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UTSA shoots for its 17th straight series victory in the American Conference

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA can win its 17th straight series in American Conference play on Saturday night in New Orleans.

The Roadrunners exploded for five runs and a seven-run lead in the third inning and then held on behind the pitching of reliever Connor Kelley for a 7-3 victory over the Tulane Green Wave on Friday night.

With the win, UTSA can keep its streak alive if it can beat Tulane either Saturday night or in the Sunday finale.

The Roadrunners are also battling for the lead in the American.

They remained tied for first place with the UAB Blazers, who claimed a 7-6 victory in 11 innings over the Memphis Tigers.

Trailing by one, the Blazers scored twice in the bottom of the 12th to win on their home field in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, in New Orleans, the Roadrunners scored two runs in the first and added five more in the third to take a commanding 7-0 lead on the Green Wave.

In the third, UTSA caught a break from the outset when Lane Haworth’s pop fly to shallow right field was lost in the lights and dropped in for a double.

Andrew Stucky followed by crushing an RBI double to left field.

After a bunt single by Christian Hallmark moved Stucky to third base, Cade Sadler drove a ball into the outfield for a sacrifice fly RBI.

The Roadrunners continued to pour it on, with Jordan Ballin delivering an RBI single and Aidan Eshelman an RBI double to left.

After Tulane starter Trey Cehajic walked Caden Miller, the Green Wave made a pitching change.

LuisPablo Navarro entered and walked Drew Detlefsen and Haworth, with the second free pass forcing in the fifth run of the inning to make it 7-0.

After that, the game evolved into a pitcher’s duel between the bullpens.

Navarro and Jacob Moore combined to hold the Roadrunners hitless and scoreless over the final six and a third innings. But Kelley nearly matched them in a 90-pitch tour de force.

The 6-5 junior from Spring pitched UTSA out of trouble in the fourth inning and worked all the way into the ninth to earn the victory.

All told, Kelley yielded one run on five hits and three walks in five and two thirds. He struck out six.

In the end, Tulane put a stop to Kelley’s string of 26 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.

The streak ended when Kaikea Harrison, with a runner at third and nobody out in the ninth, stroked an RBI single to center.

The Roadrunners later choked off the rally with their third infield double play of the game. Freshman Christian Gutierrez retired Jason Wachs on a ground ball for the last out.

As a result, Kelley left the ball park with his second victory in two weeks, improving his record to 4-1.

For Tulane, Cehajic took the loss and fell to 2-5. He yielded seven runs on eight hits in two and two thirds innings.

In Saturday’s Game Two at Tulane’s Turchin Stadium, the Roadrunners will send lefthander Conor Myles to the mound. Myles is 6-1 with a 2.91 earned run average.

He’ll face another lefty, Tulane’s Jake Toporek, who is 1-3 with a 3.53 ERA.

Records

UTSA 28-13, 11-5
Tulane 21-22, 7-9

Coming up

UTSA at Tulane, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Tulane, Sunday, noon

UIW at UTSA, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Notable

After Friday night, UTSA and UAB remain locked in a tie for first in the American at 11-5, with East Carolina trailing at 10-6. Wichita State is 9-7.

Teams in the 10-team league play a 27-game conference schedule.

Outfielder Drew Detlefsen, injured slightly in UTSA’s series finale against Charlotte last Sunday, started and played the first game against Tulane as a designated hitter.

He extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a first-inning double in a one-for-four performance.

Lane Haworth and former San Antonio schoolboy Christian Hallmark led the Roadrunners with two hits apiece.

Haworth homered and doubled in four at bats and notched three RBIs. The 5-11 junior from Lewisville, a transfer from Wichita State, has hit six homers for the season and two in his last four games.

Hallmark, a sophomore transfer from Navarro College, went two for five for his 13th multi-hit game of the season and his third straight.

The son of UTSA head coach Pat Hallmark played in high school at Brandeis.

Gunnar Brown started on the mound for the Roadrunners and pitched three innings. He yielded two runs on six hits, while walking one and striking out two.

Tulane takes a loss at Southern Miss, 5-4, leading into UTSA series

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Update: The 16th-ranked Southern Miss Golden Eagles scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Tulane Green Wave, 5-4, on Tuesday night at Hattisburg, Miss. Southern Miss of the Sun Belt Conference improved to 29-12 on the season while Tulane, from the American, fell to 21-21.

Officials have announced that UTSA’s baseball game at Texas A&M, set for Tuesday afternoon at 3, has been canceled for weather-related reasons.

UTSA will play an American Conference weekend series in New Orleans against the Tulane Green Wave starting Friday, with all games including Saturday and Sunday set for Turchin Stadium.

The Roadrunners are tied for first in the American with the UAB Blazers, who host the Memphis Tigers this weekend.

The East Carolina Pirates, trailing the Roadrunners and Blazers by one game in second place, will host the South Florida Bulls.

