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UTSA turns up the defensive pressure and downs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 62-43

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Nina De Leon Negron. UTSA beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 62-43 in non-conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Graduate senior Nina De Leon Negron tied Jordyn Jenkins with 16 points as the Roadrunners won their fourth straight game. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With most of their shots clanging off the rim, the UTSA Roadrunners turned to a couple of old staples — defense and rebounding — to down the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 62-43 in women’s college basketball Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.

As a result, the Roadrunners improved to 4-1, winning four of their first five games in a season against Division I opponents for the first time since 2007-08. That year, the Roadrunners went 23-10 and reached the NCAA tournament.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 62-43 in non-conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Karen Aston’s Roadrunners play next week in Puerto Rico, on Thursday against UNC Greensboro and on Friday against Towson. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Islanders, with early road wins over Texas A&M and Texas State, lost their second straight and fell to 3-2.

Afterward, Roadrunners coach Karen Aston talked about her respect for the Islanders and coach Royce Chadwick, who led his team to the NCAA tournament last year. She also said she felt like the Roadrunners played “really solid” defensively.

“Didn’t shoot the ball great,” Aston said. “I think we’ve been shooting it better and we are a lot better shooting team than we shot tonight. But I think sometimes that happens. I was most proud of the way we buckled down defensively.

“You know, you have to do that sometimes when the ball’s not going in the hole. We offensive rebounded really well. Pretty good team effort.”

On a night when the UTSA offense went cold with 31.9 percent shooting, Nina De Leon Negron and Jordyn Jenkins led the Roadrunners with 16 points each. De Leon Negron also had three assists and two steals. Jenkins, held to six of 15 from the field, had seven rebounds, four blocks and five steals.

Jenkins entered the game averaging 23.5 points, good for a tie for 11th in the nation. She averaged 28.5 points in wins last week at New Mexico State and UTEP but couldn’t get it going offensively until late in the game.

In the first half, Jenkins missed her first six shot attempts and finally hit one at the end. In the third quarter, she shot two for four from the floor. In the fourth, when the game’s pace quickened as UTSA forced the tempo, she was three for four.

“Whenever shots aren’t falling for me, or whatever, I try to just not let it get in my head and just know that they’re eventually going to fall,” Jenkins said. “Like, you can’t go zero percent unless you stop shooting.

“So I just have to think more and be more logical with my shots whenever I’m being doubled. Maybe catching in the post and throwing out or just try to get more assists and more rebounds. That’ll also get me points.”

De Leon Negron, a newcomer who transferred in the offseason from Incarnate Word, won the “Cash In” gold chain, a team award for playing well and reaping the fruits of your hard work in practice.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 62-43 in non-conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Jordyn Jenkins, who on Monday earned national player of the week mention from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, scored 16 points against the Islanders. She also had seven rebounds, four blocks and five steals. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“This is fun,” she said. “It’s really different to where I was at. I can say that for sure. It’s a different environment … Our teammates, they make the game so much (more fun). When we’re down, we’re like, ‘Let’s pick it up. We’re better than this.’ I don’t know. It’s just fun.”

Defensively, the Roadrunners humbled the Islanders in the second half, holding the visitors to 12 points on 5 for 21 shooting. A&M-Corpus Christi, leading 31-30 at intermission, was promptly stifled in the third quarter and held to three points.

UTSA dominated the rebounding battle all night, sending Idara Udo and Maya Linton to the glass and finishing with a 54-29 advantage. The Roadrunners out-rebounded the visitors 30-8 on the offensive glass. Udo had 10 rebounds, nine on the offensive end. Linton finished with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Forward Paige Allen led the Islanders with 10 points and six rebounds.

Third quarter

Stepping up the defense and crashing the boards, the Roadrunners held the Islanders to 1 of 11 shooting, forced 10 turnovers and carried a 48-34 lead into the final period.

With Idara Udo and Maya Linton on the boards, Sidney Love scored six points and Jordyn Jenkins five in the quarter.

First half

Trailing by 11 points in the first six minutes of the game, the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders packed in their defense, forced the UTSA Roadrunners to take outside shots and watched them, mostly, clang harmlessly off the rim. As a result, the Islanders gained momentum and rallied into a 31-30 advantage at intermission.

