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 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 (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 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.”

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.

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.

Hysier Miller hits a buzzer beater to lift the Temple Owls to an 84-82 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners. https://t.co/hyCDEtJ4sq pic.twitter.com/SK6iuvoUgN

— Jerry Briggs (@JerryBriggs) March 10, 2024

-Video and game story by Jerry Briggs, Special for The JB Replay-

Guard Hysier Miller hit a contested 16-foot jump shot at the buzzer Sunday afternoon, boosting the Temple Owls to an emotion-charged, regular-season closing 84-82 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners.

Moments earlier, the Roadrunners had a chance to break a tie and take the lead, but a poor offensive possession ended with point guard Christian Tucker hoisting a 3-point attempt that misfired with a little more than 20 seconds remaining.

After Temple called time, the Owls allowed Miller to make the last play. As the clock wound down under 10 seconds, he drifted to his right behind a screen set by teammate Sam Hofman. UTSA played the pick with center Trey Edmonds coming out to contest Miller.

Edmonds had it guarded well, but the shot went up and went in, snapping the net just after the buzzer sounded.

Temple’s Hysier Miller shoots over UTSA’s Trey Edmonds for the winning basket with time running out. – Photo by Joe Alexander

When it happened, the beleaguered Owls celebrated. They arrived in San Antonio under a cloud of suspicion following reports that gaming monitors were reviewing unusual wagering activity before their last game, a 28-point home loss to the UAB Blazers last Thursday.

But if they were sweating the national publicity and the implication of impropriety, they certainly didn’t show it as they mobbed Miller in front of their own bench.

Some on press row thought Miller’s shot might have grazed the front of the net coming down, instead of going through. But after a review, officials confirmed that the shot would count. As a result, it gave the win to the Owls, who trailed by as many as 13 points and for most of the second half.

With the setback, the Roadrunners had a three-game winning streak snapped and lost an opportunity to gain a first-round bye in this week’s American Athletic Conference tournament. Instead of an extra day of rest, the Roadrunners fell to the 14th (and final) seed and will play the No. 11 Temple Owls — again — on opening day Wednesday in Fort Worth.

UTSA and Temple are scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Dickies Arena in their third meeting of the season. The Owls won the first game, beating the Roadrunners 83-77 in Philadelphia on Feb. 18.

In the rematch, Miller and backcourt mate Jordan Riley scored 16 points apiece. Guard Shane Dezonie came off the bench to add 15. Hofman, a starting forward, stepped outside to make four 3-pointers and finished with 12.

UTSA’s PJ Carter watches the replay of Temple guard Hysier Miller’s game-winning shot. Carter led UTSA with a career-high 27 points in the Roadrunners’ regular-season finale. – Photo by Joe Alexander

For UTSA, PJ Carter scored a career-high 27 points. A turning point in Temple’s comeback came when Carter twisted an ankle with about 13 minutes remaining and had to leave the floor to have it treated.

After he returned a few minutes later, he made only one basket — a three that tied the game 82-82 with 1:28 left.

Jordan Ivy-Curry, limited because of an injury he suffered in a victory over SMU on March 2, played only 17 minutes and was held to six points. Ivy-Curry had 33 against SMU.

Other Roadrunners in double figures against the Owls were center Carlton Linguard Jr. with 15 points, Christian Tucker with 13 and Dre Fuller Jr. with 10. Linguard, Fuller and Isaiah Wyatt were celebrated in the pre-game during a ‘Senior Day’ ceremony.

The possibility also exists that the game might have been the last one at home for eighth-year head coach Steve Henson.

Henson, whose contract is up at the end of the month, insisted in the post-game interviews that he isn’t thinking about it.

“It’s all about trying to play better basketball,” he said. “Our guys have done a good job. I’m proud of the way we played. The losing streak (seven games) could have pulled us apart. Could have broken us down. It’s a real credit to the players. They hung in there. Their chemistry was good. Their attitudes were good.

“I’ve said this a few times on the air. We’re not practicing as hard as I would like at this point in the season. It’s been the case for a few weeks. But, they do come in with pretty good energy level. They like being in the gym. They like being around each other.

Jordan Ivy-Curry, limited by an injury to 17 minutes, totaled six points on two of six shooting. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“That allowed us to weather that really bad stretch, and then all of a sudden something clicked on the defensive end for four ball games.”

The improved play defensively allowed the Roadrunners to play first-place South Florida close in a five-point loss, before they reeled off three straight victories, which included road wins at North Texas and SMU.

“We had won three games,” Henson said. “We came into this one feeling great. It’s all about focusing on the team, trying to go into the tournament with momentum. If we had handled our business today, we would have been feeling really, really good.”

Following with a rhetorical question, Henson asked, “What’s this going to do to us (at practice) tomorrow? I don’t know.

“We have to get right back up and go into Fort Worth with our heads up, knowing that we’ve played well against some of the best teams in the league. We’ve knocked off some really good teams. That three-game stretch was as good as any we’ve had in the last seven or eight years.”

Records

Temple 12-19, 5-13
UTSA 11-20, 5-13

Coming up

American Athletic Conference postseason tournament, starting Wednesday and running through Sunday. All games at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

Notable

A UTSA spokesman relayed a message from the Temple athletic department to San Antonio-based reporters at press row during the first half.

Reporters were told that if they wanted to interview Temple coach Adam Fisher afterward, that he would talk only about the UTSA game. Fisher could not be reached for comment by The JB Replay.

In the wake of Temple’s game against UAB, Sports Illustrated was the first to report that gaming monitors at U.S. Integrity flagged the game to casinos as unusual.

NBC News reported that the line shifted, with UAB going from its status on wagering boards as a 2.5-point favorite to an 8-point favorite.

On Friday, The Athletic reported that three other Temple games this season also had “irregular betting patterns.” Temple’s game against UTSA on Feb. 18 was not among those listed with irregularities.

Halftime

UTSA pushed out to a 44-39 lead at halftime.

Trying to counter-act UTSA’s switching defense, the Owls pushed the fast break when they could. When slowed into a halfcourt set, they tried to get the ball down low for post-ups, even with their guards.

For the Owls, Riley led with 10 points, followed by Miller with nine.

UTSA, in response, attacked with their guards and their big men. Guard PJ Carter filled it up with 18 points, including three-for-four shooting from the 3-point arc. Carter also drove it in an effort to draw fouls, with the tactic giving him eight trips to the line, where he made seven.

Linguard Jr., a seven-foot forward, also was active. He had nine points and five rebounds in 14 minutes. Edmonds made an early impact, as well, notching five points and seven boards in the half. Fuller had seven points on three of six shooting.

Meanwhile, Ivy-Curry, the team’s leading scorer, played only first-half eight minutes. He had three points on one of three shooting.

Pregame

Starting lineups
Temple — Hysier Miller, Jordan Riley, Matteo Picarelli, Steve Settle, Sam Hofman
UTSA — Dre Fuller Jr., Isaiah Wyatt, Christian Tucker, Trey Edmonds, Carlton Linguard Jr.

Power forward Carlton Linguard Jr. produced 15 points and nine rebounds in what may have been his last game at the Convocation Center. He was honored in the pre-game ‘Senior Day’ ceremonies, a sign that he is moving on his career. – Photo by Joe Alexander