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Rowe scores 26 as the UTSA women down Temple, 52-43

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Cheyenne Rowe. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Cheyenne Rowe produced 26 points and 11 rebounds in a victory that keeps UTSA within striking distance of a top-four finish in the conference race. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners played gritty defense, they rebounded and then they passed the ball to Cheyenne Rowe.

Rowe, a 6-2 senior forward, did the rest.

She hit 11 of 19 shots from the field for 26 points as the Roadrunners downed the Temple Owls 52-43 for their second straight win in the American Conference.

Both Rowe and forward Idara Udo pulled down 11 rebounds as UTSA out-boarded Temple, 43-29. Mia Hammonds scored 10 points, including eight in the third quarter.

Rowe clinched a 2-0 season sweep of the Owls by scoring 10 points in the fourth period on five of nine shooting.

Idara Udo. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Idara Udo had five points and a team-high tying 11 rebounds against Temple in a performance that followed an 18-point showing at Tulsa last Saturday. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Just super proud of our team today,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I didn’t think it was the easiest win. Both teams, you could really tell they knew each other. You could tell (we were) in the grind of conference play, and both teams knew exactly what the other was going to run.

“They were prepared, and it just got down to who could really buckle down in the second half and get the consecutive stops and maybe execute a little better offensively. I thought the difference in the game was we had 11 turnovers at the half and finished with 14.

“Taking care of the basketball and giving ourselves a chance to get a shot off was really the difference.”

For the Owls, forward Saniyah Craig produced a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

As for Temple’s explosive backcourt, UTSA effectively shut down guards Kaylah Turner and Tristen Taylor.

Turner entered the game averaging 17 points and leading the conference in scoring, while Taylor had been an 11-point, four-assist wizard with the ball.

UTSA held Turner to 12 points on five of 14 shooting. She scored only two in the second half when the Roadrunners secured the game.

Taylor, from Duncanville High School in the Dallas area, went scoreless in the game on zero for two field-goal shooting. Moreover, she had three assists and three turnovers.

In the first meeting between the teams, on Jan. 3 in Philadelphia, UTSA won 50-47. And even though Taylor scored 18 points, Turner was held to seven on three of 18 shooting.

Adriana Robles. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Adriana Robles scored four points and had three assists and two rebounds in 25 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Rowe, for her part, enjoyed two big games this year against the Owls. In Philadelphia, she produced 14 points and 18 rebounds. In San Antonio, it was more of an offensive tour de force.

She said patience was the key.

“Tried to see where I could get an open shot, where my teammates were going to open up the shot for me,” Rowe said. “I got to hand it to them for cutting. Cut assists are amazing in basketball.”

Udo said it’s “awesome” to be back with the team. For more than six weeks, she sat out with an injury. Now, after playing five games, the 6-1 power forward is starting to assert herself.

“I love getting out here and playing with my team and helping us stack wins together,” she said. “My time off was great, too. I got to be a good teammate and tried to be a leader and take on a different role.”

Records

Temple 10-13, 4-7
UTSA 12-11, 7-5

Coming up

South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

From Jan. 13 to Feb. 3, the Roadrunners hit a slump, losing five of seven games. Now, after winning last Saturday at Tulsa and again Tuesday night against Temple, they’ve seemingly turned the corner.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Karen Aston’s UTSA Roadrunners beat Temple and improved its record to 12-11 overall and 7-5 in the American. – Photo by Joe Alexander

It’s a push that has allowed them to stay within striking distance of a fourth-place finish in the conference, which is rewarded with a double-bye into the 10-team postseason tournament.

Teams with the double bye gain the advantage of a shorter route to the American postseason title and the automatic NCAA tournament berth.

Teams finishing from seventh through 10th must win five games in five days to claim the title.

Teams finishing fifth and sixth will need to win four games in four days, while teams in third and fourth start in the quarterfinals, needing three wins in three days.

The top two seeds start in the semifinals, two wins on back-to-back days away from the automatic NCAA berth.

Right now, the Rice Owls (11-0), East Carolina Pirates (10-2) and Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-3) are first through third, respectively.

The South Florida Bulls (7-4) are fourth, only a half game ahead of the Roadrunners and the North Texas Mean (both at 7-5).

South Florida hosts third-place Tulsa on Wednesday night and then travels into San Antonio to play UTSA on Saturday.

With the 18-game schedule winding down, the Bulls-Roadrunners rematch should be interesting.

Incidentally, the Bulls started the Roadrunners’ five-losses in seven-games skid by winning 70-53 on Jan. 13 in Tampa.

In that game, South Florida knocked down 10 three-point baskets to hand UTSA its most lopsided loss in conference this season.

First half

Locked in a defensive struggle, the Roadrunners and the Owls battled to a 21-21 tie at intermission. Rowe hit five of six shots from the field and scored 12 points to lead the Roadrunners.

Temple coach Diane Richardson. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Diane Richardson’s Temple Owls led the Roadrunners 17-13 after the first quarter but couldn’t hold on. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Unfortunately for UTSA, the rest of the team made only three of 14. Also, the Roadrunners’ offense stagnated against the Owls in other ways, often passing up open shots while turning the ball over 11 times.

The Roadrunners stayed in the game with an aggressive defense that limited the Owls to nine of 27 shooting for 33 percent. Temple guard Kaylah Turner supplied most of the firepower for the visitors, scoring 10 points on four of eight from the field.