Guard Jaeda Whitner led the Islanders offensively with nine points on three treys. Forward Paige Allen shook off a slow start and scored six points. Mireia Aguado, playing the role of distributor, passed for four assists.

Defensively, the Islanders did an admirable job on Jordyn Jenkins and limited the Roadrunners to 30.3 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from the 3-point arc.

Jenkins, who received national player of the week recognition on Monday, missed her first six shots from the field and finished one for seven. She managed only four points. Nina De Leon Negron, who had 10 first-half points, did most of her damage early as UTSA took a 14-3 lead.

Records

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-2
UTSA 4-1

Coming up

UTSA vs. UNC Greensboro, Nov. 28, at Puerto Rico
UTSA vs. Towson, Nov. 29, at Puerto Rico

Notable

UTSA entered the game on a hot streak, shooting 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range. They shot 23 of 72 from the field for a season-low 31.9 percent against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a veteran team that won 23 games last year and played in the NCAA tournament. UTSA’s previous low field goal percentage game came in the season opener at College Station, against Texas A&M, when the Roadrunners shot 33.9.

Banner reminder: UTSA women aiming for greater heights

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Maya Linton. UTSA beat South Florida 65-42 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Maya Linton and the UTSA Roadrunners host the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, a 23-win NCAA tournament team from last year, tonight at the Convocation Center. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Maya Linton, one of Coach Karen Aston’s third-year UTSA veterans, said Tuesday that she looks at the program’s new 2024 WNIT banner hanging on the north wall of the Convocation Center as a sign of progress.

A reminder that hard work pays dividends.

But as the Roadrunners prepare to host the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders tonight, she said the banner unfurled earlier this month has become more of a reminder to her that the team still needs to keep grinding away to achieve the ultimate goal.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Northern Colorado 80-62 in the first round of the WNIT on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins averaged 28.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in two road wins last week to earn mention as a national player of the week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“It’s like, ‘OK, so we can play (in the) postseason,’ ” Linton said. “But, we want to get to where we want to be … and that is in the (NCAA) tournament. We want to go bigger (than the WNIT). We want to go up another level.”

After a season-opening road loss to Texas A&M, the Roadrunners (3-1) have won three in a row to stir their long-range dreams, while the Islanders (also 3-1) have won enough games this season and in the last few to know they can play the role of spoiler.

Last season, the Roadrunners beat the Islanders, 66-59, in overtime in Corpus Christi. It was a game that the Islanders led by 15 points in the third quarter and by 11 entering the fourth, only to see it slip away.

So, tonight’s visitors in San Antonio will have plenty of reasons to play hard.

They also probably have the firepower to win, as well, with the likes of Mireia Aguado and Paige Allen returning from last year’s Southland Conference postseason champions.

Aguado and Allen led an Islanders team that forged a 23-9 record, won the SLC postseason crown and claimed the conference’s coveted NCAA berth.

The two have also sparked early-season victories over Texas A&M and Texas State on the road. The only loss for the Islanders has come in another road test against the 17th-ranked Baylor Bears.

UTSA, behind redshirt senior forward Jordyn Jenkins, is also playing well. After losing by four at A&M, the Roadrunners have knocked off the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at home, followed last week by road victories against the New Mexico State Aggies and the UTEP Miners.

Jenkins, named as one of five athletes to share national players of the week honors by the U.S Basketball Writers Association, is averaging 23.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Her supporting cast is also coming on strong.

On Saturday, the Roadrunners trailed by 11 at halftime and went on a 26-10 run in the third quarter. In the 10-minute period, Jenkins scored 11 points. Also coming alive was Linton, who averaged 3.9 points last season. She had eight in the quarter, including a pair of three-pointers.

Playing small forward this year after working as a post player the past two seasons, she finished the game with 12 points, two assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Linton hit five of eight from the field, including two of three from outside the 3-point arc.

Saying she is “way more confident than last year,” she has embraced the change in position.

“It’s very different, just because I’m getting more touches,” she said. “It’s just how I capitalize off them. Defensive-wise, I’m guarding more guards, faster people. So, it’s different for me. But it’s fine. I’m gritty. I like playing defense.”

