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Roadrunners beat the Blazers 67-56, improve to 11-2 on the season

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Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins connected on four of five shots from the field in the fourth quarter as the UTSA Roadrunners turned back the UAB Blazers on New Year’s night. An announced crowd of 917 attended at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Just when it seemed that a visiting team might beat the UTSA women in the Convocation Center for the first time this season, Jordyn Jenkins scored nine of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, lifting the Roadrunners to a 67-56 victory over the UAB Blazers Wednesday night.

With the victory, the Roadrunners improved to 11-2, including 5-0 at home and 2-0 in the American Athletic Conference. Their overall record ties the 1985-86 team for the best 13-game start in school history.

Sidney Love. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sidney Love. UTSA women’s basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I thought this was a really good win just from a standpoint of being kind of challenged,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “They took the lead (in the fourth quarter) and sort of tested our maturity. I thought we stepped up to the plate with that.”

Hit with two key losses to the transfer portal in the offseason, the Blazers gave an admirable effort against the AAC’s top-rated team.

On New Year’s night in front of an announced crowd of 917 fans, they rallied from an early 13-point deficit to take the lead, but then they were outplayed late and ultimately fell to 9-5 on the season and to 0-2 in conference.

“I didn’t think this would be an easy game,” Aston said. “I think UAB is really good. They shoot the ball really well. They’re a tough guard, especially since we haven’t played a team like them since we played Stanford.

“We have had three or four games in a row where we haven’t had to guard like we had to guard today. So I was concerned about that. I thought we did a pretty decent job. I thought we adjusted in the fourth quarter to how they were attacking us, which was really in the paint.”

After trailing for most of the game, the Blazers took a couple of one-point leads in the opening minutes of the fourth.

A Molly Moffitt 3-pointer lifted UAB into a 54-53 advantage with 6:40 remaining. From there, the Roadrunners outscored the Blazers 14-2 the rest of the way.

In the final run, Jenkins hit a contested 3-point shot from the wing and added a fast break layup off an alley-oop lob from Nina De Leon Negron. The 6-foot forward, in an athletic maneuver, caught the lob and spun it in off the glass before she hit the floor.

Damara Allen. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Damara Allen scored a season-high 11 points and claimed the team’s ‘Cash In’ golden chain award. -Photo by Joe Alexander

Sidney Love, whose 19 points led the Roadrunners, hit the last bucket of the game for the Roadrunners with 47 seconds left.

All told, the Roadrunners have built quite a bit of momentum moving into the teeth of the conference schedule. They’re No. 51 in the nation and are the highest-rated team in the AAC, according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool, or, the NET. And now they’ve just won their eighth game of the season by double digits.

Individuals

UAB — Center Rayne Tucker, a graduate transfer from Temple, led UAB with 16 points on eight of 11 shooting. Point guard Journey Armstead produced 13 points and four assists. Hitting 9.8 shots from the 3-point line for the season, UAB was limited to three of 12 shooting behind the arc. Maddie Walsh, a perimeter threat who leads the Blazers with 13.2 points, was held to seven.

UTSA – Love led the Roadrunners in scoring for the second time in four games and for the third time this season. She produced 19 points on eight of 19 shooting. Love, a junior from Steele, also had a team-high seven assists and five rebounds. Jenkins had 16 points on seven of 15 shooting. She was three of 10 afield before the fourth period outburst. Allen came off the bench to score 11 points on four of seven.

Records

UAB 9-5, 0-2
UTSA 11-2, 2-0

Coming up

UTSA at Tulsa, Saturday, 2 p.m.

First half

The Roadrunners tightened up their defense at the end of the second quarter, holding the Blazers to one field goal in the final 6:04, to take a 32-25 lead into the dressing room at intermission.

Love and Damara Allen led the Roadrunners offensively with eight points apiece. Allen, a freshman from Aurora, Colo., scored five in the second period. She hit a jumper with 5:16 remaining to spark a 9-4 run to the buzzer.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA women's basketball beat UAB 67-56 in an American Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins was honored before the game for scoring 1,000 points in her career at UTSA. – Photo by Joe Alexander

For the Blazers, freshman guard Journey Armstead and graduate transfer center Rayne Tucker did most of the damage.

