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Claunch wins in UTSA debut, 103-77, as his Roadrunners roll past Trinity in second half

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Guard Primo Spears hit four straight shots, including three jumpers in a row, as UTSA pulled away down the stretch to register a 26-point victory over Trinity. Spears finished with a team-high 27 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The first regular-season game in Austin Claunch’s career as UTSA’s men’s basketball coach was definitely not an easy victory over a cupcake, as the final score might suggest.

For one thing, the Trinity Tigers weren’t a cupcake at all. They played a sweet offensive style that kept them in the contest well into the second half.

For another, it took all of the Roadrunners’ will and resilience to claim a 103-77 victory on Monday night at the Convocation Center.

Austin Claunch. The UTSA men's basketball team beat Trinity 103-77 on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Austin Claunch coached his first game at UTSA and got the win but said later that his team has plenty of things to correct. -Photo by Joe Alexander


Guard Primo Spears and small forward Raekwon Horton ignited a late 17-2 run by UTSA to salt the game away.

“Anytime you win, it’s good,” Claunch said. “I tell these guys all the time, I want to win every game, (by) one point, 10, whatever it is. You got to find a way to win. Give Trinity a lot of credit. They do a hell of a job. Jimmy (Smith) is an excellent coach.

“There’s a reason they’re top ten in the country (in D-III). They got a real chance to compete for a championship.”

In the first half, Trinity sophomore Christian Green and junior Ty Williams started off as hot shooters, pacing the Tigers to an early five-point lead. After a turnover, Williams drove for a layup and a 12-7 advantage five minutes into the half.

A little more than 10 minutes in, Green popped a 10-footer off the side, and Carter Ruck followed with a three to make it 25-23 in favor of the visiting Tigers, a non-scholarship program located off Hildebrand Ave. and IH 37 in central San Antonio.

In the second half, playing against the city’s major Division I program on the northwest side, the Tigers kept hanging around. With 14:42 remaining, Jacob Harvey hit a long three from the top of the circle. The shot put Trinity up by one point, and Harvey celebrated the moment by pausing to make a face at some of the UTSA fans.

A few minutes later, Trinity was still in the game. Will Brunson hit a step-back jumper, pulling the Tigers to within one with 12:14 left.

Around that time, Spears took charge. He sliced his way through the Trinity zone to find open spaces and scored eight points over the next few minutes, allowing UTSA to expand its lead to 81-65 with 6:16 left. Trinity never got closer than 14 the rest of the way.

Trinity's Christian Green. The UTSA men's basketball team beat Trinity 103-77 on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Trinity’s Christian Green is a sophomore from Veterans Memorial High School. He finished with 15 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Just attacking,” said Spears, a 6-foot-3 transfer from Florida State in his first game at UTSA. “You know, I try to get to the paint as much as I can. Not only for myself, but for others. I thought we shot the ball well at the end of the game. I opened up the floor and got to the paint and, you know, got to my spots.”

Horton helped ignite the rally, as well with a couple of steals that led to baskets. On one play, the 6-6 James Madison transfer stole an inbounds pass and hit a layup to help break the Tigers’ spirit.

“I was in his ear every huddle, every media (timeout), just saying, it starts with him,” Spears said. “He had a tough night in the paint but that’s not like him. I just wanted to emphasize that he’s a big part of this team, and he showed it. He got four or five steals in the second half, and I’m proud of him.”

Before the game started, there was a tension in the UTSA camp. Claunch went out for a two-mile afternoon run to clear his head. The players, all except Naz Mahmoud playing for the first time at home for the Roadrunners, might have been a little tight.

“Probably nerves but good nerves,” Horton said. “Everybody was excited to play. Amped up. I think it was just nerves at the beginning of the game. Like I said, we had to just settle in.”

Records

UTSA 1-0
Trinity 0-0
The game counted as an exhibition for Trinity

Individuals

Trinity – Jacob Harvey, scored 17 points and hit five of nine from three. Christian Green, had 15 points and five rebounds. He knocked down six of 10 from the field.

