UTSA leading scorer Cheyenne Rowe produced 10 points and was held to three of 13 shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane held the UTSA women to 29 percent shooting from the field, while also forcing 22 turnovers, as they romped to a 53-41 victory Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.

With the win, the Golden Hurricane (19-10, 11-6) clinched the No. 4 seed and a double bye into the quarterfinals of the American Conference tournament.

Meanwhile, UTSA (13-15, 8-9) is currently holding onto the No. 6 seed, which would yield a single bye through to the tournament’s second round.

UTSA coach Karen Aston’s team struggled offensively in the home finale, making only 13 field goals. The Roadrunners shot zero for 10 from the floor in a one-point second quarter. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Roadrunners have one game left in the regular season. They play Saturday against the Rice Owls in Houston, and the Owls (27-3, 17-0) have already clinched the regular-season title.

The tournament will be held from March 10-14 in Birmingham, Ala.

For the Roadrunners, the final score against Tulsa was not what they wanted, especially in the last home game of the season.

“I wanted to say thanks to all the people that came out today,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I thought it was a tremendous crowd. A lot of groups came out. A lot of student-athletes were here, supporting our team.

“You know, I’m disappointed that we didn’t play better for probably some first-time people that came to see us play,” she added. “I always feel like if someone comes to the gym to watch you play, then you try to give ’em a reason to come back.”

For Tulsa, the victory was meaningful on a number of fronts. First, the Hurricane gained a measure of payback against the Roadrunners, who beat them 66-47 on Feb. 7 in Tulsa.

Second, they also bounced back from a dispiriting loss Sunday in Houston in which the Owls recorded a 105-65 victory.

But, perhaps most importantly, the double bye in the tournament is valuable from the standpoint of rest and extra time to prepare.

Also, it means the Golden Hurricane will have a shorter route to the postseason title.

After her team lost by 40 points at Rice on Sunday, Tulsa coach Angie Nelp said she was proud of her players for bouncing back against UTSA. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By opening in the quarterfinals, they can win the American and secure the NCAA tournament’s automatic bid with three wins in three days.

“Anytime you get a bye in a tournament, that always helps,” Tulsa coach Angie Nelp said. “We’ve got another game to play this Saturday (at home against East Carolina).

“It’s not going to be an easy game. So we’ve got to prepare well and compete. Having that double bye may give us an extra day’s rest (the following week).”

Against the Roadrunners, redshirt senior Hannah Reddick led the Golden Hurricane with 17 points and six rebounds. Junior guard Jade Clack had 11 points and forward Mady Cartwright 10.

San Antonio’s Alisha Peavy, a freshman guard, sparked the Golden Hurricane with four points and a team-leading eight rebounds.

For the Roadrunners, it was a struggle all night to get their power forwards into an offensive rhythm, as Cheyenne Rowe and Idara Udo combined to shoot only four of 21 from the floor.

Guard Ereauna Hardaway led the team with 11 points and five rebounds. Rowe had 10 points and nine boards. Udo, meanwhile, was held to six points and nine rebounds.

Records

Tulsa 19-10, 11-6
UTSA 13-15, 8-9

Coming up

UTSA at Rice, Saturday at 2 p.m.

Notable

San Antonio’s Alisha Peavy, a Tulsa freshman from Pieper High School, produced four points and a team-high eight rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Even if UTSA loses Saturday against Rice, its chances of holding onto the No. 6 seed and the first-round bye appear to be good.

Trailing UTSA in the standings are Florida Atlantic, Temple and Charlotte.

All have 7-10 records, raising the possibility of a tie for sixth place after the 18-game schedule is completed.

In that case, the Roadrunners would have an edge in that they are 1-0 against both Florida Atlantic and Charlotte and 2-0 against Temple.

First half

The Golden Hurricane held the Roadrunners to a single free throw and one point in the second quarter en route to taking a 19-13 lead at intermission.

UTSA’s offense went completely cold. Not only did the Roadrunners shoot zero for 10 from the field, they also turned it over seven times.

In the meantime, Tulsa forward Dora Toman hit two of her team’s three 3-point shots as the visitors stunned the home team, 11-1, in the period.

The Roadrunners stayed in the game with a strong defensive effort of their own. They held the Golden Hurricane to seven of 16 shooting for 26.9 percent in the half.

UTSA built a 12-8 lead after the first quarter. Ereauna Hardaway sank a three with 1.8 seconds remaining for the final points. The shot was also UTSA’s last field goal of the half.

In the half, the Roadrunners went five for 21 from the floor for 23 percent. They also committed 13 turnovers.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA women hope to secure at least a sixth-place finish and a first-round bye in the American Conference basketball tournament when they host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane tonight at the Convocation Center.