Records

UTSA 27-13, 10-5
Tulane 21-21, 7-8

Coming up

UTSA at Tulane, Friday, 7 p.m.
UTSA at Tulane, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Tulane, Sunday, noon

Notable

Friday’s game will be carried on ESPNU. The Saturday and Sunday games will be on ESPN+.

American women’s tournament: Seventh-seeded Temple wins, advances to face No. 6 UTSA

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Update: On Day 1 of the American Conference women’s basketball tournament, Kaylah Turner scored 31 points Tuesday and lifted the seventh-seeded Temple Owls past the No. 10 Tulane Green Wave, 86-77, in overtime. Temple advances to play sixth-seeded UTSA in the second round on Wednesday.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA women’s basketball team left town on a damp and foggy Monday morning, headed for the American Conference tournament in Birmingham, Ala.

Cheyenne Rowe. UTSA women's basketball beat Texas State 64-41 on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe expressed pride in her teammates for their resilience in battling through a season marked by ‘hardships.’ – File photo by Joe Alexander

Coming off a regular-season ending upset victory over the conference champion Rice Owls, players said they feel confident that they can do some damage as the No. 6 seed.

“I’m definitely very proud of us, because we’ve been through a lot of hardships,” UTSA senior Cheyenne Rowe said. “We’ve bounced back a couple of times, and we bounced back against Rice, and that was really amazing.”

The tournament starts with the first-round games Tuesday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, but with a bye, the Roadrunners (14-15, 9-9) open play on Wednesday afternoon.

They’ll take on either the seventh-seeded Temple Owls or the No. 10 Tulane Green Wave.

“I’m feeling confident,” senior guard Ereauna Hardaway said. “Last game was a great win for us. It’s always a good feeling going into the tournament with a win. I just think we’re feeling confident going in.”

About an hour after the UTSA bus left campus, the American released its postseason all-conference teams and individual award winners.

Rowe, a 6-2 forward from Ontario, Canada, emerged as the only UTSA player recognized. She was named to the all defensive team and also to the all conference second team.

In the Roadrunners’ last game, it looked as if they had several players whose names could have appeared on the American’s release of honorees.

Multiple UTSA players contributed in a 61-52 victory as Rice had a 22-game winning streak snapped, while getting tagged with its only loss in 18 conference games this season.

In the first half, the ball moved and UTSA’s sometimes sputtering offense hummed. The Roadrunners shot 59 percent from the field. They rang up a 41-21 lead.

“We got the freedom to shoot, so everyone was confident in their shot,” Rowe said, “and everyone shot it. We talked about rebounding. Getting the right shot. Moving the ball.

“So, when we get the right shot, we can rebound in the right positions, and when we get the chance to rebound, we get second-chance opportunities.

“So it was just amazing to see everyone shooting and everyone getting the rebounds. It was great.”

Hardaway credited freshman Adriana Robles for getting everyone involved.

“We were all just playing with confidence,” she said. “It’s always good when you see shots fall, too. It gives you a good rhythm to the game. A good flow.

“Adriana did a great job of getting everyone involved. Everybody was scoring the ball, and we were playing together.”

American Conference
Women’s basketball tournament
At Birmingham, Ala.

Tuesday

Game 1 — (9) FAU defeats (8) Charlotte, 74-70, in overtime.
Game 2 — (7) Temple defeats (10) Tulane, 86-77, in overtime.

Wednesday

Game 3 — (9) FAU vs. (5) North Texas, noon
Game 4 — (7) Temple vs. (6) UTSA, 2 p.m.

Thursday

Game 5 — Game 3 winner vs. (4) Tulsa, noon
Game 6 — Game 4 winner vs. (3) South Florida, 2 p.m.

Friday

Game 7 — Game 5 winner vs. (1) Rice, 6 p.m.
Game 8 — Game 6 winner vs. (2) East Carolina, 8 p.m.

Saturday

Game 9 (championship) — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m.

Records

(1) Rice 27-4, 17-1
(2) East Carolina 22-9, 14-4
(3) South Florida 20-11, 13-5
(4) Tulsa 19-11, 11-7
(5) North Texas 17-13, 11-7
(6) UTSA 14-15, 9-9
(7) Temple 15-16, 8-10
(8) Charlotte 14-18, 8-10
(9) FAU 14-17, 7-11
(10) Tulane 11-20, 6-12

Tulane connects on a school-record 19 threes to rout the slumping UTSA men

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Kaidon Rayfield. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman forward Kaidon Rayfield played with energy, contributing nine points, four rebounds and two blocks, to earn the praise of UTSA coach Austin Claunch after the Tulane Green Wave rolled past the Roadrunners, 85-52. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The frustration has deepened for the slumping UTSA Roadrunners.

After staying even with Tulane for about nine minutes in the first half Saturday afternoon, the Roadrunners watched as the Green Wave buried them in an avalanche of three-point baskets.

Led by guards Rowan Brumbaugh and Curtis Williams Jr., the visitors from New Orleans knocked down a school-record 19 triples en route to an 85-52 victory at the Convocation Center.

