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UTSA women fend off a North Texas rally to win, 66-64

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Damara Allen winning shot.

Sophomore Damara Allen hits a go-ahead jumper in traffic with 13 seconds remaining, giving UTSA a lead it would not relinquish. Just before she made the winning play, she rebounded her own miss and followed it in from 12 feet. Allen finished with six points and five assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners women gave up a 19-point, fourth-quarter lead Wednesday and then pulled out a 66-64 victory over the North Texas Mean Green at the Convocation Center.

On an inbounds play under the basket, Damara Allen followed her own miss and hit a 12-foot jumper with 13.2 seconds left to lift UTSA into a 65-64 lead.

After a timeout, North Texas nearly turned the ball over at midcourt but recovered possession. Andi Schissler missed a 12-footer from the side, and UTSA’s Cheyenne Rowe rebounded.

Rowe hit the second of two free throws with 2.9 seconds left for the final point of the game. North Texas missed a halfcourt heave at the buzzer to end the game, a shot that did not count in the final statistics.

Rowe led the Roadrunners with 27 points and 11 rebounds.

Cheyenne Rowe

UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe is rewarded with gold ‘cash in’ chain after a 27-point, 11-rebound performance. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I’m really proud of the team, just from the standpoint that we’ve had a couple of disappointing losses,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “Part of those have been rebounding and execution offensively, things we’ve really been working on, trying to get better at.

“For three quarters, we were really, really good at it, and then we obviously fell asleep in the fourth (quarter). Credit to North Texas. They changed some schemes offensively and started attacking on the dribble a little bit more. Started shooting threes.

“We didn’t make any adjustments at all, and that’s on me.”

Records

North Texas 11-10, 5-4
UTSA 10-9, 5-3

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, 1 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners dominated the middle quarters, outscoring the Mean Green 41-17 to take a 46-28 lead into the final period. In the fourth, the teams traded baskets until Rowe hit a layup with 7:57 remaining, boosting UTSA’s advantage to 53-34. From there, it was all North Texas over the next seven minutes. The Mean Green went on a 30-10 run, capped by Mekhia Chase’s three-pointer with 21.5 seconds left. When Chase’s shot splashed, North Texas had a 64-63 advantage.

Individuals

North Texas – Guard Mekhia Chase led the Mean Green with 20 points on seven of nine shooting. Chase scored 13 in the fourth quarter. Andi Schissler added 12 points. Schissler, too, was hot in the fourth quarter when she scored six on two three pointers. Forward Megan Nestor added 11 points and 14 rebounds. Nestor entered as the leading rebounder in the nation. Former UTSA standout Aysia Proctor was held to four points on one for eight shooting.

UTSA – Forward Cheyenne Rowe had a monster game with 27 points and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes. Rowe scored nine points in the second period and eight in the third when UTSA built its big lead. Ereauna Hardaway finished with nine points and five assists. Allen scored six points. She was one for five from the field when she hit the go-ahead bucket at the end. Forward Idara Udo, playing her first game since Dec. 15, contributed eight points and four rebounds in nine minutes. One of UTSA’s major contributors to last year’s championship season, Udo has been sidelined with a lower leg injury.

First half

Shaking off poor shooting early, the Roadrunners dominated the second quarter and rallied into a 26-19 lead.

Rowe led the Roadrunners with nine points, all during a 21-8 burst by her team in the second period.

The Roadrunners suffered through a shaky start, stumbling through the first eight minutes of the game without a field goal. The Mean Green took advantage by assuming an 11-5 lead after the first quarter.

Coming off two straight losses, UTSA finally warmed up by hitting seven of 15 from the field in the second period. Rowe was four for seven during that stretch, sinking two mid-range jumpers with the shot clock winding down.

UTSA women to host North Texas, nation’s leading rebounder; men aim to stop skid against UAB

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA will host a couple of American Conference basketball games on Wednesday at the Convocation Center, with the women meeting the North Texas Mean Green at 3 p.m. and the men taking on the UAB Blazers at 7.

Women’s basketball

Game 1 — North Texas at UTSA
3 p.m.

Men’s basketball

Game 2 — UAB at UTSA
7 p.m.

Game 1 at a glance

North Texas (11-9, 5-3) — UTSA fans will have their first opportunity to see Mean Green forward Megan Nestor, who leads the nation in rebounding (13.2) and ranks eighth in the conference in scoring (12.9). A native of St. Lucia in the Caribbean, she made headlines in December with a 34-point, 31-rebound game against Texas Southern. The Wayland Baptist transfer also pulled down 27 boards in North Texas’ 57-53 loss to Tulsa at home last Friday. Another storyline centers on the return of North Texas guard Aysia Proctor to the Convocation Center. The former standout at San Antonio-area Clemens High School played two seasons at UTSA before entering the transfer portal last spring. Proctor leads the Mean Green in scoring (13.6) and steals (1.5). North Texas has lost two of its last three.