UTSA – Primo Spears scored 27 points, including 19 in the second half. Marcus “Smurf’ Millender had 19 points and seven assists. The two starting guards combined on 15 of 27 shooting from the field. Center Jaquan Scott produced 16 points and six rebounds. Damari Monsanto, 12 points on four of 10 shooting from three. Jonnivius Smith came off the bench for nine points, 10 rebounds and four steals.

Notable

UTSA shot 52.4 percent from the field in the second half. For the game, the Roadrunners shot 47.4 percent, had 21 steals and forced the Tigers into 28 turnovers. UTSA outrebounded Trinity 37-35 but dominated on the offensive glass with 17 boards.

The Roadrunners played without two key players, guard Tai’Reon Joseph and 6-foot-11 center Mo Njie. Joseph is ineligible over what is believed to be academic issues. It’s uncertain how many games he will need to sit out. Njie, with a groin injury, did not suit up. Guard Paul Lewis missed some practice last week but rallied to play 12 minutes.

Coming up

North Dakota at UTSA, Saturday, 6 p.m.

Halftime

The UTSA Roadrunners arrived at the Convocation Center ready to run for first-year Coach Austin Claunch. Surprisingly, the Tigers were more than up to the task. Trinity held its own for the first 20 minutes of the game before the Roadrunners forged a 43-41 lead at intermission.

Scott, Spears and Millender carried the load offensively for the Roadrunners. Scott, a 6-8 forward, made five of six from the field and scored 12 points. Spears had nine points and Millender eight. Millender passed for five assists and Spears three.

Green led the Tigers with 10 points. He hit four of eight from the field for the Tigers, who shot 48 percent from the field and 60 percent from three. In three-point shooting, Trinity was more effective and more efficient, hitting six of 10 to UTSA’s six of 19.

UTSA center Jaquan Scott works inside for a basket late in the first half. Scott led the Roadrunners with 12 points at intermission. – Video by The JB Replay

UTSA wins 100-70 with big men prominent in exhibition victory over Trinity

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Carlton Linguard Jr. UTSA men's basketball beat Trinity 100-70 in an exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Center Carlton Linguard Jr. produced 20 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes in an exhibition game against Division III Trinity University. In his debut with the Roadrunners, the 7-footer had a sizable height advantage and used it to his benefit, rising up to knock down four of seven shots from three-point territory. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special to The JB Replay

Center Carlton Linguard Jr. once suited up at Kansas State University for a basketball team that granted him only a minor role in the Power 5 program. It seems like a long time ago now, but in the 2021-22 season, he played 15 games and averaged only 8.1 minutes for the Wildcats.

On the nights when he did play, the 7-foot center from San Antonio’s Stevens High School played in short spurts and rarely took more than two or three shots before the final buzzer. Mostly, Linguard was an afterthought, as his 19 field goal attempts for the season would indicate.

Dre Fuller Jr. UTSA men's basketball beat Trinity 100-70 in an exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Dre Fuller Jr. also made his UTSA debut, enjoying a productive night on a number of levels, with 12 points, eight rebounds and a team-high tying five assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Given the background, it would be easy to think that Linguard’s 20-point, nine-rebound debut for the UTSA Roadrunners on Tuesday night against Trinity University would have meant something special to him — and maybe it did.

But if that was the case, Linguard downplayed it after the Roadrunners rolled to a 100-70 exhibition victory over the Division III Tigers at the Convocation Center.

Afterward, Linguard did a round of interviews with the media and fielded more than a few questions. Once, he was asked whether it was important for him personally to score 20 in his first game back.

“Not really,” he said in response. “I told myself I had to come out here and dominate. That was kind of me and the other bigs’ goal tonight, and I feel like for the most part we did that.

“We still got stuff to work on. But, like, my mindset in my first game back was just to get my feet wet, get comfortable and just play my game.”