Armstead scored 11 in the half, knifing through the defense to hit five of nine shots from the field. Tucker, a transfer from Temple, scored all of her eight points in a 12-3 run to open the second period.

UTSA came out firing to start the game, scoring the first nine points en route to a 15-2 lead. Love capped the streak with a 3-point bucket from the left wing with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter. The shot splashed just as the shot clock was winding down under five seconds.

Notable

With wins on the road at Charlotte and at home against UAB, UTSA improved to 2-0 in conference for the first time since the 2009-10 team won its first three games in the Southland Conference.

The Roadrunners also improved their homecourt winning streak to eight — three at the end of last season and now five more — which is tied for third longest in school history.

UTSA announced a crowd of 917 fans, including “a high percentage” of the people in the seats who were seeing a game in the Convocation Center for the first time, one official said. “I would say thanks for coming,” Aston said. “I hope they liked the product and will come back.

“I think that’s the going theme about women’s basketball, is (that) there’s a whole lot of people out there who have not been to a … game here at UTSA, or in general haven’t been to one.

“I’ve said this a million times. This is the hottest sport out there. Our team is playing well and I think this (is) a really good product. I think anybody who steps into the Convo is going to enjoy watching it.”

Aston said it was great to see most of the seats in both lower sections filled, even without the UTSA students on campus.

“I was really concerned,” she said. “Obviously, football is going on, and it’s New Year’s Day. I was pleased with the crowd (considering) school’s not in session. So those are people in the community that came out to see us today.”

The Blazers started the season 9-3 despite the offseason loss of third-team, all-conference guards Denim Deshields and Mia Moore, who transferred to power conference programs. The Roadrunners, for the most part, have been able to keep their key players over the past few years.

Quotable

Jordyn Jenkins, in her third year on campus, said it’s a great feeling to make so much progress as a team in that time. “We, literally in my first year here were like, ‘If we win 10 games, we’re going to go out and get dinner,” she said. “So now that we’re 11 wins in now, it’s just crazy. And it’s fun. Coach says she’s having fun coaching it. It’s really fun on the court.”

Moment of silence

Before player introductions, at the outset of the holiday evening on the Northwest side of San Antonio, UTSA held a moment of silence for the shocking tragedy in New Orleans that left at least 15 people dead.

The incident, described by authorities as an act of terror, happened at about 3 a.m. Wednesday in the French Quarter as a truck plowed through people celebrating the New Year. The driver was killed after a shootout with police.

The incident forced postponement of the Allstate Sugar Bowl game. Originally scheduled for Wednesday night, the College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame has been rescheduled for Thursday at the Caesars Superdome.

What happened to homecourt advantage in AAC women’s basketball openers?

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners women seemingly have everything going their way right now — a 10-2 record, a win on the road in their American Athletic Conference opener. Also, a home game looms Wednesday night, with a chance to get out of the gates at 2-0 in the AAC race.

With all that being said, if the Roadrunners dig into the details of games played on opening weekend in the conference, they might take note of a curious development. Namely, the lack of any noticeable homecourt advantage anywhere.

Five of six visiting teams in The American came away with road victories on Sunday afternoon. Of course, one of the visiting teams was UTSA, which clobbered the Charlotte 49ers with a 17-3 run in the opening minutes and then went on to claim a 64-50 victory.

Also of note, the UAB Blazers emerged as one of the humbled homecourt losers. The Temple Owls rolled past the Blazers, 97-74, in Birmingham. So, what happens Wednesday when the 9-4 Blazers visit San Antonio and the Convocation Center, where the Roadrunners are 4-0 at home this season?

Will the homecourt matter all that much, on New Year’s night, with students still on holiday break? Or, will the Roadrunners need to plan on generating most of the energy on their own after the 6:30 p.m. tipoff, no matter how many fans are in the stands?

Asked about the results of Sunday’s games on a Monday morning zoom call, UTSA coach Karen Aston said they speak to the depth and the quality of talent in the conference.

“Honestly, I don’t think there’s a bad team (in the AAC),” Aston said. “The parity is across the board. I don’t think it’s necessarily going to matter whether you are at home or on the road.