UTSA (9-9, 4-3) — Decimated by injuries to six scholarship players, the defending conference champion Roadrunners aren’t playing well. They’ve have dropped three of their last four games and two in a row. After a dispiriting 52-40 loss at Memphis last Friday, fifth-year UTSA coach Karen Aston suggested that the team had “hit the wall,” not playing with the necessary effort or concentration. However blunt the assessment, it rang true, because early in the second half it felt as if UTSA might not finish the game with 35 points. Against a team with only one win in the conference, no less. On the flip side, the Roadrunners will enter the North Texas game with solid upper-class leadership in Cheyenne Rowe and Ereauna Hardaway and talented underclassmen who tend to play better at home. Like Proctor, Hardaway may have added motivation in that she played the past three seasons at North Texas. Rowe averages 12.6 points and 8.8 rebounds, and Hardaway 10.9 points and 5.1 assists.

Game 2 at a glance

UAB (12-8, 3-4) — Sixth-year UAB coach Andy Kennedy has averaged 25 wins over the last five seasons at the program based in Birmingham, Ala. His Blazers reached the NCAA tournament in 2022, out of Conference USA, and in 2024, out of the American. If they hope to reach the 20-win plateau or the national tournament this season, they’ll need to turn it on down the stretch to get there. Knowing Kennedy and his reputation for success, though, it wouldn’t be surprising if his team is ready to make it happen. Lad by guards Chance Westry and Jacob Meyer, the Blazers average 82.4 points a game. Both score 14-plus scorers per night. Three others average 11 points plus. So, they are explosive. Also, they’ve been good lately on the road. UAB is 3-0 in the American in games played away from home. Of course, it’s a mystery surrounds why they are 0-4 in conference at home.

UTSA (4-16, 0-8) — All eyes in the Convocation Center in the night game will be on the home team Roadrunners, who will hit the floor trying to snap out of a school-record 13-game losing streak. Injuries could be a factor against the Blazers as electric sophomore Baboucarr Njie, coming off a 25-point, 10-rebound, 5-block performance last Saturday in a 70-64 loss to Temple, might be limited with his mobility. Njie tweaked an ankle early in the second half in the Temple game. Guard Dorian Hayes also could be affected with shoulder issues. Three players are out for the season, including Vasean Allette, the team’s top offseason pickup out of the transfer portal. Allette is our for personal reasons. Also sitting out are forward Macaleab Rich and guard Pierce Spencer (for the season) and center Stanley Borden (game by game).

Quotable

Second-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch had this to say Monday on a zoom conference:

“I was really happy with the way we played against Temple. Certainly the best we’ve played in the league. I don’t think anybody would debate that. You know, got to finish the first half a little bit better, but still had a halftime lead. They came out with a better three minutes in that second to build that lead to 12. I think that was their biggest second-half lead.

“I was really proud of our group to battle back the way that we did. Got the thing back to one with about seven or eight minutes left. It was just a good college basketball game (with) runs made on each side. They just made a couple more plays than we did. I told our team afterward, it’s hard. That’s the first time we’d been in that situation in league play. We got to put ourselves in more situations like that to finish those games.

“We’re excited for Wednesday. (The Temple game was) certainly something to build off of. (Monday’s) an important day of prep. We’ll get out here and run around a little bit. Have a physical (practice) tomorrow (Tuesday). We’ll build up. (Baboucarr Njie) obviously got hurt the other day. He’ll be fine but he won’t (practice) much (Monday) with his ankle, make sure he’s ready to go by Wednesday. And Dorian (Hayes), obviously, with his shoulder. We want guys getting healthy. So (Monday) will be an important day of prep and have a good one (Tuesday), as well, and come out here and play well Wednesday.”

Correction: A previous version of this report misidentified Aysia Proctor’s high school. Proctor attended Clemens High School.

North Texas wins 81-62 to hand the UTSA men a record 12th-straight loss

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The North Texas Mean Green built a 22-point lead at halftime and then held on for an 81-62 victory Wednesday night in Denton, handing the UTSA men’s basketball team a program record-breaking 12th straight loss.

The 2022-23 Roadrunners held the previous record of 11.

This season, Mississippi Valley State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference has dropped 18 in a row for the longest streak in the nation. The Roadrunners and the Air Force Falcons of the Mountain West Conference are tied for second.

UTSA (4-15, 0-7) made a push late in the game to pull within striking distance. First, Jamir Simpson snared an offensive rebound and fed Austin Nunez for a layup.

Nunez followed it up with a couple of free throws, cutting the lead to 13 with 4:49 to play. From there, North Texas (12-7, 3-3) responded with 10 straight points to pull away.

Mean Green guard Je’Shawn Stevenson capped the streak with a three out of the corner. Stevenson, a sophomore from Chicago, led the home team with 27 points.

The Cleveland State transfer made 10 of 19 from the field and seven of 13 from the 3-point arc.

UTSA coach Austin Claunch told Andy Everett on the postgame radio show that his team’s 46-25 rebounding deficit was a problem, but he said the bigger issue centered on turnovers.