Brumbaugh and Williams made six threes apiece for the Green Wave (12-4, 3-0), who have won five in a row.

As a 6-4 guard from Washington, D.C., Brumbaugh entered the season with considerable hype as the preseason player of the year in the American Conference.

Tulane's Rowan Brumbaugh. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Tulane’s Rowan Brumbaugh finished with a game-high 23 points, to go along with seven assists, five rebounds and four steals. – Photo by Joe Alexander

He lived up to the billing against the Roadrunners, producing 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Brumbaugh also had four steals. Williams had a big day, as well, with 22 points and four assists.

“I’m glad we’re 3-0,” Brumbaugh said. “Still a lot of work to do. But it’s a good feeling being 3-0.”

The Green Wave have been hot and cold from the three-point arc this season, making only 31 percent coming into San Antonio. Against UTSA, they connected on 19 of 42 for 45.2 percent.

“We’ve had games where we haven’t really shot well, but we all know we’re a good shooting team,” Brumbaugh said. “You see it every day in practice. So it feels good to have a game like that where you make 19 threes. I think that’s a school record, so it’s a great feeling for sure.”

For UTSA, it was the team’s ninth straight loss, including eight by double figures. The Roadrunners (4-12, 0-4) haven’t lost this many in a row since the spring of 2023 when they dropped 11 straight.

Austin Nunez led the Roadrunners with 12 points, and Jamir Simpson pitched in with 10. Tulane limited UTSA to 35 percent shooting and 23 percent from the arc.

The Roadrunners hit only five of 21 attempts from three as they finished with a point total in the 50s for the third straight game and for the sixth time overall.

Austin Nunez. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Austin Nunez scored 12 points to lead the Roadrunners, who have finished with point totals in the 50s for the past three games. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Their total of 52 was the second lowest of the season next to the 50 they posted in a 61-50 loss to Abilene Christian on Nov. 24.

The play of freshman Kaidon Rayfield caught the eye of UTSA coach Austin Claunch. Rayfield, who came off the bench, had nine points, four rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes.

Claunch said he liked Rayfield’s aggression, “just put his head down and go play.”

In a high-energy second half, the freshman would drive, draw contact and get to the line. Rayfield made only five of nine, but Claunch was encouraged by the effort.

“We need more of that,” the coach said. “It’s hard to coach … There’s got to be something that we can do to encourage that a little more. I don’t know if it’s encourage or drill.

“I don’t what it is. But obviously it’s my job. That’s what I get paid to do. I got to figure out how to do that better.

“But I thought Kaidon did a good job of that when he got in. He played with some spirit. He plays hard. He’s got to get better at a lot of things. Obviously, he’s a young player, with a really bright future.”

Records

Tulane 12-4, 3-0
UTSA 4-12, 0-4

Tulane coach Ron Hunter. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Tulane coach Ron Hunter won the 546th game of his 32-year career as a college head coach. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

First half

The Tulane Green Wave constructed a 39-21 halftime lead against the UTSA Roadrunners after romping on a 26-10 run in the last 11 minutes.

Brumbaugh scored 14 points in the half for the Green Wave, who shot only 13 of 33 from the field but worked the 3-point line efficiently, knocking down eight of 22 from long distance.

By contrast, UTSA hit only two of 13 from three in the half against a tricky Tulane zone. The Roadrunners were eight of 31 from the field for 26 percent.

Notable

The Roadrunners, who opened a three-game homestand with losses to Charlotte (74-58) and Tulane (85-52), are prepaing to host the Rice Owls Wednesday night.

Even though the Green Wave arrived in San Antonio seven games over .500 for the season, including a 93-90 overtime victory over the ACC’s Boston College Eagles on a neutral site, their NET ranking was 203 out of 365 teams in NCAA Division I. UTSA came in at 330.

The Roadrunners’ last victory at home was Nov. 18 against Southwestern Christian. Their last victory was Nov. 25 in Florida against Georgia Southern.

Matheo Coffi. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman Matheo Coffi totaled six points and 11 rebounds. It was his third double-figure rebounding game of the season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Basketball doubleheader set for Saturday at UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA will host an American Conference basketball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center, with the women playing the Charlotte 49ers at noon and the men taking on the Tulane Green Wave at 4 p.m.

Women’s game

Coming up — Charlotte at UTSA, Saturday, noon
Records — Charlotte 8-8, 2-1; UTSA 7-6, 2-0
NET rankings – Charlotte 155; UTSA 126.

Charlotte at a glance: The 49ers played Wednesday night in Houston and lost their first game in conference, falling to the Rice Owls, 84-59. Last week, Charlotte opened league play at home with double-digit wins over Memphis and UAB. Princess Anderson, Zoe Best, Tanajah Hayes, Asianae Nicholson, Ja’Navia Gage and Imani Smith highlight the 49ers’ rotation. Coach Tomekia Reed led Jackson State to three NCAA tournaments before taking the Charlotte job. In her first season with the 49ers last year, the team finished 11-21.