UTSA coaches preached defense and rebounding this week, hoping to shore up a couple of areas of concern. Perimeter defense, in particular, has been a problem as opponents are shooting 46 percent from the 3-point arc against the Roadrunners.

So far, it hasn’t hurt the team too much, just because Jenkins has been so dominant, and because the UTSA offense is hitting high percentages, as well. The point guard play of Sidney Love and Nina De Leon Negron has helped the team shoot 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.

De Leon Negron said Jenkins is deserving of the national accolades.

“I feel like not everyone sees how good she can be,” she said. “I know she scores and everyone goes, ‘Whoa, she’s a really good scorer.’ But she does little things that people don’t see, like defensively, when she talks.”

De Leon Negron, a transfer from Incarnate Word, said hearing Jenkins’ calling out keys on the court is important. “Just having that voice as a post player, like, not every team has that,” she said. “We have that. (And) if we keep getting better at it, we can be elite. Playing with her is so good. It makes everyone’s life so much better.”

Records

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-1
UTSA 3-1

Coming up

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at UTSA, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA vs. UNC Greensboro, Nov. 28, 10 a.m., at San Juan Puerto Rico
UTSA vs. Towson, Nov. 29, 1 p.m., at San Juan, Puerto Rico

Notable

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a member of the Southland Conference, has won 19, 19 and 23 games over the past three seasons, respectively. Last year, the Islanders finished in a tie for second in the SLC regular season at 14-4 and then won the postseason title to reach the NCAA tournament. Royce Chadwick is in his 13th year as coach.

Baseball: Roadrunners down the Islanders 5-4 in 12 innings

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By Jerry Briggs
For The JB Replay

Fischer Kingsbery recorded a game-saving strikeout with two runners on base Saturday night as the UTSA Roadrunners beat the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 5-4 in 12 innings.

In the game played in Corpus Christi at Chapman Field, the Roadrunners scored twice in the top half of the 12th and then gave up a run in the bottom half before steadying themselves to win.

With the potential tying run at third base and the winning run at first, Kingsbery worked the count to three balls and one strike against Christian Smith-Johnson.

He responded by throwing two straight strikes past Smith-Johnson to close out the Islanders, allowing the Roadrunners to even the series at one win apiece.

Caleb Hill tied a school record with five hits, including an infield single that sparked a two-run rally in the 12th.

UTSA starting pitcher Zach Royse allowed only a run in the first 6 and 1/3 innings. When Braylon Owens found trouble in a two-run Corpus Christi eighth that tied the score 3-3, Ruger Riojas came on to squelch the rally. Riojas (4-0) pitched three and 1/3 scoreless, allowing four hits, to earn the victory.

Kingsbery closed in the 12th for his first save of the season.

For the Islanders, Sebastian Trinidad had three hits and a career-high four RBIs. His two-run single in the eighth tied the game. Trinidad’s RBI single in the 12th brought the Islanders to within one run.

Records

UTSA 8-7
Texas A&M Corpus-Christi 8-9

Coming up

UTSA at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi holds on to beat UTSA, 4-2

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Six-foot-five righthander Matthew Watson pitched the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders to a 4-2 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners Friday night.

Watson (1-1) worked six innings and picked up the win in the first of a three-game series at Chapman Field in Corpus Christi.

The native of Rogers, Ark., limited the explosive Roadrunners to two runs on six hits, while walking one and striking out eight. The Roadrunners had been on fire coming into the series, scoring 58 runs in a five-game stretch.

Leading by the eventual final score in the ninth, the Islanders held off the Roadrunners to win. UTSA had runners at the corners when Evans Hendricks, a lefty reliever, struck out Broc Parmer to end the game.

Parmer came to the plate with two hits, including a solo homer, but Hendricks fanned him swinging to end the threat.

UTSA freshman Rob Orloski pitched well through five innings in his fourth outing of the season, but he found trouble in the sixth and was touched for three runs to take the loss.

Orloski (1-2) pitched five and 2/3 innings, yielding four runs on eight hits. He struck out three and walked three.