UTSA women prepare for rematch against Temple’s dynamic duo

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners women survived one meeting against Kaylah Turner and Tristen Taylor this season. They’ll need to buckle up for another challenge tonight.

The Roadrunners will host two of the most dynamic guards in the American Conference when they play the Temple Owls at 6:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

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

Coach Diane Richardson has led the Temple women to back-to-back, 20-win seasons. The Owls (10-12, 4-6) are in town for a Tuesday night matchup against the UTSA Roadrunners (11-11, 6-5). – Photo by Joe Alexander

Turner is the leading scorer in the conference. The 5-6 junior from Jacksonville, Fla., averages 17.4 points.

Twice, she has scored in the 30s this season and six more times in the 20s for the Owls (10-12, 4-6), who are one of the most respected ball clubs in the bottom tier of the American’s standings.

In a Jan. 3 meeting against UTSA at Philadelphia, the Roadrunners did a good job defensively, holding Turner to one of her worst showings this season, three of 18 shooting from the field and seven points.

As a result, the Owls let a home game get away, losing 50-47 to the Roadrunners. It was a different narrative altogether in regard to Taylor, a 5-5 junior from Duncanville High School in the Dallas area.

She produced 18 points, three assists and a pair of steals. At the end, she just missed on a three-point shot that would have sent the game into overtime.

Given the background on the first meeting of the season with the Owls, and considering that Taylor has gone on to average 11.2 points and 4.3 assists, the Roadrunners (11-11, 6-5) are approaching Tuesday night’s rematch with eyes wide open.

UTSA coach Karen Aston knows from experience that even if a team holds one of those two down, the other is capable of willing Temple to victory.

“With Tristen, it was her first game back after an injury when we played up there,” Aston said Monday. “I’m not sure we had a handle on her game. I would expect that we’d be a little more prepared for her (Tuesday).

“Everyone in the league is prepared for Turner, and she’s still the leading scorer in the conference. So that tells you of her talent right there. She can be on everybody’s top of the scout, and she still gets the job done. Just two dynamic guards.”

The Owls could use the same adjective about UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe. In the teams’ first meeting, Rowe exploded for 14 points and 18 rebounds. The 6-2 senior from Canada has been UTSA’s best player this season, averaging 13.5 and 8.8.

In the rematch, Temple will be tasked with another frontcourt challenge in dealing with forward Idara Udo.

Udo sat out the game in Philadelphia with a lower leg injury. But after missing six weeks of action, she has returned, playing the last four games for the Roadrunners.

Udo, a preseason second team, all-conference selection, scored a season-high 18 points Saturday in a 66-47 road victory at Tulsa. Aston is happy to have the 6-1 junior from Plano back on the floor and gaining confidence.

“Obviously it was a long time off for her,” the coach said. “You don’t expect someone to roll in after time off and be sharp (immediately) and be in game shape and all of that. So I think it’s a process for her. I’m proud of her patience with this. It kind of forced her to step back and mature a little bit.

“She had a lot of her own personal expectations, and it’s actually given her time to give herself some grace. She looked a little sharper on Saturday, and I think every game we play, she’ll get a little sharper and a little bit better game shape. Get her timing back.

“Again, it just takes time when someone’s missed as many games as she has.”

Records

Temple 10-12, 4-5
UTSA 11-11, 6-5

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

Temple rallies to win, 70-64, handing the UTSA men their 13th straight loss

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UTSA forward Baboucarr Njie put on a show against Temple with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. Njie, who joined the program as a walk on in the summer of 2024, has scored 20-plus points twice in his last four games. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Temple Owls shrugged off a shaky start and rallied behind talented guards Derrian Ford and Jordan Mason for a 70-64 road victory Saturday afternoon, handing the UTSA men their 13th consecutive loss.

With the win, Temple improved its record to 13-7 overall and 5-2 in the American Conference, all while prolonging UTSA’s school-record losing streak. The Owls are 2-0 against the Roadrunners this season after claiming a 76-57 victory on Jan. 3 in Philadelphia.

The Roadrunners, meanwhile, fell to 4-16 and 0-8 despite a mega-performance from forward Baboucarr Njie. The Ohio native, who joined the UTSA program in the summer of 2024 as a walk on, produced career-high 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.

Temple Jordan Mason. Temple beat UTSA 70-64 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Temple guard Jordan Mason from San Antonio scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half. Mason played in high school at Clark in the Northside School District. – Photo by Joe Alexander

It was the second 20-plus points scoring effort in the last four games from the 6-foot-6 sophomore from Dayton, who has emerged as one of the bright spots in an otherwise dismal season.

Njie started fast and led the Roadrunners to an early 10-point lead. His driving layup into traffic with 11:12 left in the half boosted UTSA into a 23-13 advantage against one of the top teams in the American.

After that, Temple took charge of the game, pulling to within two at halftime and then mounting a charge in the second half that yielded a 12-point lead. Not backing down, UTSA made another push and pulled to within two.

From there, though, Temple manufactured an 11-4 run over the next four minutes to secure the victory. Mason, who played in high school at Clark, about 10 minutes away from UTSA, hit five of seven free throws in the stretch.

His two straight at the line with 41 seconds left essentially put the game away, giving the Owls a nine-point cushion.

“It came down to some late clock execution, and they made more shots and got to the line at a better rate than we did at the end of the game,” Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch told Andy Everett on the team’s radio broadcast.

Claunch applauded Ford and Mason for their play, especially in late-clock situations.

