-point loss to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, the UTSA Roadrunners entered their third game of the season Monday night needing a defensive spark, some solid execution on the offensive end and a quality shooting performance.

All of that, leading to a run-away victory, would have been nice. But in keeping with history in a rivalry that dates back nearly 40 years, the NCAA Division II-level St. Mary’s University Rattlers showed up at the Convocation Center with other ideas.

Division I UTSA survived a shaky start and a hand-wringing finish to polish off San Antonio-based St. Mary’s, 66-59.

John Buggs III. UTSA beat St. Mary's 66-59 on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Guard John Buggs III sparked UTSA’s 14-0 run to start the second half. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Fortunately for the Roadrunners, guard Japhet Medor, center Jacob Germany and freshman guard DJ Richards made a few plays at the end to salvage the victory. UTSA coach Steve Henson said in his postgame commentary that “there weren’t a ton of positives” to the performance.

“I can’t spin too positively,” the coach said. “St. Mary’s is good. I got a lot of respect for what they do and how tough they are. How well-coached they are. They did some things to keep it right there (within their reach).”

“The positive,” Henson added, “was that we found a way to get the win.”

St. Mary’s (0-2) played the game as an exhibition, so it didn’t count on the Rattlers’ record. But the game did count for UTSA (2-1) on a night when the Roadrunners were trying to bounce back from a poor performance in Corpus Christi.

Though the Roadrunners traveled to the Coastal Bend last Friday, it was hardly a day at the beach. UTSA held an eight-point lead in the second half on a 23-win, Division I NCAA tournament team from last year. After that, Corpus Christi romped 47-19 in the final 17 minutes to win 75-55.

As a result, Roadrunners guard John Buggs III fielded a few questions in the wake of the St. Mary’s game about the team’s inconsistency. His answer was the same. At times, he said, UTSA goes through “stretches” when things go wrong on both ends of the floor.

“We have to limit those windows,” Buggs said.

Added Henson, “We have a lot of work to do. A lot of work.”

Jacob Germany. UTSA beat St. Mary's 66-59 on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Jacob Germany sank 6 of 11 from the field and scored 14 points for the Roadrunners. John Buggs III also scored 14. — Photo by Joe Alexander

The Roadrunners, who were shooting 37.8 percent from the field coming into the night, finished 25 of 55 for 45.5 percent. Hitting only 20.3 percent from three in their first two games combined, they were better in that department, as well, making 8 of 19 for 42.1 percent. Germany and Buggs led the team with 14 points apiece.

It’s a good thing that UTSA made some improvement, because its next opponent — the defending Sun Belt Conference champion Texas State Bobcats — will be dangerous. The Bobcats are set to pay a visit to the Convocation Center on Thursday night.

“Texas State is really good,” Henson said. “They got great identity-culture. You know they’re going to defend really aggressively. They’re super solid defensively. Offensively, they typically run great movement, great motion … They had a big win at Rhode Island a couple of nights ago.

“They’ve got a couple of really big challenges for us. The emphasis will be defending and rebounding. Offensively, we’re going to be a young work in progress. Still think we’ve got the potential to be a pretty good offensive team in time. Defensively, we’ve got to take some steps.”

For St. Mary’s, the game could serve as a springboard into the rest of its pre-Lone Star Conference schedule. The Rattlers were beaten twice in Colorado last weekend. They lost 87-65 to Colorado School of Mines on Friday and then came up short, 60-56, falling to Regis College, Colo.

St. Mary's Emmanuel Ewuzie. UTSA beat St. Mary's 66-59 on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

St. Mary’s forward Emmanuel Ewuzie had a big game with 14 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Against the Roadrunners, the Rattlers seemed to hit their stride. Forward Emmanuel Ewuzie had a big night with 14 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Guard Ryan Leonard finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Off the bench, Diego Gonzalez scored seven and John Dawson six.

St. Mary’s came out strong, executing the offense and scoring the game’s first five points. The Rattlers kept it going for most of the first half, pushing the lead to as many as eight with 2:47 remaining.