UTSA at a glance: Slowed by injuries to several players in the early going, the defending regular-season champion Roadrunners have started fast in conference, winning games by single-digit margins at home against Tulane and on the road at Temple. Forward Cheyenne Rowe had a blockbuster 14-point, 18-rebound performance at Temple. Emilia Dannebauer has been starting at the other inside position in the absence of Idara Udo, who has sat out three games with a lower leg injury. Damara Allen plays on the wing, with Ereauna Hardaway and Adriana Robles at guards.

Men’s game

Coming up — Tulane at UTSA, Saturday, 4 p.m.
Records — Tulane, 11-4, 2-0; UTSA 4-11, 0-3
NET rankings — Tulane 203; UTSA 330.

Tulane at a glance: The Green Wave come to San Antonio on a four-game winning streak. They opened conference on New Years Eve with a 79-70 victory at East Carolina and followed it on Sunday at home by beating Florida Atlantic, 69-66. Tulane’s zone defense was at its best against FAU by holding the Owls to 17 points below their average. Guard Rowan Brumbaugh, the conference’s preseason player of the year, scored 20 to lead the Wave. Other key players are Curtis Williams Jr., Asher Woods, Tyler Ringgold and Scotty Middleton. Coach Ron Hunter is 492-367 in his 28th season. He’s in his seventh season at Tulane.

UTSA at a glance: The Roadrunners are riding an eight-game losing streak, the longest in the program since an 11-game skid in the 2022-23 season. Five of the losses in the slide have come on the road and three at home. Seven have been by double figures. UTSA hasn’t won a game at home since Nov. 18 against Southwestern Christian (Okla.) UTSA hasn’t won a game, period, since Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla., against Georgia Southern. UTSA guard Austin Nunez is playing well, scoring a combined 50 points in his last three games. Guard Dorian Hayes broke out of a slump Wednesday at home against Charlotte, scoring 15 points.

UTSA women open conference play by holding off Tulane, 65-63

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Ereauna Hardaway. UTSA beat Tulane 65-63 in their American Athletic Conference women's basketball opener on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Ereauna Hardaway continued her inspired play with 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds against Tulane. The senior transfer from North Texas leads the team in scoring over the last five games, averaging 14.6 points on 46 percent shooting. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Even before the American Conference women’s basketball season tipped off Tuesday afternoon, the defending champion UTSA Roadrunners took the lead in one statistical category — most players on the inactive list (seven).

Among the missing was injured all-conference forward Idara Udo, a third-year veteran leader, who came out to watch warmups in a walking boot.

To make it even more challenging, the Roadrunners lost another veteran just before halftime against the Tulane Green Wave when guard Damara Allen took a blow to the face while playing on the defensive end.

She sat out the second half with an ice bag on her forehead, leaving UTSA with only eight active players. As it turned out, eight was enough, as the Roadrunners made a defensive stop in the last two seconds to hold off the Green Wave in a tense, 65-63 victory.

Cheyenne Rowe. UTSA beat Tulane 65-63 in their American Athletic Conference women's basketball opener on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Cheyenne Rowe produced a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, helping UTSA to its 10th straight win in the American dating back to last season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Afterward, UTSA coach Karen Aston was joined in the postgame news conference by two of her most dynamic players, guard Ereauna Hardaway and forward Cheyenne Rowe. Both were instrumental as the Roadrunners won their 10th straight, and their 12th straight at home, in the American.

“I thought this was just an extremely gutty performance by our team,” Aston said. “We’ve had kind of blow after blow of injuries and setbacks, (like) losing Damara during the middle of the game.

“I just thought we plugged along, and these two beside me I think were the solid rocks for the team.

“Again, (we had) lots of contributions from the young guys and a game that was extremely gritty on our part. Really, really, really proud of this team.”

Extending to five a string of outstanding individual performances, Hardaway finished with a team-high 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds. She led four UTSA players in double figures, including Rowe with 13, freshman Adriana Robles with 11 and junior transfer Jayda Holiman with 10.

Rowe also pulled down 12 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, for her second double double of the season.

Tulane had a chance to tie it at the end, but Jayda Brown misfired on a 16-foot turnaround at the buzzer. Kanisha Daniel led the visitors with 12 points and Mecailin Marshall added 11.

In the final analysis, the Green Wave made two more field goals (25-23) than UTSA, but the Roadrunners made up the difference with one more three-pointer (9-8) and with five more free throws. At the line, UTSA hit 10 of 12 to five of eight for Tulane.

Free throws were critical at the end as Daniel knocked down two to bring the Green Wave to within one point with 10 seconds left. On the other end, Mia Hammonds made the second of two for the Roadrunners with two seconds remaining for the final point of the game.