The Roadrunners, for the most part, handled business to the satisfaction of just about everyone in the arena. As anyone in the building could attest, UTSA thoroughly dominated early and late in running away with a 100-point game and a 30-point margin of victory for the first time in a couple of seasons.

In three-point shooting, UTSA showed some real firepower, with the team making 15 of them from distance. Moreover, UTSA big men turned out to be some of the better long-distance shooters, with the 7-foot, 220-pound Linguard making four of them and 6-8, 220-pound Chandler Cuthrell hitting two.

Rebounding was another area of dominance for the Roadrunners, who won the battle of the boards decisively, 60-34. In addition, team play and ball movement was generally good, with 22 assists leading to 41 field goals.

So, the game went pretty much to the liking of the home team except for some extended dry spells for the UTSA offense on shots from the field and in free-throw shooting. Oddly, the smaller Tigers hit 16 of 24 at the line to only three of six for UTSA.

“I felt OK (with the way we played),” Linguard said. “I felt we could have defended a little better and got to certain spots quicker. But, overall, I felt we played an OK game. That’s why we’re playing this game — to grow and get better. I think it’s a good little starting point for us.”

The Roadrunners did play well defensively, overall. They held Trinity scoreless for the first 3:08 of the ball game in jumping out to a 10-0 lead. And even though they allowed the Tigers to get on a streak early in the second half, they also closed the game by holding their opponent without a point for the final 3:37.

“I liked the way we started the game, defensively,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “When you don’t play a game for months, the excitement is generally going to be on the offensive end. We had parents drove in. (They) flew in. Guys want to play. They’re itching to play.

“So we kept challenging them. ‘Envision yourself playing. Envision yourself getting a stop. Getting a rebound.’ Not making shots. Defensively we opened with five straight stops. Set a really good tone there.. Very agressive. Very locked in. That probably excited me the most.”

Coming up

McMurry University at UTSA, exhibition, 7 p.m. Monday.

Individuals

UTSA — Linguard, in playing 23 minutes, hit eight of 12 shots from the field. He also knocked down four of seven from beyond the arc. Six-foot, 10-inch Trey Edmonds, who weighs 255 pounds, also imposed his will with 14 points and seven boards. Guard PJ Carter scored 13 on three of five shooting from three-point range, while Chandler Cuthrell, a 6-8 power forward, came off the bench to record a double double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Trinity — Guard Tanner Brown led the Tigers with 15 points. Guard Dean Balo had 13 points and seven rebounds on a night when he worked inside to draw seven fouls and then converting nine of 10 from the free-throw line. Guard/forward Abdullah Roberts had 12 points and guard guard Jacob Harvey 10.

Notable

UTSA guard/forward Dre Fuller Jr. showed off a flashy all-around game with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The former three-year player at Central Florida started the game in a lineup of two bigs — Linguard and Edmonds — plus Fuller, who checked in at 6-6 and 220. The guards were Christian Tucker and Adante’ Holiman, both with quick, with active hands.

Holiman sat out five days last week with Covid. It may have cost him a bit on the offensive end with 1 for 7 shooting from three. A few others who struggled in the game included power forward Massal Diouf and shooting guard Isaiah Wyatt. Diouf, who missed time this summer rehabilitating a knee injury, fouled out in 10 minutes. Wyatt, who has enjoyed good moments shooting the ball at practice, couldn’t get it going in the game. He missed all five of his three-point attempts.

A few other players played productive minutes off the bench, including junior college transfer Carter and freshman shooting guard Nazar Mahmoud. Mahmoud scored 11 points in 17 minutes in his first game after prepping last year at Spring Creek Academy in Plano. At 6-foot-5, he took advantage of his size with smaller defenders and knocked down four of seven from the field, including two of three from distance. Mahmoud was active on the boards with nine rebounds, four of them on the offensive end.

Quotable

“I work on my craft a lot, so the nerves (weren’t) really too much for me. I really was just having fun out there with my guys.” — UTSA freshman Nazar Mahmoud.