At that point, UTSA started to creep back into the game. The Roadrunners scored seven in a row at the end of the half and then roared away on a 14-0 run to start the second.

Buggs ignited the second-half surge, hitting a couple of threes and a two. Forward Josh Farmer, who made his first start of the season, capped the streak with a wild play. After Farmer missed a dunk, Richards rebounded it. Farmer finally put it in the hoop for a 46-33 lead.

Down the stretch, the Rattlers wouldn’t fold.

They continued to scrap for rebounds and dive on the floor for loose balls. They hit some difficult shots in traffic. UTSA was also energized. They hit the boards with much more aggression. UTSA also got a big call when St. Mary’s foward Tyler Caron made a shot but had it waved off for charg

On the other end, Richards hit a three for a 10-point lead. Undaunted, St. Mary’s kept coming. The Rattlers chipped away and, with 1:01 remaining, Ewuzie hit a free that pulled the visitors to within two.

From there, Medor orchestrated the finish for the Roadrunners. He worked hard against the Rattlers’ trapping defense, and the Roadrunners survived, going on a 5-0 run to finish the game. Germany knocked down a shot and hit a free throw. On a free-throw miss, Richards snared a rebound and was fouled, sinking both with 30 seconds left to seal it.

Records

UTSA 2-1
St. Mary’s 0-2

Notable

With the victory, UTSA improved to 11-3 all-time in the series against St. Mary’s. The series between San Antonio-based universities started in 1984 as the “Mayor’s Challenge Cup.” Played initially in a downtown arena in the 1980s, the games have always been close. Only four of the 14 games have been decided by margins of more than 10 points.

Coming up

Texas State at UTSA, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Huston-Tillotson at St. Mary’s, Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

Hitting hyper-speed

Sabally to Aleu — for two

UTSA set to play on the road at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Posted on by
Reply

The UTSA Roadrunners will face their first NCAA Division I opponent of the season tonight. Also playing on the road for the first time, UTSA (1-0) will play the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (0-1).

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. at the Dugan Wellness Center on the A&M-Corpus Christi campus.

The Roadrunners, coming off a 74-47 victory over Division III Trinity University on Monday, hope to make a statement against a team that beat them by 19 points in San Antonio last year.

On Nov. 21, 2021, Steve Lutz-coached A&M-Corpus Christi registered a 77-58 victory over UTSA at the Convocation Center en route to a magical season, in which it won the Southland Conference postseason title and played in the NCAA tournament.

UTSA, on the other hand, suffered a down season and finished 10-22.

Led by guards Japhet Medor and John Buggs, the Roadrunners will present the Islanders with a different look.

Medor is a pass-first point guard and Buggs is capable of scoring in bunches from the perimeter.

UTSA didn’t play well offensively against Trinity, shooting only 40 percent from the field. But the defense was good for the second-straight outing, including a home exhibition against the Schreiner University Mountaineers.

Against Shreiner and Trinity, the Roadrunners have yielded only 107 points.

The Islanders will test the Roadrunners with largely the same personnel that posted a 23-12 record last season.

Guards Jalen Jackson, Simeon Fryer and Terrion Murdix will lead the attack, with 6-foot-5 rebounding force Isaac Mushila at one forward and De’Lazarus Keys at the other.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi opened its season on the road Monday, at Starkveville, Miss., and lost 63-44 to Mississippi State of the Southeastern Conference.

The Islanders led the game by 12 points in the first half and by five at intermission before the Cowboys rallied to put the game away.

Notable

A&M-Corpus Christi is a non-football playing program in the Southland Conference. The Islanders are coached by Lutz, who played at San Antonio’s East Central High School and at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin.

UTSA plays football and all other sports in Conference USA. It’s the last season for UTSA in the C-USA as it prepares to move next year into the American Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners are led by seventh-year head coach Steve Henson.

Coming up

Both teams play again on Monday night. A&M-Corpus Christi will host Trinity at the American Bank Center. UTSA will host the Division II St. Mary’s University Rattlers in a matchup of San Antonio-based schools at UTSA.