“Veteran guards,” the coach said. “They’ve played a lot of basketball. They do a great job. I think (coach) Adam (Fisher) is doing a great job. That’s why they’re where they are (in the standings).”

Ford, a former high school player of the year in Arkansas, finished with 21 points on seven of 11 shooting from the field. He scored 12 in the second half.

Austin Claunch. Temple beat UTSA 70-64 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch watched as his team played its best game in months, only to lose by six to the Temple Owls, one of the top teams in the American Conference – Photo by Joe Alexander

Mason, who has played previously at Texas State and the University of Illinois-Chicago, added 18 points.

He erupted for 14 in the second half. Not to be outdone, Temple guard Aiden Tobiason hit two shots down the stretch and produced 15 points.

The Roadrunners had double-figure scoring performances from Jamir Simpson (17 points), Austin Nunez (13) and Brent Moss (12 points and 12 rebounds). On the other hand, five UTSA players went scoreless.

Records

UTSA 4-16, 0-8
Temple 13-7, 5-2

Coming up

UAB at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Notable

Mississippi Valley State has lost 18 in a row for the longest losing streak in NCAA Division I this season. UTSA and Air Force are tied for second with 13 straight. The Falcons, from the Mountain West Conference, lost 96-54 at Boise State later Saturday afternoon.

UTSA guard Dorian Hayes, listed in the pregame availability report as questionable to play, went scoreless on 0 for 3 shooting from the field in 26 minutes off the bench.

Temple forward Gavin Griffiths, who scored 23 in a victory over UTSA in Philadelphia on Jan. 3, had a tough day shooting the ball. The Nebraska transfer finished with four points in the rematch, hitting only 1 of 7 from the floor.

San Antonio Spurs guards De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper attended the game.

The Temple-UTSA game in San Antonio originally was scheduled for a 1 p.m. start on Saturday. It was pushed back to noon in hopes that Temple could travel and make it back to Philadelphia ahead of the winter storm.

First half

Led by Njie, the UTSA Roadrunners men played their best half of basketball in months, pushing out to a big early lead and then holding off the Temple Owls late for a 33-31 advantage at intermission.

Njie, a force on both ends of the floor, scored 14 points while also pulling down four rebounds and blocking three shots. In his offensive game, Njie made sure to take the ball inside, hitting six of 11 from the field.

Brent Moss also emerged as a key player with eight points, eight rebounds and a couple of steals, while Jamir Simpson scored eight points on four of eight shooting.

For Temple, Derrian Ford scored nine points and pulled down five rebounds.

Brent Moss. Temple beat UTSA 70-64 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Brent Moss had had one of his best games of the season with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three steals. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Temple at UTSA men set for a noon tipoff today

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Both the UTSA Roadrunners and Temple Owls have player availability issues leading into today’s noon tipoff at the UTSA Convocation Center.

Listed as questionable are freshman guard Dorian Hayes for the Roadrunners and guard Gavin Griffiths for the Owls.

Records

Temple 12-7, 4-2
UTSA 4-15, 0-7

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, today, noon
UAB at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners are looking to snap a 12-game losing streak, the longest in school history.

San Antonio standouts to duel as Temple hosts the UTSA men

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Two former San Antonio high school standouts will meet in Philadelphia Saturday when the UTSA Roadrunners and the Temple Owls tip off in American Conference men’s basketball at 11 a.m. Central time.

Both guards Austin Nunez of the Roadrunners, from Wagner, and Jordan Mason of the Owls, from Clark, are coming off season-high scoring performances.

Mason, a senior transfer from the University of Illinois-Chicago, scored 18 points as the Owls opened play in the American Conference with a 76-73 road victory Tuesday at Charlotte.

After starting his college career at Texas State and then moving on last season to UIC, Mason has won a starter’s role in his first season at Temple, averaging 11.6 points, 4.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds.

Nunez, a redshirt junior transfer from Arizona State, produced 22 points as one of the only bright spots for UTSA in a 110-70 road loss Wednesday to Florida Atlantic.

Opening his college career at Arizona State, transferring to Ole Miss in 2023-24 and then moving back to Arizona State last season, Nunez also has become a starter at UTSA, averaging 8.5 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds.

The women’s teams for the respective schools will follow with a game that starts at 1:30 p.m., with both games set to be played in Philadelphia at the Liacouras Center.

Records

Men’s game: UTSA (4-9, 0-1) at Temple (9-5, 1-0), Saturday, 11 a.m.
Women’s game: UTSA (6-6, 1-0) at Temple (6-6, 0-0), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Coming up

Charlotte at UTSA men, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 7 p.m.
Charlotte at UTSA women, Saturday, Jan. 10, noon

Notable

Men’s game: In the NET rankings, Temple comes in ranked 172nd, while UTSA is 314th out of 365 teams in the nation. The Owls, who average 77.6 points a game on 46.7 percent shooting, have won five straight.

UTSA has lost six in a row and hasn’t won since it defeated Georgia Southern on Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla. Two of the losses have been by 40 points more more, including 97-55 at Alabama and 110-70 at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday.

UTSA’s opponents in the skid were 64-19 coming into the weekend.

Roadrunners forward Macaleab Rich is listed as questionable today, according to the conference’s player availability report. Guards Vasean Allette and Pierce Spencer are both out for the season, and Stanley Borden is out for the game.

Women’s game: In the NET rankings, Temple enters Saturday’s game ranked 95th in the nation, while UTSA comes in 135th.