With Mean Green defenders gambling in the passing lanes, making steals and creating deflections, the Roadrunners had 12 of their 15 turnovers in the first half.

“Just a frustrating, frustrating, similar story,” Claunch said.

Simpson scored 14, Brent Moss 14 and Austin Nunez 12 for the Roadrunners, who shot 36 percent from the field. Forward Baboucarr Njie had seven points, three rebounds and a record seven blocked shots. The 6-foot-6 Njie broke the previous record of six blocks by Tom Oswald, set in 1996.

“He’s got great timing,” Claunch said. “He’s got great feel. He’s a good athlete. For somebody that’s 6-6 or 6-5, down there banging the way he does, it’s certainly impressive.”

A scary moment unfolded for UTSA in the second half when freshman guard Dorian Hayes collided with North Texas forward Dylan Arnett near the sideline. Hayes came out off the floor with 12:51 remaining clutching his shoulder.

He returned with 11:53 showing and continued to play, finishing with eight points on one of four shooting.

Records

UTSA 4-15, 0-7
North Texas 12-7, 3-3

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

First half

Stevenson hit a 28-footer at the buzzer, a long-distance three pointer, as the North Texas Mean Green took a 45-23 lead into the dressing room at intermission.

Stevenson led the Mean Green with 16 points on six of nine shooting. He connected on four of six from 3-point distance.

The game was close in the first seven minutes, but UTSA never really had a rhythm because of North Texas’ gambling defense.

Despite a flurry of early turnovers, the Roadrunners trailed only 11-7 with after Brent Moss nailed a three from the wing with 13:10 remaining.

North Texas outscored UTSA 34-16 the rest of the way.

UTSA shot only eight of 23 from the field and one of 10 from three in the opening 20 minutes. The Roadrunners committed nine turnovers.

Notable

It’s been almost two months since UTSA last won a game. The Roadrunners’ last victory came on Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla., against the Georgia Southern Eagles.

The 12-game skid started with non-conference losses to South Alabama, 12th-ranked Alabama, Colorado, USC and Seattle. Losses in conference have come to FAU, Temple, Charlotte, Tulane, Rice, Memphis and North Texas.

Seven of the losses in the streak have been on the road, with five at home. The Roadrunners have home games upcoming against Temple on Saturday afternoon and UAB on Jan. 28.

North Texas and UTSA will play again in San Antonio on Feb. 7. It will be the first appearance on the UTSA campus for first-year Mean Green coach Daniyal Robinson, who worked previously for three years at Cleveland State. He replaced Ross Hodge, who was hired at West Virginia.

North Texas suffered a blow to its season when guard Will McClendon, who was averaging 13 points a game, injured his knee on Nov. 12 at Oregon State. A player who might have been the team’s go-to scorer is out for the season.

McClendon, from Bishop Gorman High School in Nevada, played as a freshman at UCLA and as a sophomore last season at San Jose State.

Mean Green guard Je’Shawn Stevenson is a former first-team all-city player at Chicago’s Lindblom High School. He played as a freshman at Cleveland State.

North Texas guard David Terrell Jr.‘s father — David Terrell Sr. — played played in college at UTEP and in the NFL for Washington and Oakland between 1998-2004.

UTSA women hold on to conference lead by defeating North Texas, 54-52

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Sidney Love blocked shot. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sidney Love blocks a shot that seals the victory, boosting UTSA to a 19-3 record overall, including 10-1 in the American Athletic Conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Playing a game with conference championship implications in front of a rowdy home crowd, the UTSA women rallied from a four-point deficit in the last five minutes Tuesday night to defeat the North Texas Mean Green, 54-52.

With the win, the Roadrunners improved to 12-1 in their last 13 games and held onto first place in the American.

Sidney Love blocked shot. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

The UTSA Roadrunners shout their approval after making a stop on the last possession to beat the North Texas Mean Green. – Photo by Joe Alexander

North Texas had a chance to tie in the final seconds and send it to overtime, but UTSA guard Sidney Love blocked a runner by Desiree Wooten on the last possession, prompting a roar of approval from an announced crowd of 1,418 fans at the Convocation Center.

In response, UTSA players stomped, waved their hands and shouted back at the crowd, with a few players rushing off the bench to hug Love.

What the game may have lacked in aesthetics — both teams shot less than 33 percent from the field; both combined to commit 44 turnovers, and UTSA misfired on all 18 three-point attempts — it may have made up for it with late-game dramatics.

Trailing 48-44 and with the game clock ticking under five minutes, UTSA came up with big plays down the stretch by the likes of Love, Jordyn Jenkins, Idara Udo and Nina De Leon Negron to claim its 19th win of the season against only three losses.

Jenkins had five of her game-high 26 points in the Roadrunners’ 10-4 closing run, including a couple of contested 12-foot jumpers. Other notable plays down the stretch included:

De Leon Negron tying up North Texas star Tommisha Lampkin to force a held ball, with the extra possession leading to a sweet right-handed scoop shot by Love that gave the Roadrunners momentum. Also, a hustle play by Udo, who rebounded a miss by De Leon Negron and scored for a two-point lead.