Jayda Holiman. UTSA beat Tulane 65-63 in their American Athletic Conference women's basketball opener on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Junior transfer Jayda Holiman scored all 10 of her points in the second half after starting guard Damara Allen had come out of the game with an injury. – Photo by Joe Alexander

On the last play, coming out of a timeout, Tulane inbounded from the side, in front of its own bench. The pass went to Brown, who turned and missed off the rim as time expired.

Hardaway said the emphasis in a tight fourth quarter centered on playing soundly on the defensive end. “At one point in the game, we were trading buckets,” she said. “Stops matter the most down the stretch, especially when it’s a close game.”

In the closing seconds, Rowe said it was important “for everyone to put everything out on the court” and that winning “was very important to all of us.”

Rowe acknowledged that she was indeed thinking about the team’s legacy of winning at home during the hectic fourth quarter, in which she produced six points and four rebounds. “This is our house,” she said. “We don’t want to get beat here.”

Records

Tulane 5-8, 0-1
UTSA 6-6, 1-0

Coming up

UTSA at Temple, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

First half

With UTSA scrambling to get off a shot in the waning seconds, Robles caught a pass from forward Emilia Dannebauer and knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer, lifting the Roadrunners into a 31-26 halftime lead.

Hardaway and Robles, two natural point guards, started the game together and ended up combining for 17 points in the half. Hardaway produced nine points and also three rebounds and two assists.

Robles, a freshman from Puerto Rico, scored eight on three of six shooting. She made two of three from long distance.

Adriana Robles hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer at the end of the first half. UTSA beat Tulane 65-63 in their American Athletic Conference women's basketball opener on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Adriana Robles celebrates after hitting a long three pointer at the first-half buzzer. Robles finished with 11 points and made three of UTSA’s nine buckets from long distance. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Tulane, one of the highest-scoring offenses in the American Conference, led for a few minutes in the first quarter until UTSA’s defense started to clamp down.

The Roadrunners led for most of the rest of the way, holding the Green Wave to 15 points in the first quarter and 11 in the second.

The game turned at the end when Marshall drove for a layup with 1:47 remaining to tie the score, 26-26.
Marshall was called for a flagrant foul on the move as she apparently hit Allen in the face.

As a result, UTSA was awarded two free throws and possession. Hardaway made both free throws to boost UTSA into a 28-26 lead.

UTSA held Tulane scoreless the rest of the way, with Robles making the last shot on a high-arc jumper from the left wing.

Notable

UTSA finished 17-1 in conference last season, with its only loss on Jan. 29, 2025 at South Florida. Its last conference loss at home came the previous season on Feb. 22, 2024 against Temple. UTSA has won four out of five on its home court this season and 20 of its last 21.

Pregame

Starting in 2025-26, the American has elected to make public on game days lists of athletes who will be held out. The conference started the practice during the football season, and it will continue with women’s and men’s basketball.

Siena Guttadauro. UTSA beat Tulane 65-63 in their American Athletic Conference women's basketball opener on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Siena Guttadauro hasn’t played a game all season after the birth of her son in July, but she did participate in warmups before tipoff against Tulane. – Photo by Joe Alexander

As a result, UTSA’s list of inactive players was posted on the conference’s website a few hours before tipoff. The Roadrunners’ seven inactive included starting forward Idara Udo, who would not play in the league opener against the Green Wave.

Udo was on the floor in warmups wearing a walking boot on her right foot. Her absence from the lineup for the second straight game meant that sophomore Emilia Dannebauer would start in the frontcourt along with Cheyenne Rowe.

Players listed as out for the season included forwards Nyayongah Gony, Taylor Ross and Sema Udo, according to the American’s new player availability notes.

Players listed as out for the game included Idara Udo, Maya Linton, Saher Alizada and Siena Guttadauro.

Idara Udo is the only one of the seven on the inactive list who has played this season. The 6-foot junior from Plano last suited up on Nov. 15 against Texas A&M-Kingsville. She is averaging 8.1 points and 7.2 rebounds.

Of the UTSA players on the list who haven’t played, Guttadauro was the only one of them on the floor during pre-game warmups. Her activity was a first for her at home games this season, indicating that it’s possible she is readying herself to play in the last few months.

Guttadauro gave birth to a son, Dante, on July 24. In the days leading into the regular season, UTSA on its own announced that Sema Udo and Taylor Ross would be out for the season with injuries. The others on the inactive list are also presumed to be injured.

Gony, a 6-foot-4 forward, has not been in attendance at home games this season but has attended other sporting events on campus.

As for Tulane, the Green Wave announced that guards Jaylee Womack and Sadie Shores were out for the season.

Amira Mabry. UTSA beat Tulane 65-63 in their American Athletic Conference women's basketball opener on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Amira Mabry, a Tulane junior from San Antonio area Judson High School, enjoyed a moment before tipoff Tuesday against UTSA. – Photo by Joe Alexander

NCAA tournament looms after UTSA falls to Tulane in the AAC semifinals

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

For the 44-13 UTSA Roadrunners, it’s now a waiting game. Feeling good that they’ve secured a spot in the 64-team NCAA tournament, they’ll find out on Monday at 11 a.m. where they are going and who they’ll be playing.