The Roadrunners are coming off a win at home. The Roadrunners edged the Tulane Green Wave 65-63 Tuesday in San Antonio. In that contest, newcomer Ereauna Hardaway had 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

For Temple, the UTSA game is the conference opener. In the Owls’ last outing, they lost on the road against No. 25 Princeton, 87-77. Guard Kayla Turner leads the American in both scoring (17.8) and three-point shooting percentage (46.0).

UTSA women set school record with their 12th straight victory at home

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Jordyn Jenkins. 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

Jordyn Jenkins led an extended fourth-quarter rally Saturday as UTSA beat Temple and improved to 18-3, matching on Feb. 1 their victory total from all of last season. The Roadrunners finished 18-15 in 2023-24.- Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA’s homecourt winning streak is still intact.

Trailing by 14 points early in the second half and by 11 early in the fourth quarter, the Roadrunners rallied for their school-record 12th straight victory at home, downing the Temple Owls, 70-61, Saturday at the Convocation Center.

Jordyn Jenkins scored nine of her 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the push in front of a rowdy home crowd.

Jenkins, the Roadrunners’ top player, had to sit out with an injury on Wednesday at South Florida. She made her return to the court count in crunch time, hitting two of five from the field and five of eight at the line in the final period.

Idara Udo. 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

Idara Udo scored 15 points, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked a shot against the Temple Owls. – Photo by Joe Alexander.

The senior from Washington also had a couple of key steals down the stretch as the Roadrunners erased a four-point deficit with three minutes remaining.

With the victory, the Roadrunners hiked their record to 18-3 on the season and to 9-1 in the American Athletic Conference. UTSA improved to 11-1 in its last 12 after having a 10-game winning streak snapped at South Florida.

Temple, meanwhile, dropped its third straight, including back-to-back losses at North Texas and UTSA this week. The Owls fell to 12-9 and 6-4. Tiarra East scored 18 points and Tarriyona Gary added 17 for Temple.

The Roadrunners’ supporting cast also flourished. Idara Udo produced 15 points and nine rebounds. Nina De Leon Negron had 14 points, eight assists and five boards. Both, after being saddled with foul trouble in the first half.

Reserve forward Cheyenne Rowe, who came off the bench for 12 points and six rebounds, enjoyed a highlight moment late in the game with a step-back, three — heavily contested — to tie the score.

Three days after getting out-rebounded by the South Florida Bulls, the Roadrunners won the battle of the boards against the Owls, 47-34.

Records

Temple 12-9, 6-4
UTSA 18-3, 9-1

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Wichita State, Saturday, Feb. 8, 1 p.m.

Notable

UTSA coach Karen Aston applauded her players for securing a school record for consecutive homecourt wins when the alternative could have been a two-game losing streak.

Quotable

“That’s a pretty good statement to start off with, a record-breaking win for our players,” Aston said. “Putting it in perspective, and we talked about this in the locker room yesterday, we had a chance to reach the total number of wins we had last year on Feb. 1. That’s pretty remarkable (that we did it).”

Sidney Love, Nina De Leon Negron. 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

Sidney Love (left) and Nina De Leon Negron sank consecutive threes early in the fourth quarter to cap an 11-0 UTSA run. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Roadrunners finished 18-15 last season.

“Super proud of everyone that’s involved in the program,” Aston said. “I think this is a really big win. A really, really big win. Because you come off of a loss and invariably, in all my years of coaching, it’s hard sometimes to not let one turn into two. And, we fought through it today.

“Bottom line, it wasn’t the prettiest game we’ve ever played. But, a very, very gutty performance.”

AAC race

UTSA stands alone in first place in the standings at 9-1, while South Florida and North Texas are 8-2. Tulane is in fourth at 7-3 and Temple fifth at 6-4. In other games involving the leaders Saturday, South Florida won at home, downing North Texas 65-58. Tulane, playing at home, defeated UAB, 72-55.

First half

Attacking at every opportunity, Gary scored 13 points and hit three for three from 3-point distance as the Owls raced to a 36-24 halftime lead.

East also held the hot hand for the Owls, scoring nine points on three for three shooting. The Roadrunners, meanwhile, failed to get into a rhythm against a bigger and more athletic opponent.

Midway through the second quarter, UTSA starters Udo, De Leon Negron and Sidney Love all went to the bench with two fouls. In the meantime, the substitutions didn’t mesh well with the veterans on the floor, and the Roadrunners kept turning the ball over.

UTSA committed 13 turnovers in the half, including seven in the second quarter. When the Roadrunners weren’t throwing the ball away, they were misfiring on their shots, making only eight of 18 from the field for 28.6 percent.

Cheyenne Rowe. 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

Cheyenne Rowe had 12 points and five rebounds off the bench for the Roadrunners. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Jenkins, injured when she took a fall on the floor at home on Jan. 22 against Tulsa, started and played 10 minutes in the opening quarters. Surrounded by defenders in the paint, she produced two points and four rebounds. Jenkins was one of four from the field.

Third quarter

Early on, East hit a jumper and pushed Temple to a 38-24 lead. She continued to shoot it well, sinking four of six from the field and scoring nine points in the quarter, as the Owls held on to a 51-42 lead going into the fourth. Jenkins scored five points in five minutes for the Roadrunners.

Records

Temple 12-9, 6-4
UTSA 18-3, 9-1

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Wichita State, Saturday, Feb. 8, 1 p.m.