In the last home game on the schedule and the second-to-last overall, the Roadrunners (13-14, 8-8) also hope to sweep the two-game series from the Golden Hurricane (18-10, 10-6).

UTSA will close out the schedule Saturday on the road against the Rice Owls, who have clinched the American’s regular-season championship.

The conference’s 10-team women’s tournament is set for March 10-14 in Birmingham, Ala. The top two teams earn a triple bye into the semifinals.

The third and fourth-place finishers will open in the quarterfinals.

Fifth and sixth-place teams get a single bye into the second round, which means UTSA likely is faced with winning four games in four days to win the title.

The Nos. 7 through 10 seeds all play on opening day.

Officials at UTSA say they believe the team may have already clinched a spot in the No. 6 slot. But the American hasn’t yet confirmed that is the case.

The Roadrunners downed the Golden Hurricane 66-47 in Oklahoma on Feb. 7.

Records

Tulsa 18-10, 10-6
UTSA 8-8, 13-14

Coming up

Tulsa at UTSA, tonight at 6:30
UTSA at Rice, Saturday at 2 p.m.

Notable

Tulsa guard Alisha Peavy is a freshman from San Antonio’s Pieper High School. Coming into the UTSA game, she was averaging 2.7 points and 3.3 rebounds.

Her father is Ben Peavy, who played in the 1990s for Charlie Boggess at Alamo Heights High School.

Also, her cousin is New Orleans Pelicans guard Micah Peavy. Micah Peavy played at Texas Tech, TCU and Georgetown.

Guard Ade Popoola exploded for 26 points and 10 rebounds Sunday, boosting the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to a 100-74 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners in American Conference men’s basketball.

Tulsa shot 54 percent from the field in moving into a tie for second place in the American. The Golden Hurricane rang up the third-most points against the last-place Roadrunners this season.

In the game played at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla., Jamir Simpson scored 20 and Dorian Hayes had 19 to lead UTSA. The Roadrunners have lost two straight and 19 of their last 20 games.

Records

UTSA 5-22, 1-14
Tulsa 22-6, 10-5

Coming up

East Carolina at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Wichita State at UTSA, Sunday, 7 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Forward Idara Udo scored a season-high 18 points Saturday in her fourth game back in the lineup after sitting out six weeks with an injury, helping the UTSA Roadrunners women rebound from a seven-game swoon with a 66-47 road victory at Tulsa.

UTSA had dropped two in a row and five of its last seven games entering play against the Golden Hurricane, one of the contenders in the American Conference.

In response, Udo enjoyed her best offensive game of the year, hitting seven of 11 from the field and four of five at the free throw line. Forward Cheyenne Rowe also contributed, scoring 17 for her 15th game in double figures this season.

After yielding a season high in points Tuesday night in an 81-69 road loss to the UAB Blazers, the Roadrunners played one of their better defensive games of the year, holding the Golden Hurricane to 26 points below their average.

Mady Cartwright, Tulsa’s leading scorer at 15.6 per game, was limited to 11 points on four of 14 shooting. She made only one of eight on her 3-point attempts.

Records

UTSA 11-11, 6-5
Tulsa 16-7, 8-3

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA women will attempt to tie a 16-year-old program record for victories in a season tonight in New Orleans when they face the Tulane Green Wave. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. at Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Roadrunners (23-3, 14-1) need one more win to tie the UTSA record of 24 set by the Rae Rippetoe-Blair-coached team from 2008-09.

The ’08-09 team forged a 24-9 record and played in the NCAA tournament. It was also the last one in school history to win a regular-season championship, as it finished 14-2 in the Southland Conference and tied for first with UT Arlington.

Coach Karen Aston’s Roadrunners (14-1) have a chance to win the American Athletic Conference title within the next week, and it would be the first regular-season title in Aston’s 17 years as an NCAA Division I head coach.

The Roadrunners lead the South Florida Bulls (13-2) and the North Texas Mean Green (12-3) in the AAC standings, with each having three to play.

Both of the Roadrunners’ nearest pursuers play next on Wednesday night. The Bulls, who have won nine in a row, take to the road to play the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, while the Mean Green will host the Charlotte 49ers.

A chance exists for a two-way or three-way tie for first place, and in either case, the teams tied for the lead at the end of the regular season would be considered co- or tri-champions, according to the AAC.

If there is a two-way tie for first between UTSA and South Florida, the Bulls would be the No. 1 seed in the AAC tournament, and the Roadrunners would be No. 2, based on a head-to-head tiebreaker.

If there is a three-way tie between UTSA, South Florida and North Texas, the Bulls would be seeded first, followed by the Roadrunners in second and the Mean Green third, an AAC spokesman said.