After Wooten sank a floater from 10 feet to tie the game with two minutes left, Jenkins responded on the other end with a 12-footer and a 52-50 lead with 1:38 remaining. The Roadrunners never trailed after that.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins, the leading scorer in the American, produced 26 points on seven field goals and 12 free throws on 15 attempts. – Photo by Joe Alexander.

“I thought this was a really, really well-scouted game,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I thought both teams were well-prepared. It was just a dog fight because of how well both teams were prepared. I told ’em at halftime it was just a defensive battle.

“We felt bad about our mistakes, but we were forcing the same ones on the other end. So, I kind of felt like this was going to boil down to some really small things, and, you know, somebody just decided to grit it out. I actually thought we would make more shots than we did.

“We uncharacteristically, couldn’t hit from three. But, man, tough. Just a tough performance from our team.”

In a matchup of two of the best forwards in the American, UTSA’s Jenkins won the battle, registering a game-high 26 points on seven field goals and 12 of 15 shooting at the free-throw line. Also, eight rebounds. Her North Texas counterpart, Lampkin, played hard and collected 16 rebounds but was held to five points.

Lampkin, averaging 16.7 points on the season at an AAC-best 57 percent from the field, couldn’t get the ball enough against a swarming UTSA defensive presence to do much damage. She finished two for five from the field and committed five turnovers.

In a sense, Jenkins may have adapted a little better to the physicality of the game, making adjustments along the way.

Asked what goes into making the adjustments, the 6-foot UTSA senior said, “Honestly, a lot of maturity. I know a couple of years ago, me, I’d be arguing with the refs or getting into my feelings. But it’s just about moving on to the next play and embracing the physicality and just reading your defender. Just worry about what they’re doing and adapt.”

North Texas Tommisha Lampkin. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

North Texas forward Tommisha Lampkin, regarded as one of the best players in the American, was held by a swarming UTSA defense to five points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

On the last play, it almost looked like the Roadrunners knew what was coming from the Mean Green. Wooten drove down the right side and may have stumbled a bit when Love reached in and swatted the ball away.

Aston credited her coaching staff for keeping players informed on what the visitors might do. “A lot of credit to our staff,” she said. “They have responsibilities to prepare our team. We talk about this all the time. Just do your job. And I thought they were really well-prepared.

“I thought they knew what we were probably going to see. I thought they did a good job at the timeouts giving us an idea of what they might be looking for. I thought Sid handled that well. We knew they were probably going to isolate Lampkin, and she did a good job of staying loose and getting the block.

“But I thought, down the stretch … we didn’t give up a lot of easy shots in the last five minutes.”

Records

North Texas 16-7, 8-3
UTSA 19-3, 10-1

Coming up

UTSA at Wichita State, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Notable

The Mean Green’s championship hopes have taken a hit in the past two games. Last weekend, they lost at South Florida, and after allowing a late lead to slip away at the Convocation Center, they are now two games behind the league-leading Roadrunners in the loss column. The top of the AAC standings now include: UTSA (10-1), South Florida (8-2), North Texas (8-3), Tulane (7-3) and Temple (6-4).

Idara Udo. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Idara Udo. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women’s basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First half

The Roadrunners couldn’t handle the North Texas pressure very well. But they did play well defensively themselves, and then they capitalized on 12 points from Jenkins to forge a 28-24 lead at intermission.

UTSA had a strong start to the game, taking an 8-2 lead in the first four minutes and then building it to 14-7 after one quarter. When Love converted a three-point play early in the second, the crowd was getting into it, with the Roadrunners leading 17-7.

At that point, the Roadrunners became extremely careless with the ball and committed five turnovers on five possessions, leading to a 10-0 run by the Mean Green. A fast break layup by Chania Price tied the score 17-17 with 7:07 left.

UTSA held North Texas to three field goals in the last seven minutes to turn the momentum in its favor. Jenkins hit six straight free throws in the final 2:28. Jenkins finished the half two of five from the field and eight of eight at the line.

North Texas star Tommisha Lampkin, facing double- and triple-team pressure, scored one point in the half on zero for one shooting.

Nina De Leon Negron. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Roadrunners point guard Nina De Leon Negron gets a hug from her mother after the Roadrunners beat the North Texas Mean Green. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Maya Linton. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Maya Linton helped hold the North Texas Mean Green to 31.7 percent shooting. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Temple 70-61 on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston said in the postgame that leadership has helped the team recover from fourth-quarter deficits against both Temple and North Texas. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA women set to face North Texas, another upper-tier AAC contender

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Winners of an eye-opening 18 games on the season and chasing a conference championship, the UTSA women will face their third title contender in seven days tonight when they host forward Tommisha Lampkin and the North Texas Mean Green at the Convocation Center. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m.

In the past week, the first-place Roadrunners’ have had only mixed results against a couple of teams grouped in the upper tier of contenders in the American Athletic Conference race. Last week, for instance, they traveled to Tampa, Fla., and had their 10-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the South Florida Bulls.