“I don’t know,” UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said. “Historically they try to keep people regionally close. But again, sometimes you see people where we are head west. I think we’ll stay in Texas, or we’ll head west. But I’m totally guessing, right?”

Hallmark made his remarks Saturday on a zoom call with the media after his Roadrunners were ousted from the American Athletic Conference tournament, falling 6-3 to the Tulane Green Wave in the semifinals.

Regardless, hopes are high for taking the next step into national competition. UTSA hasn’t played in the NCAA tournament since 2013, when they reached a regional in Corvallis, Ore.

No matter their seeding, destination or opposition, they want to build on the team’s program record for victories and on the respect they earned in claiming their first regular-season championship in 17 years.

Their season win total coming out of the tournament ranked among the best in the AAC’s 12-year history. Only East Carolina in 2023 and Louisville in 2014 had more victories (45) than the Roadrunners and the 2014 Houston Cougars (both 44) entering the NCAA regional round.

Incidentally, the other three teams outside of UTSA in that group all played in the NCAA tournament, and Louisville made it through to the College World Series.

Records also indicate that, since the AAC’s first season in 2014, every team that has won a conference regular-season title or a title share has at least reached the NCAA regionals. Moreover, the Roadrunners’ had the best in-conference record of any AAC team in history at 23-4, five games ahead of their nearest pursuer.

During their 2-2 run in Clearwater, the Roadrunners eclipsed the conference record in runs scored in a season. With the three more scored on Saturday, their total is now 502 in 57 games and counting. Asked on his postgame zoom conference to address his team’s milestone achievements, Hallmark hesitated.

He expressed mixed emotions, considering UTSA fell short of the conference’s postseason title after coming in to Clearwater seeded No. 1.

“It’s probably a little too early to dwell on (the season milestones) or get the most out of it,” the coach said. “Obviously we just played and just lost, so my mind’s still on what I could have done better. What we could have done better. Where the preparation maybe could have been better.”

Trailing by one run, the Green Wave scored once in the fifth, twice in the sixth and once more in the seventh to take charge of the game.

Relievers Carter Benbrook and Taylor Montiel closed for the two-time defending tournament champions, combining to shut out the Roadrunners over the final five and two thirds innings.

“I mean, we did think they’d go to Benbrook and Montiel, so we were totally prepared for those guys,” Hallmark said.

At that point, the coach digressed in his thoughts, returning to address the UTSA season as a whole.

“I don’t want to dodge the question,” Hallmark said. “We’re proud of what we done, but we want to keep playing. I hope we’re the last team that gets to play baseball (this season). That would be awesome.”

Speaking in the aftermath of the loss, the coach said he just wanted to get together with his players and congratulate them.

“Right now we wait to see what happens,” he said. “But I’m going to tell the guys to eat some lunch and go have a good time the rest of this afternoon. They’ve earned that. I hope they grieve a little bit and get over this loss.

“We’ll have a couple days off. We won’t practice tomorrow, for sure. We’ll travel. We might not even practice Monday. Find out what’s going on and where we’re going (in the NCAA postseason). Hopefully we’re going somewhere, and we’ll probably get back to work on Tuesday.”

Records

Tulane 33-24
UTSA 44-13

Notable

Plans for the NCAA bracket reveal on Monday aren’t settled, Hallmark said. “The team will definitely be together,” he said. “I don’t know if there’ll be any outsiders. These guys are pretty tight. I’ve already heard some rumblings that they want it pretty close-knit. So I’ll talk to my bosses and I’ll talk to the players, and I hope it’s the players’ decision.”

AAC tournament semifinals: Tulane advances to the finals after ousting top-seeded UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Good morning from San Antonio

I’m up early this morning, following the American Athletic Conference baseball tournament on ESPN +. The top-seeded UTSA Roadrunners enter the day needing to play and win two games against the Tulane Green Wave to advance to Sunday’s finals. Tulane only needs to win once. Furthermore, UTSA is in a bind, having used all three of their front-line starting pitchers this week, so Sam Simmons is on the mound to open the game. Tulane jumps on him immediately, scoring one run on three hits in the top of the first. Mattias Haas delivered an RBI single to right center, scoring Jason Wachs from third base. Wachs led off with a single and Connor Rasmussen followed with a one-out hit, another single, to put runners at first and third. Haas made it 1-0 with the third hit of the inning.

Roadrunners take the lead

It’s the top of the third inning, and the Tulane Green Wave are rallying again. This time, against UTSA pitcher Gunnar Brown. Brown replaces Sam Simmons and made it through the second inning unscathed, only to find trouble in the third. It starts with a leadoff walk to Jason Wachs and continues with a single by Gavin Schulz. On the hit, Wachs moves to third. From there, he scores on a Connor Rasmussen sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the third, the Roadrunners start to percolate. With a couple of runners on base against Trey Cehajic, Mason Lytle grounds to short on what appeared to be a routine play. But Kaikea Harrison, off balance, throws it away at first base. Both runners score and Lytle moves to second. James Taussig follows with an RBI single to right to take a 3-2 lead.