Mahmoud also commented on Fuller’s passing ability, saying, “Dre is a spectacular talent. He’s going to be a big part of this team. Obviously he can score at three levels. One thing that doesn’t get talked about enough is his passing. He definitely sets up his teammates to get them involved, and also look for his shot when he needs to score, too.”

Carlton Linguard, on Trinity’s parade to the free throw line : “I feel like on defense, we got to stop fouling. We got to stay in front of our man. Little stuff like that. If we didn’t give ’em so many free throws, the game would have been a lot different.”

Linguard has been working through some aches and pains during preseason training, notably some stiffness in his back. “I’ve been doing a lot of rehab. I’m in rehab every day for an hour and a half. I’m trying to stay pro-active. Not reactive. (Trying to do) a lot of stretching, a lot of little exercises.”

After a dominant win over Trinity, UTSA’s players start talking about Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

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The UTSA Roadrunners celebrated a 74-47 season-opening victory against the Trinity Tigers Monday night, in part, by initiating a conversation about their next opponent.

As players filed into the dressing room after the opener at the Convocation Center, the talk turned quickly to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders.

Japhet Medor. UTSA opened the men's basketball season with a 74-47 victory over Trinity on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Point guard Japhet Medor continued his strong play with five points, five rebounds, three steals and seven assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA will play Game Two on its schedule at A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday night in a rematch of a contest played last year in San Antonio.

It’s a memory that isn’t a pleasant one for the Roadrunners’ veterans, because the Islanders dominated, 77-58.

UTSA players may also know that A&M-Corpus Christi went on to enjoy a storybook season, which ended in a Southland Conference title and a trip to the NCAA tournament.

Roadrunners newcomer Japhet Medor said some of his teammates have already told him about the Islanders’ style and personnel.

“They deny a lot of stuff,” Medor said. “They’re pretty aggressive, but we play aggressive, too. We like it.”

Medor said he thinks some of his teammates may take a scheduled off day and come in to work on their game.

“Tomorrow is an off day, and we got to treat it like it’s not an off day, to get our bodies right and get ready for Corpus Christi,” he said.

Lachlan Bofinger. UTSA opened the men's basketball season with a 74-47 victory over Trinity on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Junior forward Lachlan Bofinger came off the bench for four points and seven rebounds in a little more than 10 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Medor said he knows how teammates who played in the game last year are feeling.

“Yeah, they want some get back,” he said. “Everybody’s motivated. We’re trying to change everything. We’re trying to win. So, of course we’re ready for Friday.”

Entering the regular season, UTSA had played only one exhibition. It was a game played last Wednesday against the Schreiner University Mountaineers. In doing so, the Roadrunners revved the offense and roared to a 93-60 victory.

Like Schreiner, Trinity is also an NCAA Division III program. But against the Tigers, the Division I Roadrunners had a tougher time putting points on the scoreboard. Much tougher.

UTSA shot 51.5 percent last week against the Mountaineers, including 42.9 percent from behind the three-point arc. Against the Tigers, the Roadrunners’ percentages didn’t look nearly as pretty on field goals (40.8) or on threes (16.7).

In fact, UTSA sank only 5 of 30 from long distance against Trinity’s zone defense.

Fortunately for the Roadrunners, big men Josh Farmer (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Jacob Germany (15 points, six boards) played with poise and aggression and got the job done against the much smaller visitors.

For Farmer, it was a breakout game, his first double-double. The former Houston schoolboy averaged only 1.2 points per game last season.

Against Trinity, he scored a season high on 8 of 13 shooting from the field. In addition, he also saved several possessions with his hustle, including six offensive rebounds.

The Tigers, a 23-win team last year, were held to 30.5 percent shooting. Enzo Sechi, Trinity’s leading returning scorer, was on the roster but did not play. Ben Hanley, A.J. Clark and Grayson Herr scored six points apiece.

Records

UTSA 1-0
Trinity 0-0
x-Game played as an exhibition for Trinity. It does not count on the Tigers’ record.

Coming up

UTSA at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Friday, 7 p.m.