The Bulls pulled away late and won 75-63.

Sitting out the game was injured UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins, the leading scorer in the the AAC, as well as the scoring and rebounding leader for the Roadrunners. Last weekend, the Roadrunners returned home to play the Temple Owls and surged late to win, 70-61.

But it wasn’t easy. With Jenkins returning to the court against the Owls, she turned it on in the second half and rallied the Roadrunners, who also were buoyed by big performances from Nina De Leon Negron, Idara Udo and Cheyenne Rowe.

UTSA trailed by 14 early in the third quarter and by 11 early in the fourth before making the final push in front of a vocal crowd, improving to 11-1 in their last 12 games. Now they’re preparing to face the Mean Green, who lost at South Florida last weekend despite Lampkin’s second strong performance in a row.

Following a 16-point, 10-rebound showing in a close win at home against Temple, the 6-foot-2 senior forward from Mansfield exploded for 19 points and 15 boards against the Bulls. With her recent play, Lampkin has joined Jenkins as a player to watch in the AAC’s player of the year race.

Lampkin averages 16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, and she leads the conference in shooting 57 percent from the field. Jenkins, a 6-foot senior from Washington, is the leading scorer in the AAC at 18.8 points. She’s also averaging 7.2 rebounds.

Records

North Texas 16-6, 8-2
UTSA 18-3, 9-1

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, tonight, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Wichita State, Saturday, 2 p.m.

AAC leaders

UTSA 9-1, 18-3
North Texas 8-2, 16-6
South Florida 8-2, 15-8
Tulane 7-3, 14-7
Temple 6-4, 12-7
UAB 5-5, 14-8
Rice 5-5, 12-10
Tulsa 5-5, 11-11
Memphis 3-6, 5-15
East Carolina 3-7, 11-11
Charlotte 2-7, 7-13
FAU 2-8, 4-13
Wichita State 1-9, 7-16

UTSA men come away with a signature victory over North Texas in Denton

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After hanging on to beat the North Texas Mean Green 54-50 on Saturday in Denton, the UTSA Roadrunners handed first-year Coach Austin Claunch his biggest win at the school and the 100th of his career.

New UTSA men's basketball coach Austin Claunch was at the Roadrunners softball game on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at Roadrunner Field to throw out the first pitch. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Austin Claunch hit a milestone with his 100th win as a college head coach. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Center Jo Smith made a clutch defensive stop on North Texas’ last possession, and Raekwon Horton followed by knocking down two free throws with one second remaining to secure the win for the Roadrunners.

Horton finished with a season-high 23 points on eight of 11 shooting in 40 minutes. Primo Spears, battling a sore ankle, finished with 15 points. He hit three of seven from the 3-point arc. Marcus Millender scored 11.

Defensively, Smith finished with three steals and three blocks to lead the Roadrunners, who have posted a 4-3 record in their last seven AAC games.

For North Texas, forward Grant Newell scored a team-leading 14 points on six-for-six shooting. Guard Atin Wright, who scored 22 points against UTSA in the first meeting, was held to 10 on three of 12. Forward Brenan Lorient added 11 points.

Records

UTSA 10-11, 4-5
North Texas 16-5, 7-2

Coming up

Tulane at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Milestone

Claunch is in his first season at UTSA, but he is in his sixth overall in NCAA Division I, which includes five at Nicholls State. The coach posted a 90-61 record at Nicholls, a Southland Conference school in Thibodaux, La. He’s now 10-11 with the Roadrunners, which makes him 100-72 in his career after knocking off North Texas.

Notable

For UTSA, the win was significant on several levels. North Texas entered the game on a six-game winning streak, undefeated at home and tied for first in the American Athletic Conference. UTSA, meanwhile, was tied for ninth.

The Mean Green were 46th nationally on the NCAA’s Evaluation Tool, or, the NET, trailing only Memphis at No. 40 among AAC teams. Meaning, that this was UTSA’s highest-rated victory of the season.

Few could see it coming. Down to only eight scholarship players, UTSA had been pounded 94-74 on Wednesday in Boca Raton, Fla., and came in at No. 222 on the NET. The Roadrunners’ ranking was third to the last among AAC teams on the computer.

Moreover, the Mean Green journeyed to San Antonio on Jan. 18 and walloped the Roadrunners, 72-57. So, as expected, Claunch was feeling good about the outcome of the rematch as he talked to UTSA radio voice Andy Everett in the postgame.

The coach’s defensive scheme seemed to flummox the Mean Green. “We decided to go to some switching (on screens),” he said. “We were just saying, ‘Switch and compete.’ All week. You know, and just kind of man on man.

“They’re a hell of a team. You have so much respect for what they’ve built here. This crowd today, I mean, it was a really, really tough environment.”

The Roadrunners essentially won the game in the first half when they held the Mean Green to 13 points on five of 22 shooting from the field, including zero for 11 from three.

Remarkably, it was a half that resembled the game in San Antonio, except that in the first meeting, UTSA was held to 18 points.