Green Wave come back to tie

In the top of the fifth, Roadrunners reliever Gunnar Brown hangs a breaking pitch and Green Wave hitter Kaikea Harrison drills it into the right field corner for a leadoff double. Later, Harrison moves to third base on a ground ball and scores to tie the game 3-3 on an RBI single by Gavin Schultz. Tulane continues to create momentum in the bottom half when reliever Carter Benbrook retires three straight, including an inning-ending strikeout against UTSA slugger James Tassig. Going back to the third inning, Benbrook has retired five straight batters. In the sixth inning, UTSA pitching falters. Brown walks two straight, prompting UTSA coach Pat Hallmark to make a change. Braylon Owens enters to pitch, only to issue another walk. With the bases loaded, Tanner Chun bounces a two-run single through the left side to make it 5-3. Owens, who started and pitched five and two thirds inning on Tuesday, settles down and struck out two straight to end the threat.

Tulane opens a three-run lead

Gavin Schulz and Connor Rasmussen continue to torment the UTSA Roadrunners. Facing UTSA’s Braylon Owens, Schulz opens the sixth with a double and moves to third on Rasmussen’s single. When Matthias Haas hits into a double play, Schulz scores from third base to make it 6-3. Carter Benbrook continues to pitch well for the Green Wave. He works around a Ty Hodge single to keep UTSA scoreless in the bottom of the seventh. Benbrook’s numbers are impressive so far, with three and two thirds innings scoreless, allowing only one hit.

Green Wave advance

Tulane wins, 6-3.

Tulane wins 10-6 to cool off top-seeded UTSA at the AAC tournament

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The two-time defending tournament champions in the American Athletic Conference have worked their postseason magic once again. Fifth-seeded Tulane bashed a season-high five home runs Thursday in a 10-6 victory over No. 1 UTSA in a winners’ bracket game at Clearwater, Fla.

With a 2-0 record this week, the Green Wave have now won eight straight at this event dating back to 2023. As a result, they will advance into Saturday’s semifinals.

The Roadrunners, now 1-1 in the American Baseball Championship, will play Friday at noon (Central time) in an elimination game against the Florida Atlantic Owls. The winner will move into Saturday’s semis needing two wins against the Green Wave to advance to Sunday’s finals.

For the third straight year, Tulane has started the tournament with two straight wins. It’s one of the reasons their players call the BayCare Ballpark their home away from home.

“I would like to think of that as a body of work,” Tulane coach Jay Uhlman said. “It doesn’t always work out the way we’ve wanted it to work out in terms of volumes of wins. But I think the thing we do is, we teach through the wins. We teach through the losses. We teach through the tough times. Our guys believe.

“We’re like family. We have arguments and fights and disagreements. I don’t give everyone what they want all the time, and that’s a hard pill to swallow. But I think the body of work as you go through a season, the trust even in times when they don’t get what they want, that we’re doing everything we can the right way.

“It’s really important.”

James Agabedis III, a Tulane junior from Sudbury, Mass., hit two of the Green Wave’s homers. He blasted solo shots in the fourth and eighth innings. All the slugging backed the pitching of left-handed relief specialist Taylor Montiel, who worked three and two thirds scoreless innings to close the game.

Monteil (5-2) allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out four. Connor Kelley (3-1) was the losing pitcher for the Roadrunners.

Trailing for most of the game, the Roadrunners came to life in the sixth with three runs to tie. UTSA strung together four hits, including an RBI single by Caden Miller and a two-run single by Lorenzo Morresi.

Morresi’s liner with the bases loaded landed safely in center field, bringing in Miller from third and James Taussig from second to tie the score, 6-6. A key play unfolded when Nathan Hodge beat out a fielder’s choice, only to be erased on double play when Moressi was called for interference on a slide at second base.

The eighth inning was the undoing for the Roadrunners, who entered with a 14-1 record in their last 15 games. First, Agabedis homered off UTSA’s Kelley to break a tie and give the Green Wave a one-run lead. After Kelley was pulled for Rob Orloski, Jason Wachs blasted a two-run shot to make it 9-6.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark tipped his cap to Monteil, a redshirt junior from Brentwood, Tenn. At one point, Monteil struck out four batters in a row.

“He’s good,” the coach said. “He’s been doing that all year. If you look at his numbers, he doesn’t get hit. I think it’s something like, it’s well less than a hit an inning … He’s got that fastball that moves. A little bit on the frontside where he hides the ball. He throws hard.

“I didn’t expect to hit him real good. But I did think if we kept it tied or within one run that anything’s possible. The two-run homer (in the eighth) after the solo hurt us a little bit. That was a bad call. Rob executed the pitch. The call was a mistake. We called a high fastball – to a high fastball hitter.”