Coming up

The series continues Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Records

UTSA 7-7
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 8-8

Notable

Two former San Antonio area ball players figured prominently in the victory for the Islanders. Catcher Chance Reisdorph (New Braunfels Canyon) threw out Caleb Hill trying to steal second base in the first inning to help keep the Roadrunners off the scoreboard. Reisdorph attacked with his bat in the fourth with a leadoff double against Orloski. He eventually scored the first run of the game. In the sixth inning, A&M-Corpus Christi’s Cole Modgling (Medina Valley) came off the bench with a pinch-hit single off Ruger Riojas that scored two runs.

Islanders gain redemption with an 8-2 victory over UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
For The JB Replay

For the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders baseball team, a victory at home against UTSA on Tuesday night at Chapman Field meant a little more than usual.

The Islanders scored four runs in the third inning for a five-run lead and then coasted past the Roadrunners, 8-2.

A few weeks ago, A&M-Corpus Christi played in San Antonio and lost all three games to UTSA in a weekend series.

Moreover, the Roadrunners won the three games by a combined margin of 50-18, including a mind-boggling 31-6 victory on March 11.

Sparked by pitching, error-free defense and timely hitting, A&M-Corpus Christi made amends in the fourth and final non-conference meeting between the teams this season.

Starting pitcher Matthew Watson (2-2) allowed two runs on five hits in 5 and 1/3 innings to earn the victory.

In addition, Max Puls supplied both defense and offense. As a left fielder, he robbed UTSA’s Shane Sirdashney of a possible two-run homer to end the fifth inning and, as a batter, he produced two of his team’s 11 hits and an RBI.

Diego Johnson also had a big night, contributing a couple of hits, an RBI and a couple of nice fielding plays at third base.

One came in the eighth when he snared a hard ground ball off the bat of Matt King and started an inning-ending double play.

Not to be outdone, the Islanders’ bullpen didn’t let the Roadrunners explode on them as they did in San Antonio.

All told, they kept some of the most dangerous hitters in the state off balance and limited the visitors to only seven hits.

Evans Hendricks, a junior out of Navarro High School, struck out three and pitched a scoreless ninth for A&M-Corpus Christi of the Southland Conference.

It was a tough night for the Roadrunners, who had won two of three on the road against the Rice Owls in Conference USA last weekend and 12 of their last 14 overall.

Antonio Valdez, Sammy Diaz and Tye Odom led the offense with two hits apiece.

Records

UTSA 20-6
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 13-13

Coming up

Western Kentucky at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
Western Kentucky at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Western Kentucky at UTSA, Sunday, 12:30 p.m.

Western Kentucky names S.A. native Steve Lutz as head coach

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

San Antonio native Steve Lutz on Saturday was named head basketball coach at Western Kentucky University.

A&M-Corpus Christi coach Steve Lutz at the UTSA Convocation Center on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. - photo by Joe Alexander

Steve Lutz led Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to a 47-23 record and two NCAA tournament appearances in the past two years. — File photo by Joe Alexander.

WKU director of athletics Todd Stewart made the announcement in a release posted on the school’s athletics website. Lutz is a 1991 East Central High School graduate.

He played basketball at East Central for Stan Bonewitz, Sr., and at Texas Lutheran University before embarking on a college coaching career, which has included stops as an assistant at the University of the Incarnate Word, Stephen F. Austin, SMU, Creighton and Purdue.

Lutz has been the head coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the past two seasons.

“We are excited to name Steve Lutz as our next head coach,” Stewart said. “He is a proven winner and a respected coach with a track record of consistent success in recruiting, player development, academics, and community involvement.”

In his only two years as a head coach, Lutz led the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders to NCAA tournament appearances following the 2021-22 and ’22-23 seasons.

Both years, the Islanders won the postseason tournament title in the Southland Conference.

This year, he won both the SLC regular-season and the postseason crowns en route to the NCAA tournament.

On Tuesday night, the Islanders beat the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, 75-71, in Dayton, Ohio, in the NCAA First Four. His team was eliminated Thursday in Birmingham, falling 96-75 to the top-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide.

“I am very excited and appreciative of the opportunity to be the next head coach at Western Kentucky,” Lutz said. “This is a storied program with a rich history of success. Our teams will wear the WKU uniform with pride and represent the Hilltopper Nation in everything we do.”