Records

UTSA 23-3, 14-1
Tulane 16-10, 9-6

Coming up

UTSA at Tulane, tonight, 6:30
FAU at UTSA, Saturday, noon
UTSA at East Carolina, Tuesday, March 4, 5 p.m.
(end of regular season)

Notable

The Green Wave, in their last game, defeated the Wichita State Shockers to snap a three-game losing streak. The Wave won 68-64 at home on Saturday to keep hope alive for a top-four finish in the standings.

Amira Mabry, a Tulane junior from Judson, starts and averages 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds. She is a 52 percent shooter from the field but has slumped lately, hitting only nine of 29 shots in her last four games.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Close losses are getting old for the UTSA men’s basketball team.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane won a duel between teams battling for 10th place in the American Athletic Conference standings, building a 19-point lead late in the first half before holding on at the end for an 80-76 victory.

It was UTSA’s second straight loss on a two-game AAC road trip and its fourth overall, all by five points or less.

“In (the) last five games we’re going to really push ourselves and test ourselves,” first-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch told Andy Everett on the team’s postgame radio broadcast. “Obviously, we’ve had a tough little stretch. We’re close.

“And so, we’re frustrated obviously. We’ve been close, but that’s part of what this is all about. We’re going to keep fighting.”

With the win, the Golden Hurricane (5-8, 11-15) swept two games against the Roadrunners (4-9, 10-15) in the season series and seized control of ninth place in the AAC standings.

UTSA fell to 11th place, two games in the loss column behind Wichita State (14-10, 4-7). The Roadrunners have five games remaining, with the next one coming up Wednesday at home against South Florida.

Tulsa won the game in the first half when it held UTSA to 23 points on five for 25 shooting. While the Roadrunners were struggling, the Golden Hurricane were sizzling, shooting 60.7 percent en route to a 40-21 lead late.

The Hurricane entered halftime up 40-23.

In the second half, the Roadrunners made a good push, outscoring the Golden Hurricane 26-14 in the first nine minutes.

A three pointer by Primo Spears with 11:14 remaining brought the Roadrunners to within five at 54-49.

UTSA kept coming at Tulsa late, reducing the deficit to four twice, the last time at 8:41 when forward Horton, running off a Jo Smith defensive rebound, took a pass from Spears and sank a driving layup to make it 58-54.

From there, the Golden Hurricane pushed back, going off on a 9-2 run. At the end of the run, Dwon Odom sank a couple of free throws for Tulsa. Suddenly, the Golden Hurricane were in charge again, leading 67-56.

UTSA kept battling to the end, reducing an eight-point deficit to only three in the last minute. Spears hit a three to give the Roadrunners life, down 77-74, with 16 seconds left.

Willis, a guard who once played in San Antonio at the University of the Incarnate Word, hit three of four free throws down the stretch to seal it.

For Tulsa, Willis led in scoring with 19 points, including 11 in the second half, all on free throws. Forward Isaiah Barnes scored 18, contributing 10 in the first half on four of seven shooting, including a couple of threes. Odom and Jared Garcia scored 16 each.

Raekowon Horton had 20 points and five rebounds to lead the Roadrunners. Millender, one of the hottest offensive players in the conference through the end of last week, scored 19 but was limited to seven of 21 shooting.

The 5-foot-11 guard from Houston knocked down four three pointers, reaching four long-distance makes for the fourth time since Jan. 11. Spears scored 18 points, coming on strong in the second half with 15. Spears, the team’s leading scorer, finished three of seven from three.

Records

UTSA 10-15, 4-9
Tulsa 11-15, 5-8

Coming up

South Florida at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
UTSA at East Carolina, Sunday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m.

UTSA guard Primo Spears poured in a career-high 40 points against Tulsa on 13 of 23 shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Guard Tyshawn Archie scored seven points in the final minute of the game, and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane rallied from down 16 in the second half to knock off the Primo Spears-led UTSA Roadrunners, 82-77, Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.

Tulsa pulled out the victory despite a career-high 40-point performance from Spears, the UTSA guard whose scoring binge tied for the ninth best in school history. It was the first 40-point game for the Roadrunners since 2020 when Jhivvan Jackson scored 45 at Old Dominion.

After the final buzzer, UTSA remained winless after two games in the American Athletic Conference. In the postgame, Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch called it an improvement from the team’s showing at Tulane on Saturday, when they lost 92-63.

UTSA forward Jonnivius Smith contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA held Tulsa to 29 points in the first half, but gave up 53 in the second, including eight 3-pointers. “We just weren’t able to get that big stop,” said Claunch, who attended the postgame media session with Spears and forward Jonnivius Smith.

“Now we’re 0-2 (in the American) with another home game coming up,” the coach continued, “and we just got to keep playing. Listen, that was a great improvement. It’s disappointing to not ultimately get a win when the two guys sitting next to me played their hearts out.”

Smith produced a double double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes.