UTSA entered the second half up 27-13.

“You’re giving yourself a cushion because you know they’re making a run,” Claunch said. “You know, similar to the game at our place. We were just able to make a couple of tough plays and shots.

“I think they’re as tough as anybody in the league, and I challenged our guys the last couple of days to embrace that. Embrace the pace. Embrace the physicality, and I think we did that.”

Defense-minded North Texas men defeat UTSA, 72-57

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UTSA lost to North Texas 72-57 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Teammates help UTSA guard Marcus Millender off the floor Saturday in a 15-point home loss to the North Texas Mean Green – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The North Texas Mean Green came into the UTSA Convocation Center Saturday with dozens of their own raucous fans in attendance and with a reputation for playing stifling defense. With their fans cheering them on, the Mean Green more than lived up to their billing.

They held the Roadrunners 23 points below their scoring average and walked away with a 72-57 victory in the American Athletic Conference.

Guard Atin Wright, a transfer from Drake, scored 22 points to lead the Mean Green. Wright hit five of eight from beyond the three-point arc.

Austin Claunch. UTSA lost to North Texas 72-57 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch praised his team’s effort in the second half and said it’s something to build on. – Photo by Joe Alexander

North Texas basically won the game in the first half, when it limited UTSA to 25 percent shooting. As a result, the Mean Green carried a 40-18 lead into the dressing room.

In the second half, the Roadrunners played their best basketball, forcing turnovers with pressure defense and making a run that brought their own fans to the edge of their seats.

A Marcus Millender layup with 3:27 remaining pulled UTSA to within seven points. Afterward, the Roadrunners couldn’t sustain the momentum, allowing the Mean Green to win for the sixth time in their last eight trips to San Antonio.

North Texas, one of UTSA’s chief in-state rivals in all sports, improved to 22-14 in the series overall and to 10-9 at the Convocation Center.

First-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch applauded second-year North Texas coach Ross Hodge and pointed the finger at himself in the opening statement of his postgame media session.

“First off, give them credit,” Claunch said. “They were prepared. Ross had them ready to play, and I did not. When you get down against a great team, it’s hard to crawl back out of that hole we were in. I was extremely proud of (the Roadrunners) in the second half, to show our fight.

“You know, they do that a lot of teams. They bury teams with physicality and toughness, and we showed our ability to play in those games. You know, it’s hard. I think we got it to seven with a chance to cut it to five.

“And at the end, you got to kind of run around and you end up losing by 15. But, again, our fight to get back in the game and cut it to a couple of possessions — that’s something we can build on.”

North Texas coach Ross Hodge. UTSA lost to North Texas 72-57 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

North Texas coach Ross Hodge says his players like to work, and, as a result, have made improvements since they first gathered last summer. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Right now, the Mean Green appear to have what it takes to contend for the title in the American Athletic Conference.

They’re 13-4 overall and 4-1 and tied for first in conference with the UAB Blazers and the Tulane Green Wave. Memphis and Temple are a half game back at 3-1.

“We love this group, man,” Hodge said outside the visitors dressing room. “From the moment they’ve gotten here in the summer, they really like each other, and they like to work, and they allow us to coach them very directly. They don’t take it (personally), and they’ve gotten a lot better as a group.”

The Roadrunners are 8-9 and 2-3, in a four-way tie for seventh place.

On good nights, they’re capable of putting up big offensive numbers, as evidenced by their 80 points per game average for the season, including an average of 89 in back-to-back victories over Wichita State and Rice in their last two outings.

All of which speaks to the nature of what the Mean Green did to the Roadrunners in the first half, holding them to five of 20 shooting from the field.

North Texas hounded UTSA leading scorer Primo Spears, making him work for everything. Same story for Marcus Millender. Spears hit only one of seven from the field in the first half and Millender one of four.

“I think a lot of what you saw in the first half was the respect level our players and staff have for what coach Claunch has done here at UTSA,” Hodge said. “How explosive Primo is, and Smurf (Marcus Millender). I felt like our game-plan discipline that first half was about as good as it’s been.

“We really took care of the ball, took them out of transition and just tried to make it as hard as we could (on their offensive threats).

Raekwon Horton. UTSA lost to North Texas 72-57 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Raekwon Horton finished with 15 points, three assists and three steals. UTSA lost to North Texas 72-57 in American Athletic Conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I thought they flipped it in the second half, and they kind of imposed their will on us. Started turning us over. Started getting the game (in a faster pace) up and down. They’re really, really good in that type of game.”

Millender, coming off back-to-back, 20-plus points performances, was held to 13 for the game. Spears, averaging 21.7 for the season, tied a season-low with six points. He shot one for 14 from the field, including zero for seven in the second half.

Guard Tai’Reon Joseph led the Roadrunners with 19 points on seven-for-11 shooting. Forward Raekwon Horton had 15 points, three assists and three steals. Forcing turnovers and a faster pace, the Roadrunners shot 46.7 percent in the second half and 38 percent for the game.