What they said

Nina De Leon Negron, on if she expected this kind of success after transferring into the program over the summer, said: “I’m being honest, no. But, once we start practicing, I’m like, this team is special. Like, this team can do a lot of things. Once we saw how mature most of the young players are, I just knew that we could do great things.”

Temple coach Diane Richardson. 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 Diane Richardson’s Temple Owls beat the Roadrunners twice last season en route to a 13-5 record in the AAC and a tie for the championship. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Idara Udo, on the support from the fans, “I think that it’s everything for me and I think for our team, as well. Just hearing the crowd and hearing the encouragement we get, and not just hearing it but seeing how many people come out and support us and want us to be successful, I think that means a lot to us and motivates us more.”

Last loss at home

On Feb. 22, 2024, Temple beat UTSA 56-48 at the Convocation Center. It was the last time that an opposing team has beaten the Roadrunners in their home arena.

Jordyn Jenkins remains ‘day to day’ as the UTSA women host Temple

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Idara Udo. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Idara Udo had 16 points and eight rebounds in UTSA’s last home game, Jan. 22, when the Roadrunners beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 64-53 for their 11th straight victory at the Convocation Center. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Trying to rebound after a loss for the first time since mid-December, UTSA coach Karen Aston pronounced her team ready to play for Saturday’s home game against the Temple Owls.

Asked about the mood in Friday’s practice, Aston said, “You know, you want to get right back on it. You got to look at it. You know, you can’t ignore it. You got to look and see where you went wrong and how to get better.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins is listed as day to day for the Roadrunners. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“You sure don’t want to let one loss turn into two or whatever. You got to turn the page pretty quickly. I think we did that. We worked on some things we need to do better. Had a chance to look at film, and, yeah, ready to go.”

Tipoff in the American Athletic Conference contest between the Roadrunners (17-3, 8-1) and the Owls (12-8, 6-3) is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins, the AAC’s leading scorer, is regarded as day to day leading into the Temple game.

Injured after she fell to the court on Jan. 22 at home against Tulsa, Jenkins sat out for the first time this season on Wednesday night in Tampa, Fla., where the Bulls won 75-63 to snap the Roadrunners’ 10-game winning streak.

Aston said Jenkins participated in a Friday afternoon workout. “She went through some stuff,” the coach said. “She’s been going through some stuff. She’s just day to day. We’re taking this as slow as we can, to make sure she’s good.”

If Jenkins can’t play, the Roadrunners will need to adjust. Not only is she the team’s leading scorer (18.9), she’s also its leading rebounder (7.3) and one of its best defenders.

Aston said her players responded well to the adversity, for the most part, against South Florida.

“When you look at the game the other night, we were in the game, the whole game,” she said. “I just thought we didn’t rebound great. When you ask people to step into different roles, some of that is doing some of the little things that they haven’t had to do.

“We just have to be better in some areas. We got to box out. We got to try to get some extra possessions ourselves and play some people that maybe we didn’t have an opportunity to play as many minutes … You know, it’s next man up.

“You got to be ready. It’s always an opportunity for someone else to step in and do their job. I mean, that’s why they’re here. That’s why they practice. That’s why they do what they do, is for opportunity.”

Records

Temple (12-8, 6-3)
UTSA (17-3, 8-1)

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.
North Texas at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

UTSA is 8-0 at the Convocation Center this season and is on an 11-game homecourt winning streak, tied for the longest in school history.

“I think we take a lot of pride in playing at home and winning at home,” Aston said. “But it’s getting to be nitty-gritty time now. Everybody’s digging for position and wanting to stay in the hunt. You just have to grit your teeth and get after it now.”

Previously, UTSA had an 11-game home winning streak that spanned two seasons, from Jan. 9, 2002 to Nov. 28, 2003.

Last season, the Owls won 20 games and forged a 13-5 record in the AAC to tie for the regular-season championship. They beat the Roadrunners twice last season, once in Philadelphia and once in San Antonio.

Temple, in fact, was the last team to beat UTSA in the Convo. The Owls did it on Feb. 22, 2004, when they won 56-48.

Aston said this year’s Temple team is “very similar” to last year.

“Almost a mirror image of the one we played last year, to be honest with you,” the coach said. “They defend really well. They turn you over. You can’t have a bunch of live ball turnovers against them. They rebound well.

“The point guard on their team last year (Aleah Nelson) was really, really good. Very experienced,” Aston said. “But the other guys have stepped into that role and filled it pretty well. I mean, they’re a good basketball team. Really solid team.”

UTSA men surge in the last minute to down Temple, 88-79

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Primo Spears. UTSA beat Temple 88-79 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Primo Spears scored six of his 20 points in the final minute and 20 seconds to solidify UTSA’s 88-79 victory over the Temple Owls. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners showed both resilience and resolve in the last one minute and 20 seconds, forcing two key turnovers and holding the Temple Owls to two free throws in claiming an 88-79 victory Saturday at the Convocation Center.

Holding on precariously to a one-point lead, UTSA outscored Temple 10-2 down the stretch for perhaps its biggest win in American Athletic Conference play this season.

Austin Claunch. UTSA beat Temple 88-79 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch praised his team’s ‘grit’ in delivering the first victory in school history over the Temple Owls, who rank sixth all time in NCAA Division I with 2,005 wins. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Highlighting the 80-second surge were Primo Spears, who hit a jumper and sank four free throws, and also Damari Monsanto and Jo Smith, who came up with deflections to blunt two Temple possessions.