Spears, playing 38 minutes, hit 13 of 23 shots from the field. Included in his masterpiece were five 3-point buckets, in addition to an array of mid-range jumpers and quick-step drives to the bucket.

Speaking with the media, the 6-foot-3 senior, who has played previously at Duquesne, Georgetown and Florida State, downplayed his individual success and looked ahead to an AAC home game Saturday against Wichita State.

“I’m about winning,” Spears said. “The 40 doesn’t matter unless you come up with the W. It’s a hard loss, but we got a bounce back game, another one at home, so we just got to get that one.”

Braeden Carrington scored 20 to lead the Golden Hurricane, who won their first game in the American with a sizzling offensive attack in the second half, when they shot 66.7 percent from the field.

Guards Tyshawn Archie and Keaston Willis each scored 19 for Tulsa. Willis, who once played in San Antonio at the University of the Incarnate Word, poured in all of his points in the second half.

The Roadrunners seemed to have the game well in hand, leading 52-36, after Spears hit a three with 16:42 remaining. From there, the Golden Hurricane went to work, scoring the next eight points to force a timeout.

At that point, UTSA settled down and ran some offensive sets, which led to a Raekwon Horton dunk and a three from Spears. Down 13 at that point, Tulsa just would not go away. The Golden Hurricane promptly hit the Roadrunners with a 19-5 run.

Willis finished it with a three that gave the visitors a 63-62 lead with 6:57 remaining. It was their first lead since the nine-minute mark in the first half.

Tulsa coach Eric Konkol watched as his team caught fire in the second half, hitting 18 of 27 from the field for 66.7 percent. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Challenged with adversity, Spears responded by scoring 10 points in a little more than two minutes. His move on a three-point play left the home fans aghast, as he spun on a drive, got fouled and made a free throw for a 72-68 UTSA lead with 4:19 remaining.

After another Golden Hurricane surge, Spears did it again, driving to his right and scooping a shot high off the glass. Fouled on the play, he connected, lifting the Roadrunners into a 75-74 advantage with 39.8 seconds remaining.

It would be their last lead of the game, as Archie scored five points, including a three from the corner, and Tulsa held UTSA without a field goal down the stretch.

Trailing by three in the closing seconds, UTSA brought the ball up, with Spears on the dribble. Spears lost the handle and turned it over, leading to a breakaway dunk by Archie with one second left for the final points.

The Roadrunners played without two of their primary big men, Mo Njie and Jaquan Scott. Njie sat out his third game in a row with a foot injury, while Scott was not in attendance, dealing with a personal matter.

First half

Smith sparked an 8-0 run in the final two minutes as the UTSA Roadrunners opened a 38-29 lead on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Smith had a steal that led to a basket and later converted a three-point play, rebounding his own miss to score the last bucket before intermission.

Fouled on the play, he knocked down a free throw to give UTSA the nine-point lead.

Damari Monsanto, playing off the bench, produced six points and three rebounds . He hit two of seven from the 3-point arc. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Smith, a 6-9 forward, finished the half with 10 points and seven rebounds and a steal. Three of his rebounds came off the offensive glass on a night when the Roadrunners needed him.

The absence of the two left UTSA with only two big men, Smith and David Hermes. Tulsa was also playing short-handed without injured forward Isaiah Barnes.

Carrington led the Golden Hurricane in the half, pouring in 17 points on four of four shooting from the three-point line.

UTSA ratcheted up the defense from the start, holding Tulsa to two of 11 shooting and racing to a 17-7 lead in the first 10 minutes. Tai’Reon Joseph hit two shots off the bench to score five points in the burst.

Records

Tulsa 7-9, 1-2
UTSA 6-8, 0-2

Coming up

Wichita State at UTSA, Saturday, 3 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Jan. 14, 7 p.m.

Notable

The Wichita State Shockers have forged a 10-5 record, including a couple of wins against Power 4 teams this season, but they have started the season 0-2 in the American Athletic Conference. The Shockers lost at home Tuesday night, falling to the South Florida Bulls, 91-72. Earlier, Wichita State registered victories against Minnesota of the Big Ten and Kansas State of the Big 12.

Tulsa holds a 8-1 record against UTSA in the all-time series, including 7-0 at home and 1-1 in San Antonio. Last year, the Golden Hurricane hit 16 3-point baskets and beat the Roadrunners 107-78 in Tulsa. That game was played in January, and freshman PJ Haggerty led the Hurricane with 25 points. In the rematch on Feb. 28 at the Convo, UTSA won 89-73 behind Christian Tucker’s 12 points and 14 assists, a conference record.

Haggerty is playing for Memphis this season and Tucker for Cal.

Austin Claunch’s Roadrunners fell to 6-8 on the season and to 0-2 in American Athletic Conference play. UTSA hosts Wichita State on Saturday at 3 p.m. – Photo by Joe Alexander