Hallmark said UTSA is one of the few teams in the nation that have the catchers call the pitches and that Andrew Stucky and Morresi do a great job in that part of the game.

“We just happened to make a mistake there,” Hallmark said. “(The high fastball) is Rob’s best pitch. So I knew why Stucky called it. He called his pitcher’s best pitch. So, I don’t know that it’s a mistake. But, Wachs is a good high fastball hitter.”

The coach said he’s more frustrated with the pitches early in the game from starter Zach Royse that were thrown in the middle of the plate. Royse gave up six runs on seven hits, including three home runs.

Records

Tulane 32-24
UTSA 43-12

Notable

If UTSA comes up short of the title this week in Clearwater, the Roadrunners remain a strong candidate to gain an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament based on their record (43-12), their regular-season title (23-4 in conference) and their No. 22 standing in the national rating percentage index coming into Thursday.

Since the AAC baseball conference formed for the 2014 season, each team that has won or shared a regular-season title has received a bid to an NCAA regional, either with an at-large or an automatic bid. UTSA clinched a share of the AAC regular-season title on May 4 after it swept a three-game road series at South Florida. It clinched the title outright on May 9 with a road victory at East Carolina.

When UTSA swept Rice last week in San Antonio to close the regular season, it secured victories in all nine AAC series on its schedule. Five of them were three-game sweeps. Moreover, they won the AAC by five games over second-place Charlotte.

By hitting the 40-win plateau on May 15 and reaching win No. 42 after the regular-season finale last Saturday, UTSA became only the seventh AAC team in history to take 40-plus victories into the conference tournament. The previous six all eventually received NCAA bids.

NCAA selections will be announced Monday.

Thursday’s results

Tulane 10, UTSA 6
East Carolina 6, Charlotte 5

Friday’s games

FAU vs. UTSA, elimination game, noon
South Florida vs. Charlotte, elimination game, 47 minutes after the first game

Saturday’s games

Semifinals
Tulane vs. FAU or UTSA, 8 a.m.
East Carolina vs. South Florida or Charlotte, 47 minutes after the first game
Tulane vs. FAU or UTSA, if necessary, TBD
East Carolina vs. South Florida or Charlotte, if necessary, TBD

Sunday’s game

Finals
Semifinals winners play in the title game, 11 a.m.

UTSA baseball continues its conference tournament title quest in Florida

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The top-seeded UTSA Roadrunners will take on the No. 5 Tulane Green Wave today at noon (Central time) in the winners’ bracket at the American Baseball Championship.

Later today, sixth-seeded East Carolina will play No. 2 Charlotte. While the losers will play on Friday, the winners will move into the semifinals scheduled for Saturday. The tournament is double elimination through the semifinals, while the a winner-take-all game in the finals is set for Sunday.

All games are being held at the BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.

Both Tulane and UTSA scored victories on Tuesday on the opening day of the tournament. After Tulane beat Florida Atlantic, 6-3, UTSA took the field and rallied for a 4-2 victory over Rice. Now they play today for a chance to move into the semifinals.

The champion of the American Athletic Conference’s postseason event in Clearwater will be rewarded with an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. If UTSA comes up short, the Pat Hallmark-coached Roadrunners remain a strong candidate to gain an at-large NCAA bid based on their record (43-11), their regular-season title (23-4 in conference) and their No. 22 standing in the national rating percentage index.

Since the AAC baseball conference formed for the 2014 season, each team that has won or shared a regular-season title has received an at-large bid to an NCAA regional. UTSA clinched a share of the AAC regular-season title on May 4 after it swept a three-game road series at South Florida. It clinched the title outright on May 9 with a road victory at East Carolina.

When UTSA swept Rice last week in San Antonio, it secured victories in all nine AAC series on its schedule. Five of them were three-game sweeps. By hitting the 40-win plateau on May 15 and reaching No. 42 after the regular-season finale last Saturday, UTSA became only the seventh AAC team in history to take 40-plus victories into the conference tournament. The previous six all eventually received NCAA bids.

NCAA selections will be announced Monday.

Tuesday’s results

(Opening day)
Tulane 6, FAU 3
UTSA 4, Rice 2
Charlotte 7, Wichita State 1
East Carolina 9, South Florida 4

Wednesday’s results

FAU 8, Rice 6 (Rice eliminated)
South Florida 4, Wichita State 3 (Wichita State eliminated)

Thursday

(Winners’ bracket, times are Central)
UTSA vs. Tulane, noon
East Carolina vs. Charlotte, 47 minutes after the first game

Friday

(Elimination games, times are Central)
FAU vs. Tulane or UTSA, noon
South Florida vs. East Carolina or Charlotte, 47 minutes after the first game

Saturday

Semifinals
UTSA or Tulane vs TBA, 8 a.m.
East Carolina or Charlotte vs. TBA, 47 minutes after the first game
Games to follow (if necessary) to complete double elimination

Sunday

Finals
First pitch, 11 a.m.