For the Mean Green, forwards Moulaye Sissoko and Brenen Lorient contributed on both ends of the court, clogging up the middle on defense and also scoring 13 points apiece.

Sissoko, one of the North Texas holdovers from last year, had eight rebounds, including three offensive. Playing off the bench, Lorient contributed seven boards, three blocked shots and a steal.

Point guard Jasper Floyd scored only two points but seemed to make a significant impact, passing for six assists against only one turnover. Backcourt mate Johnathan Massie had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Records

North Texas 13-4, 4-1
UTSA 8-9, 2-3

Coming up

UTSA at UAB, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

A challenging schedule awaits the Roadrunners in the next two weeks. Next week, they play at UAB on Tuesday and at home against Temple on Saturday. The week after that, they’re on the road at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 29 and at North Texas on Feb. 1.

Rivalry weekend: Upset-minded UTSA men to host North Texas

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Austin Claunch. UTSA beat North Dakota 80-76 in non-conference men's basketball on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Austin Claunch’s UTSA Roadrunners are averaging 89 points in their last two games going into Saturday’s date with the North Texas Mean Green. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Like reddened eyes irritated by pollen blowing in the wind, the gnashing of teeth among UTSA basketball fans over the impending arrival of the North Texas Mean Green seems like a natural phenomenon.

“I haven’t been here long, but I’ve been here long enough,” first-year UTSA men’s coach Austin Claunch said Friday. “Any of the Texas teams we play, there’s a little extra edge to it. It certainly seems we have a little extra spice to it when it comes to North Texas.

“But that makes it fun, right?”

Well, it seems fun today, at least, because Claunch’s team has been playing well and seems capable of springing an upset when they host the Mean Green at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.

But, lately, North Texas has been hogging most of the fun, having won 10 of the last 13 meetings between the teams, including five of seven in San Antonio, since the 2015-16 season.

For the Roadrunners to transfer some of the joy to their own fans, they’ll need to be on top of their game from the outset against one of the better teams in the American Athletic Conference, ranked No. 57 nationally.

The Mean Green are led by Ross Hodge, in his second season as head coach after moving up to replace Grant McCasland, who is now at Texas Tech.

“Obviously, they have a really good program,” Claunch said. “You look at what they’ve been able to do the last six or seven years…I have a ton of respect for those guys. Kind of similar to what happened at Nicholls (State) when coach (Richie) Riley was there and I was an assistant.

“Coach (Riley) built it and we were able to keep going. Ross has done an unbelievable job. Last year I think he was a national coach of the year finalist. When you’re playing North Texas, you’re playing a program that’s not just about personnel. Obviously, they have a good winning pedigree over the last couple of years.

“So, I’m excited … because we feel like we’re playing well. We’re making shots. We’re not near where we need to be. But tomorrow’s a great opportunity to take a huge step.”

UTSA (8-8, 2-2 in the AAC) has won two games in a row and five of its last eight. The Roadrunners have had double-digit leads in each of their last three. Buoyed by the resurgent shooting of guard Marcus “Smurf” Millender, they’ve scored 178 points combined against Wichita State and Rice in their last two.

“We’re confident,” Claunch said, “but we know tomorrow is going to be a rock fight.”

North Texas (12-4, 3-1) has won two straight games and six of its last seven. The Mean Green’s only loss in that stretch came on the road at nationally-ranked Memphis.

Anchored by 6-foot-9 center Moulaye Sissoko, North Texas plays a man-to-man defense that ranks among the best in the nation, yielding an average of 58.8 points. Opponents shoot only 42.1 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from three against the Mean Green.

“First and foremost, it’s their mentality,” Claunch said. “It’s how they recruit. It’s how they built their program. I’m not at their practices or their summer, but I would imagine it starts with that. I mean, you go to North Texas knowing what you’re going to do. You’re going to guard and get stops.”

North Texas will face one of the hottest offenses in the AAC when they contest the Roadrunners, who have a number of players who are currently in a good rhythm. Primo Spears is fifth in the nation in scoring at 21.7 points per game.

But Millender is coming on, and so is Raekwon Horton, who is averaging 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds over his last five. Millender has come off the bench in his last two games, a wrinkle in the rotation that likely will stick as long as the Roadrunners stay hot.

Asked if UTSA is hitting on all cylinders now just because the newcomers have had time to mesh since the summer, Claunch said the answer is yes and no.

“I know this team has had it in us, to be able to score and share the way we’re doing it,” he said. “But, it’s decision making. You got to do it every day. It’s not just something that’s going to be there. When you start doing it, you got to embrace it. You got to understand that’s what makes us a really good team.

“We’re not scoring points because we’re playing really fast or anything. We’re scoring points because we’re taking good shots and we’re making better decisions.”

Millender, a sophomore transfer from South Alabama, sparked a second-half surge at Rice with 12 points in the last nine minutes of a 90-84 victory. Claunch said he “just tried something a little different to give our team a spark” in his decision to bring the Houston-area native off the bench.