McCullar returns to the lineup as top-seeded Kansas routs Howard

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Kansas coach Bill Self wasn’t in the arena for an NCAA tournament opener at Des Moines, Iowa, but guard Kevin McCullar, Jr. was.

With San Antonio’s McCullar returning to the lineup after sitting out a Big 12 title-game loss to Texas, the top-seeded Jayhawks stormed to a 96-68 victory over the Howard University Bison Thursday in a round-of-64 West region game.

The victory allowed the top-seeded Jayhawks to advance to play the No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks in the round of 32 on Saturday. Arkansas downed ninth-seeded Illinois, 73-63.

Self’s status for the next round remains in question following a heart procedure and hospitalization last week.

The setback caused him to miss last Saturday’s Big 12 championship game, a 76-56 loss to Texas in Kansas City.

Though he was released from a Kansas City-area hospital on Sunday, the two-time NCAA championship coach wasn’t on the bench for the Jayhawks as they took the floor in Des Moines for the tournament opener.

Led by assistant coach Norm Roberts, the Jayhawks steadied themselves after a shaky start, shot 52 percent from the field in a fast-paced game and blew out the Bison. Jalen Wilson scored 20 points and freshman Gradey Dick added 19 points and 11 rebounds for Kansas.

McCullar, a former standout at San Antonio’s Wagner High School, enjoyed a solid game across the board with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. It was McCullar’s first NCAA tournament game with the Jayhawks after an offseason transfer from Texas Tech.

In his first season at Kansas, he was named to the Big 12’s all-defensive team and helped the Jayhawks to the conference’s regular-season title. Kansas finished 13-5 in conference, a game ahead of Texas and two games in front of Kansas State and Baylor.

Islanders ousted

A spirited run by the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders ended Thursday in Birmingham, Ala. The top-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide, backed by a home-state crowd, blew out the Islanders 96-75 in the South region round of 64.

Islanders coach Steve Lutz, an East Central High School graduate, led his team to a 24-11 record and the first NCAA victory in school history.

Point guard Jalen Jackson, from Wagner, scored 22 on Tuesday night in a round-of-68 victory over the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Dayton, Ohio. Jackson couldn’t get it going against the Crimson Tide, finishing with four points and three assists.

Jackson-led Texas A&M-Corpus Christi wins first NCAA tournament game

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The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders overcame the loss of one of their top players Tuesday night and won the first NCAA tournament game in school history, holding off the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, 75-71, in Dayton, Ohio.

Playing in the NCAA First Four for the second year in a row, the Islanders utilized the speed and attacking style of senior point guard Jalen Jackson, who scored a career-high 22 points. Jackson is a familiar face in San Antonio, as he led the Wagner Thunderbirds to the state finals in 2019.

Jackson, a 5-10 guard who started his college career at North Texas, scored 18 in the second half for the Islanders. After Jackson made two free throws to give his team a three-point lead, drama unfolded in the final seconds.

Southeast Missouri guard Phillip Russell came down and missed an open three with two seconds remaining. Isaac Mushila gathered the defensive rebound, got fouled and hit a free throw on the other end for the game’s final point.

With the victory, the Islanders (24-10) will move on to play the Alabama Crimson Tide (29-5) in the tournament’s round of 64 on Thursday night. The Tide are the No. 1 seed in the NCAA South region.

The Islanders were one-and-done in two previous trips to the NCAA tournament.

In 2007, they opened as a 15th seed in the round of 64 at Chicago and lost to Wisconsin, 76-63, Last season, in a round-of-68 game at Dayton, they were matched against the Texas Southern Tigers and bowed out, 76-67.

Islanders guard Terrion Murdix started against Texas Southern a year ago and produced 10 points and six assists. Murdix, one of the team’s key players, was unavailable to play against SEMO with a knee injury.

Chris Harris scored 23 points to lead the Redhawks (19-17), who earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning four games in four days for the Ohio Valley Conference postseason title.

Mushila, a 6-foot-5 forward, had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Islanders, who won the regular-season and postseason titles in the Southland Conference. Guard Ross Williams had 13 points off the bench and Trevian Tennyson added 12.