Spears and Raekwon Horton scored 20 points apiece to lead five Roadrunners in double figures. Marcus Millender added 18 and Monsanto contributed 17, hitting five of UTSA’s 14 three-point field goals. Smith had 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.

“This is a huge win, not just to kind of keep us in the race, but also, I have a ton of respect for coach (Adam) Fisher and Temple,” UTSA coach Austin Claunch said. “I’m pretty sure I’m right on this but I think they have the seventh most wins in college basketball history, so this is an incredible win for our program and for UTSA.”

According to the school’s pre-game information packet, Temple is now sixth on the victory list. Kentucky leads Division I men’s programs with 2,411, followed by Kansas (2,407), North Carolina (2,383), Duke (2,314), UCLA (2,018) and Temple (2,005).

The Owls came into San Antonio with an AAC victory over Memphis, the league’s preseason favorite, and they were one game out of first place.

“Again, we have a ton of respect for Temple,” Claunch said. “They’ve started off really well this year and they’re going to continue to win a lot of games. For us, this is a really hard stretch for us — two really hard opponents coming into this one where we lost close games.”

Damari Monsanto. UTSA beat Temple 88-79 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Damari Monsanto hit five shots from behind the 3-point arc en route to 17 points and also made a key deflection to force a turnover in the last minute of the game. – Photo by Joe Alexander

A week ago today, the Roadrunners rallied late to within single digits of the North Texas Mean Green, only to fall 72-57 at home. Last Tuesday, they had a shot to tie on the final possession but lost in Birmingham to the UAB Blazers, 81-78.

Claunch said he “loved” how the Roadrunners started against the Owls. They jumped all over the visitors with defensive pressure and three-point shooting, building leads as large as 16 points three times in the first seven minutes.

After Temple rallied in the second half, it looked as if the Owls might overtake the short-handed Roadrunners, who were playing without starting guard Tai’Reon Joseph for the second straight game. Also, they’ve been without two post players for weeks, leaving them thin in the frontcourt.

Still, they found a way. “Just a gritty, tough win,” Claunch said.

Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 10 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. The son of a former NBA star of the same name finished one point off his season scoring average. Forward Steve Settle produced 17 points and Zion Stanford 17. Point guard Quante Berry had 10 points and three assists.

Records

Temple 12-8, 4-3
UTSA 9-10, 3-4

Coming up

UTSA at Florida Atlantic, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at North Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 5 p.m.

Notable

The win was UTSA’s first all time against Temple. In four meeting, the Roadrunners are now 1-3 against the Owls. Together in the same conference for the first time last season, the Owls won all three, including one in Philadelphia, one at the Convo in San Antonio and one at the AAC tournament in Fort Worth.

First half

Propelled by lights-out shooting from Raekwon Horton, Primo Spears and Marcus Millender, the UTSA Roadrunners raced to a 16-point lead in the first seven minutes and then hung on at the end to take a 43-35 advantage into the break.

Marcus Millender. UTSA beat Temple 88-79 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Roadrunners sophomore Marcus Millender knocked down six of nine shots from the field, scored 18 points and passed for six assists against the Owls. – Photo by Joe Alexander

When Spears nailed a three pointer from the right wing with 12:45 left, the Roadrunners had constructed a 28-12 lead. Horton had scored 11 points in the spree.

The UTSA offense was cooking at that point because of a frenetic defensive effort and a fast pace. As the game slowed more to Temple’s preferred pace, the Owls started climbing back in the game.

Temple closed a 21-10 run with a Shane Dezonie jumper, pulling the visitors to within five. UTSA responded with a 5-2 mini-surge in the final minute.

Monsanto buried a three — the Roadrunners’ eighth of the half — and Millender finished with a driving finger roll in traffic at the buzzer.

For the half, Horton had 15 points and Millender 10 for the Roadrunners. Spears, who made three of the team’s 3-pointers, had nine. The Owls were led by Mashburn, who scored 10, including two of two from long distance.

Pre-game

UTSA guard Tai’Reon Joseph did not play for the second straight game. Reserve forward Skylar Wicks also apparently was not in the arena. A spokesman said neither Joseph nor Wicks were available, increasing to five the number of scholarship athletes who didn’t play.

Forwards Mo Njie (foot injury), guard Paul Lewis (foot) and Jaquan Scott (personal reasons) are the other three.

Lewis has been out for most of the season and Scott and Njie most of the last three weeks. On top of all that, Spears suffered an injury in practice on Friday and did not come out for the early phase of pre-game warm ups.

Raekwon Horton. UTSA beat Temple 88-79 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Raekwon Horton set the tone for the Roadrunners, scoring 11 of his 20 points in the first five minutes of the game. – Photo by Joe .Alexander

Jonnivius Smith. UTSA beat Temple 88-79 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jonnivius Smith got a hand on an inbounds pass and forced a turnover in the last minute to spark a 10-2 UTSA surge. Smith also came up big with 10 points and 10 rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Mashburn-led Temple Owls arrive to test the UTSA men

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Damari Monsanto. UTSA men's basketball lost to Tulsa 82-77 in American Athletic Conference action on Monday, Jan. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Damari Monsanto is coming off one of his best games of the season, a 21-point effort in which he hit six 3-point shots at UAB. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Editor’s note: UTSA guard Tai’Reon Joseph will not play for the second straight game.

With 15 minutes remaining before tipoff, Joseph is on the side in sweats and not on the floor warming up for the Roadrunners. Joseph, averaging 11.2 points in nine games this season, scored 19 at home against North Texas on Jan. 18 and then did not play at UAB on Tuesday.