“Clearly it worked, stayed with it against Rice. We’ll stick with it tomorrow,” the coach said. “But, for us, I don’t get too caught up in who’s starting. Like I say, we’re one of two teams in the league with five guys in double figures, so whether you start or not, in this program, it shouldn’t matter.”

Records

North Texas 12-4, 3-1
UTSA 8-8, 2-2

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, Saturday, 3 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

Claunch declined to discuss a timetable for the return of power forward Jaquan Scott, who has played only six games and has missed seven of the last eight. Scott has been away from the team for the past three attending to a family matter, a spokesman has said.

Center Mo Njie has sat out the past five with a foot injury, and his return date is uncertain, as well. “It’s not going to be anytime soon,” Claunch said. Guard Paul Lewis, also down with a foot injury, won’t return this season after playing only twice in early November. “He’s redshirting,” the coach said.

With forward Skylar Wicks sitting out Friday’s practice, UTSA is down to nine scholarship players going into the North Texas game. “It’s that time of the year, man,” the coach said. “Everybody’s kind of banged up, and we just got to figure how to make it work.”

Jenkins scores a season-high 29 as the UTSA women beat first-place North Texas, 66-63

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Fast-improving forward Jordyn Jenkins scored 12 of her season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter Sunday as the UTSA Roadrunners defeated another first-place team in the American Athletic Conference women’s basketball race, downing the North Texas Mean Green 66-63 at the Super Pit in Denton.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Florida Atlantic 77-61 in Conference USA women's basketball on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins scored a season-high 29 points Sunday afternoon in her third game back after sitting out the first 21 in rehabilitation for a knee injury. – Photo by Joe Alexander

With the victory, UTSA (13-11, 7-6) split a two-game AAC road trip and swept a two-game, regular-season series against North Texas (19-6, 9-4).

UTSA, aided by 16 points from freshman guard Aysia Proctor and nine points and nine rebounds from junior center Elyssa Coleman, also improved to 4-0 on the season against first-place AAC teams. The Roadrunners are 3-0 at home and 1-0 on the road against squads leading in the standings.

The Mean Green were in first place both times they played the Roadrunners and were turned away twice in close games. On Jan. 31, UTSA won in its on-campus arena, downing North Texas 75-67 in overtime.

In that game, Jenkins had not yet been cleared to play. She sat out the first 21 games this season while rehabilitating a knee injury. Since her return, the Roadrunners have won two out of three, claiming the two victories against AAC contenders Alabama-Birmingham and now North Texas.

UTSA’s road win against its in-state rivals, at the Super Pit in Denton, may have been the team’s best of the season. The Mean Green had been 10-0 at home this season. They were also 5-0 in AAC games at home — until Jenkins, a high-scoring forward from Kent, Wash., showed up to play.

Jenkins hit 11 of 17 shots from the floor, including three of five from three-point distance. In the fourth period, she was at her best, hitting four for four from the floor and knocking down her only three-point attempt.

On one of her shots, she had the ball on the right side of the floor, about eight feet from the basket, when she turned and flipped in a left-handed scoop shot. The bucket gave UTSA a three-point lead with 40 seconds remaining.

Coming out of a time out, North Texas guard Dyani Robinson hit a shot to cut the UTSA lead to one. On the other end, Jenkins was fouled and sank two free throws with 27 seconds left for the game’s final points.

North Texas called time with 20 seconds left needing a three to tie. The Mean Green failed to get off a clean shot, as Shamaryah Duncan’s three from the right wing was deflected by UTSA’s Kyra White, clinching the victory for the Roadrunners.

Six-foot forward DesiRay Kernal paced North Texas with 16 points and 12 rebounds. As UNT’s top offensive threat, she wasn’t as effective as she has been, making five of 12 from the field. Another Mean Green threat, center Tommisha Lampkin, was hindered by foul trouble and played only 20 minutes. She finished with six points and six rebounds.

In the second and third quarters, the Mean Green started to play better team basketball. They hit six of 11 from the field and eight of nine at the free throw line in the second, outscoring the Roadrunners 21-16 in the period and taking a 34-30 lead at the intermission. After halftime, they came out energized and once again got the better of the visitors, opening the advantage to 52-46.

North Texas guard Jaauckland Moore made a three with three seconds remaining in the third, lifting the Eagles into their six-point lead.

Records

UTSA 13-11, 7-6
North Texas 19-6, 9-4

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

After missing so much of the season, Jenkins is fast improving her conditioning. In her first two games, she played 11 minutes against UAB and 14 in a Wednesday-night loss at Tulsa. Against both UAB and Tulsa, she scored 11 in each game. Combined in those two games, she hit seven of 25 shots from the field. Jenkins followed with 24 minutes against North Texas and finished 11 of 17 from the floor. Her 29-point performance left the Mean Green faithful with long memories dismayed, as she scored 40 in the Super Pit last February in UTSA’s 68-67 overtime victory. The two games were played nearly one calendar year apart — from Feb. 20, 2023 to Feb. 18, 2024.

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

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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