Mushila, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi down UTSA, 75-55

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The UTSA Roadrunners knew coming into Friday night’s game in Corpus Christi that they would need to keep Isaac Mushila off the glass, and they still couldn’t do it.

Mushila, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, poured in 22 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders past the Roadrunners, 75-55, at the Dugan Wellness Center.

A relentless player, Mushila basically matched his effort from last season when he produced 21 points and 17 rebounds in a 77-58 victory over the Roadrunners in San Antonio.

This time, he exploded in the second half to spark a huge rally by the home team, lifting A&M-Corpus Christi (1-1) to its first victory of the season.

“Isaac played great considering they doubled the post a little bit,” Islanders coach Steve Lutz said on the ESPN Plus television broadcast. “I just thought he worked at a high level.”

At one point, UTSA (1-1) led by eight points early in the second half and appeared to be taking charge against a 23-win, NCAA tournament team from last year.

The Islanders, however, had other ideas. Mushila kept pounding the glass and scored 14 points in the second half to lead the comeback.

Behind Mushila, Trevian Tennyson and others, A&M-Corpus Christi outscored UTSA 47-19 in the final 17:30 to turn what had been a highly-competitive game into a run-away.

“Second half was pretty disappointing,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said on the team’s radio broadcast. “Exact opposite of what we did the first half. Second half, they drove it over and over and over … just absolutely bullied us. It wasn’t even close.”

Freshman DJ Richards led UTSA with 14 points. Japhet Medor and Jacob Germany also had nine for the Roadrunners, who hit 33.3 percent from the field for the game. Leading by three at intermission, UTSA came out strong early in the second half.

The Roadrunners got a field goal and a three-pointer from Medor. John Buggs III followed with a three to make it 36-28. From there, it was all A&M-Corpus Christi the rest of the way, with the Islanders shooting 58.6 percent from the field in the second half.

Asked by radio voice Andy Everett what he would work on leading into a Monday night home game against the Division II St. Mary’s Rattlers, Henson said he might need to re-think his defensive approach.

“Getting tougher is a hard thing to work on, but we’ll try to figure out something in that regard,” the coach said. “We’ve got a lot to work on. We’ve got to make a decision. Defensively, we’ve been man to man since June. We’ve got to figure out if we’re good enough.

“We were good enough man to man in the first half, but we weren’t any good in the second half. So, we got to figure out a lot of things. It’s not time to panic. But this is a disappointing result. An extremely disappointing 20 minutes of basketball.”

Records

UTSA 1-1
A&M-Corpus Christi 1-1

Coming up

St. Mary’s University at UTSA, Monday, 7 p.m.
Trinity University at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, at American Bank Center, 7 p.m.

Notable

For the UTSA offense to work, the Roadrunners need to make threes, and they had a hard time doing that in a smaller venue, at A&M-Corpus Christi’s campus recreation center.

UTSA was 7 of 29 from three for the game, for 24.1 percent. DJ Richards emerged as the only reliable shooter from distance, hitting 4 of 7. Meanwhile, Isaiah Addo-Ankrah was 1 for 9 from behind the arc, and Buggs 1 for 8.

Normally, A&M-Corpus Christi plays its home games at the more spacious American Bank Center in the downtown area, but since the city’s minor league hockey team had the date booked in advance, officials elected to play the UTSA game on the floor of its campus facility.

First-half recap

UTSA’s defense held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi without a field goal for seven minutes late in the first half Friday night, allowing the Roadrunners to steady themselves, setting the stage for a late rally at the end of the half.

Finally, the Roadrunners, who were in a funk themselves for much of the opening period, snapped out of it with a few big plays at the end to take a 28-25 lead.

First, a dunk by John Buggs III had the Roadrunners cheering from the bench. Finally, Japhet Medor whipped a pass into the corner for freshman DJ Richards, who knocked down a three and gave UTSA a 28-25 lead at the break.

Initially, the Islanders seemed to have everything going their way. They scored nine points in a row for a 9-2 lead. Later, they made it 11-3. Then it was 20-15. Trevian Tennyson was leading the way with 12 early points. He finished the half with 5 of 8 shooting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notable

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

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

Coming up

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