Reserve forward Skylar Wicks also isn’t in the arena. A spokesman said neither Joseph nor Wicks are available, increasing to five the number of scholarship athletes who aren’t playing. Forwards Mo Njie (foot injury), guard Paul Lewis (foot) and Jaquan Scott (personal reasons) are the other three.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the UTSA men’s basketball team. Hoping to regain traction in the American Athletic Conference race after two straight losses, the Roadrunners will host the Temple Owls Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

Temple, featuring high-scoring guard Jamal Mashburn, Jr., will be the third straight AAC contender that UTSA has faced in the past eight days.

On Jan. 18, UTSA had won two straight and was looking to get another boost with a home game against the North Texas Mean Green. But North Texas had other ideas, burying UTSA by 22 points at halftime en route to a 72-57 victory.

Traveling to Alabama at mid-week, the Roadrunners shot the basketball much better and had a chance at the end, but couldn’t make a play in the final seconds in an 81-78 loss to the UAB Blazers Tuesday night.

Both the Mean Green and the Blazers are currently tied for first place in the AAC. Now, in comes the Adam Fisher-coached Owls, one game out of first. Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch said he knows his team needs to improve defensively.

“We’re not happy with being 2-4 at this point,” he said. “But at the same time, we want to be playing our best ball come February, going into March. It’s a long season. There’s a lot of games left.”

Records

Temple 12-7, 4-2
UTSA 8-10, 2-4

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Saturday, 3 p.m.
UTSA at Florida Atlantic, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at North Texas, Feb. 1, 5 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners have been good in some ways defensively, averaging a league-best 9.7 steals and 15.6 forced turnovers. But, at the same time, they rank last in opponent field goal percentage at (47.0) and 11th out of 13 teams in opponent three-point percentage (36.8).

With a couple of their big men out of the lineup, they’re also last in defensive rebounding and rebounding margin. Even with their problems, they have been hard to handle when they’re pressing and forcing mistakes and getting out in transition.

Guards Primo Spears, Marcus Millender and Tai’Reon Joseph and forwards Raekwon Horton and Damari Monsanto can all score in bunches in a fast-paced game. Six-foot-nine forward Jo Smith is also having a good year as a rebounder and rim protector, though he does need help.

AAC men’s tournament: UTSA’s season comes to an end with a first-round loss to Temple

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Trailing by 14 points at halftime, the UTSA Roadrunners rallied to contest an American Athletic Conference first-round tournament game, battling with the Temple Owls into the final minute. But in the final seconds, they couldn’t get a three-pointer to fall, missing twice, and their season came to an end.

Christian Tucker. Temple beat UTSA 84-82 in the Roadrunners' final home game of the men's basketball season on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Christian Tucker produced a team-high 15 points and passed for four assists against the Temple Owls. – File photo by Joe Alexander

The Owls escaped with a 64-61 victory.

A poor first-half performance doomed the Roadrunners. They couldn’t get their offense rolling, hitting only 24 percent from the field and shooting only 1 for 13 from three-point distance. They were playing without injured leading scorer Jordan Ivy-Curry, so nothing came easily.

UTSA played hard in the second half, winning the 20-minute segment, 40-29. Christian Tucker led the charge with his floor leadership, ball-handling and passing. They had a couple of opportunities to take the lead down the stretch and were denied each time.

The final minute was hectic. Hysier Miller drained a three for Temple with 49.6 seconds remaining, boosting the Owls into a 64-58 lead. The Roadrunners answered almost immediately, with PJ Carter hitting a three of his own with 41.9 seconds left.

At the end, UTSA’s defense kept Temple from scoring, eventually forcing Miller into an over-and-back violation at halfcourt with 18 seconds left. With the ball on the side, the Roadrunners worked it first to Carter, who fired a three that was rebounded under the bucket by Carlton Linguard, Jr.

Linguard Jr. flipped it out to Tucker, who passed to Isaiah Wyatt at the top of the circle. With Miller contesting, Wyatt’s shot was off the mark, ending the Roadrunners’ season with an 11-21 record.

It was the third straight 20-loss season for the Roadrunners.

The Owls, who went 3-0 against the Roadrunners this season, will move on to play the sixth-seeded SMU Mustangs Thursday night. All games are being played at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

Steve Henson. Rice beat UTSA 80-76 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Steve Henson said after the game that he expects to speak with athletic director Lisa Campos soon. His contract expires at the end of the month. – File Photo by Joe Alexander

Afterward, UTSA coach Steve Henson addressed questions about his future. Since his contract expires at the end of the month, it’s been a topic of discussion in his last two post-game news conferences. He said Wednesday that he hasn’t talked to his athletic director about the contract.

Even though the stakes were high for the Roadrunners in the tournament, Henson said Ivy-Curry just couldn’t play.

“Juice injured his arm/shoulder against SMU, very end of the (SMU) game (on March 2),” he said. “It was extremely swollen. We had a week off after that one, I think. We had several day days off, anyway, and he tried to get a ton of treatment and tried to practice a little bit. We put him in the game on Sunday (at home against Temple) and he was pretty immobile.

“His arm’s extremely swollen up, and he just couldn’t contribute the way he wanted to and the pain was continuing to increase. It’s really hard to get the swelling out of there, so he just wasn’t able to play.”

Noting that the first-half performance just wasn’t good enough, Henson nevertheless said he was proud of his players.