Jacob Germany. UTSA opened the men's basketball season with a 74-47 victory over Trinity on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Senior Jacob Germany notched 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting. He also pulled down 6 rebounds.. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Peevy scores 23 as UIW races to 82-57 victory over Trinity

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Incarnate Word beat Trinity 82-57 on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, at the UIW McDermott Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Christian Peevy led Incarnate Word with 23 points against Trinity. — Photo by Joe Alexander.

Over the past three games, Christian Peevy has played the best basketball of his career for the Incarnate Word Cardinals.

But in what may come as bad news for opponents on UIW’s schedule this season, the sophomore forward from Chicago still probably hasn’t hit his peak.

First-year Cardinals coach Carson Cunningham said he’s trying to figure out how best to get Peevy in position to score.

“He’s a potent weapon,” Cunningham said, after Peevy produced 23 points and 11 rebounds in an 82-57 victory over Trinity. “He does a few things particularly well, and he’s developing an all-around game from that.

“We just got to try to keep trying to find spots and wrinkles where he can excel, because he’s a dynamic player.”

Peevy sank 8 of 13 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line to boost UIW past Division III Trinity.

He has now scored 81 points in his last three games.

“It’s really all my teammates,” Peevy said. “They trust me with the ball, and I’m just so happy to convert. I just want to keep this roll going.”

The Tigers took leads of 3-0 and 6-5 on a couple of three-point baskets but couldn’t keep up with the bigger and more athletic Cardinals, who play in the NCAA Division I Southland Conference.

UIW built a 14-point halftime lead and then boosted it to as many as 27 in the final minute.

For the game, the Cardinals shot 54 percent from the field and blew away the Tigers with a 20-2 edge in fast break points.

Early on, it wasn’t pretty, as Trinity used a zone to flummox UIW’s dribble-drive attack.

“They did a good job of jumping some passing lanes,” Cunningham said. “Then I thought we started pass faking better. They have a nice motion offense, good cutting action.

“They run a good operation at Trinity. Coach (Pat) Cunningham has been doing it for a long time, and doing a great job.”

Records

Incarnate Word (5-5)
Trinity (0-7)
(Note: The game was an exhibition for Trinity, and it did not count on the Tigers’ win-loss record.)


UIW guard Augustine Ene makes the most of a broken play when he grabs a loose ball and soars for a resounding dunk.

Coming up

The Cardinals play the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Sunday at 1 p.m. They also play at Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 17 and at DePaul on Dec. 19 before taking an extended break. UIW opens Southland Conferene play Jan. 2 at home against McNeese State.

Notable

Coming into Tuesday night, UIW led 351 Division I teams with 82.1 percent free throw shooting. The Cardinals had made 156 of 190 from the line, and against Trinity, they hit 15 of 18.

In the opening month of the season, UIW struggled against Division I competition. UIW was 1-5 against Division I programs. It is now 4-0 against Division III.

Last month, the Cardinals’ defense yielded 83.1 points in six games against D-I teams. In its four games against Division III, counting the Trinity game, UIW has given up an average of 54.8 points.

Sophomore guard Keaton Hervey, a starter for most of last season, is expected to take a redshirt this season after knee surgery.


UIW forward Christian Peevy fakes out a defender on the perimeter and gets to the basket for two of his game-high 23 points.

Individuals

UIW — Forward Charles Brown III, 12 points and 6 rebounds. Guard Augustine Ene, 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Off the bench, guard Jorden Kite, 11 points on 3 of 6 from the three-point arc; also, forward Antoine Smith Jr., 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting, including 2 of 5 from three.

Trinity — Tyler Peavy, 11 points on 4 of 9 shooting, including 3 o 7 from three. A.J. Clark, Stephen Molina and Matthew Colliflower, 7 points each. Clark, a freshman from Johnson, also had 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.


The UIW Cardinals move the ball from side to side on a possession in the secocnd half before finding guard Jorden Kite, a junior from Clark, who buries a three-pointer.