“In the first half, just offensively we couldn’t get anything going,” he said. “We really struggled on the offensive end. We held ’em to 40 percent from the field. We won enough battles on that end. We just couldn’t get anything going. They were physical with us.

“And then at halftime we kind of flipped it. We started executing better, we started defending much better, and kind of turned the tables on ’em a little bit, made a nice run there.”

In each of the last two seasons, the Roadrunners have lost close games in their conference tournament openers. Last year in Frisco, it was a one-point loss to the Rice Owls at the Conference USA tournament. Japhet Medor hit a shot at the end that would have won the game, but it was waved off on review. This year, it was an equally gut-wrenching one-possession game at the end against the Temple Owls.

“Just extremely disappointed,” Henson said. “The nature of post-season play, it just ends. You’re out there and you’re fighting your tails off and guys are in the huddle playing with a lot of emotion, talking with a lot of emotion, rallying each other, pumping each other, and then that horn goes
off and it’s over. So it’s a very disappointing feeling.”

UTSA lost 10 players to the transfer portal last spring and replaced them with 10 more signees. As a result, coaches started work last summer with almost an entirely different group. The Roadrunners were good at times on the offensive end. But on the defensive end, they were erratic, though they did play well defensively in a four-game stretch at the end of the regular season.

But then on Sunday, they took to their home floor in the regular-season finale against Temple with a less-than-100 percent Ivy-Curry, and got beat 84-82. The loss was costly. If they had won, they would have had another day to rest before they started the tournament. Instead, they had to play on the first day, and now it’s over.

“Our whole thing this last three weeks has been believe, and we didn’t give up (today),” said Tucker, who finished with 15 points and four assists. “We knew that we (could) compete with this team. We didn’t do enough of it in the first half and we knew we had to bounce back in the second half, so we just came out fighting. I mean, we won the second half, but we dug ourselves into too deep of a hole.”

Freshman guard Zion Stanford paced Temple with a game-high 19 points on 7 of 13 shooting.

Halftime

Taking advantage of an injury to UTSA’s leading scorer, the Temple Owls built a double-digit lead in the first six minutes of the game, hiked the advantage to 16 with 3:20 remaining and then went into the dressing room with a 35-21 edge.

UTSA’s Jordan Ivy-Curry, a 17.1 points per game scorer, was on the bench in a T-shirt to start the game. Ruled out for the game with a shoulder injury, his status for the remainder of the tournament is unclear.

Regardless, the Roadrunners missed his presence. They opened the game hitting only 1 of their first 11 shots. Late in the half, they misfired on 10 in a row. For the first 20 minutes, the Roadrunners were 9 of 37 from the field for 24.3 percent.

The Owls, one of the worst teams in the AAC all season, started fast with a 13-3 lead.

But in the middle of the half, their own poor shooting allowed the Roadrunners to stay in the game. Finally, the Owls put some things together and scored seven straight points. With the burst, they opened a 33-17 lead with with 3:20 remaining.

Guard Zion Stanford led the Owls with three of five shooting for a team-high eight points in the half. Jordan Riley and Matteo Picarelli had six points apiece. Point guard Hysier Miller, a high-level scorer, played mostly in a set-up role.

He finished the half with three points and four rebounds, scoring only four points.

With Ivy-Curry sidelined, the Roadrunners needed PJ Carter to step up his game. But the Owls knew they needed him, as well, blanketing him with coverage even on the perimeter. Carter was 2 for 9 in the half for five points.

Pre-game

The UTSA Roadrunners men’s basketball team opened play in the American Athletic Conference tournament today without injured Jordan Ivy-Curry, the team’s leading scorer.

Fourteenth-seeded UTSA and No. 11 Temple just got underway at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth.

The Roadrunners started the tournament without both Ivy-Curry (shoulder) and Adante’ Holiman (lower leg).

Temple defeated UTSA twice this season. The Owls won 83-77 on Feb. 18 in Philadelphia and won again 84-82 in the regular season finale Sunday in San Antonio. Both finished with 5-13 records in conference play.

Records

UTSA 11-21
Temple 13-19

Notable

Eighth-year UTSA coach Steve Henson is facing questions about whether he might have coached his last game with Roadrunners. His contract expires at the end of this month, and he’s had three straight 20-loss seasons.

Henson said he hasn’t had any contract discussions with athletic director Lisa Campos.

“We’ve just been — had our heads down, grinding away, trying to get better. Loved the way our guys played at the end of the season. Lisa and I always talk at the conclusion of the season, so I’m sure we’ll do that again in this case.”

For Henson, it was the second time in his UTSA career that he entered a postseason game without an injured leading scorer. In 2018, guard Jhivvan Jackson sat out four games — two in the Conference USA tournament and two in the CollegeInsider.com tournament — with a knee injury.

Even with Jackson out of the lineup at the end, the Roadrunners finished off a 20-15 season, and Henson was named the C-USA Coach of the Year.

Temple played UTSA twice within the last week under a cloud of suspicion.

Gaming monitors at U.S. Integrity flagged the Owls’ 28-point home loss to UAB on March 7 for irregularities on the betting line in the hours before the game.

Owls coach Adam Fisher side-stepped a question about whether he has addressed the situation with the team, telling reporters in Fort Worth, “I know our university has put out a statement. My focus is on my players.

“I love my guys. We’ve been just trying to prepare for each game and just making sure we do exactly what we’ve done to prepare for each one.”