“You’d like to think it does. You’d like to think your crowds give you some momentum, and you get to sleep in your own bed, and all of that.

“But, from a talent perspective, across the board, I don’t think there’s a lot of difference. You’re going to have to bring it every night.”

Trying to stay on an even keel throughout the season will be important, the coach said, noting, “You know, not getting too high or too low, is the good and the bad of it.”

The Blazers are not the same ball club that won 18 games and reached the first round of the WNIT in 2023-24. Their top two players from last season moved on to power conference programs via the transfer portal, Denim Deshields to Mississippi State and Mia Moore to Clemson.

But they do have a talented squad. Forward Jade Weathersby leads the AAC in rebounding. Guard Maddie Walsh and forward Sarah Bershers rank among the AAC’s top 3-point shooters. Point guard Journey Armstead is third in the conference in assists.

In addition, the Roadrunners only had one day to practice for a team that runs a different offense than what they faced Sunday in Charlotte against the 49ers. The Blazers like to shoot from deep, hitting an average of 9.8 from behind the arc.

“They hunt 3-point shots every trip down the floor,” Aston said. “They’re hunting paint touches and threes, which is considerably different than the style that Charlotte played, so we have to switch gears pretty quickly.”

Sunday’s results

South Florida wins at Rice, 74-64
North Texas wins at Wichita State, 62-56
Tulane wins at FAU, 91-71
UTSA wins at Charlotte, 64-50
Temple wins at UAB, 97-74
Tulsa wins at home, beating East Carolina, 93-84

Wednesday’s games

Rice at Tulane, 2 p.m.
East Carolina at Temple, 3 p.m.
Wichita State at Memphis, 3 p.m.
Tulsa at North Texas, 4 p.m.
Charlotte at South Florida, 6 p.m.
UAB at UTSA, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners are looking for their first 2-0 start in league play since the 2009-10 team won its first three in the Southland Conference. UTSA has won its first four games at home this season and seven in a row overall dating back to last season.

The Roadrunners have the second-best record in school history after 12 games. In 1985-86, the sixth year of the program, they started 11-1 before losing their next two. They finished the season 18-9.

UTSA leads the conference in both scoring defense (54.8) and field goal percentage allowed (36.0). Over the team’s last five games, the Roadrunners have been particularly stingy, holding opponents to an average of 52.6 points on 31.5 percent from the field.

FAU wins 12-5 as UTSA’s season ends at the American Baseball Championship

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The FAU Owls entered Wednesday’s elimination game at the American Baseball Championship without much fanfare.

After all, they lost 16 of 22 games at the end of the regular season and then got hammered 14-2 Tuesday night against the Tulane Green Wave in the opener of the double-elimination tournament.

Faced with the task of bouncing back against the second-seeded UTSA Roadrunners, few gave the Owls much of a chance. FAU players had other ideas.

The tournament’s No. 6 Owls exploded for 18 hits en route to an easy 12-5 victory to end UTSA’s season.

“I’m very proud of the guys,” FAU coach John McCormack said on a zoom call from the tournament site in Clearwater, Fla. “You have your back against the wall against a really good team. They finished second in the league.”

McCormack credited pitcher Trey Beard, a freshman, for showing composure after UTSA took an early 3-1 lead.

“After the third,” McCormack said, “Trey settled down and gave the offense a chance to get moving. We put up that six spot. Took a little pressure off us, and we were able to score some more.

“Good day,” the 16th-year FAU head coach added. “I was happy with the guys. Very proud of ’em.”

For UTSA, it was a tough day. Perhaps the toughest of the season. They took the field without injured Mason Lytle, the Newcomer of the Year in the AAC and the team’s leading hitter. Lytle played in a 9-5, 12-inning loss to Charlotte Tuesday night but couldn’t go against FAU because of a hamstring injury.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark, whose season ended with a 32-24 record, wasn’t making any excuses.

“We didn’t play very well,” he said. “Yeah, it’s disappointing. (Those are) my thoughts. Florida Atlantic deserved to win. We played better most of the season. It’s a disappointing end. But I’m proud of the team. We had a good year, and I’m going to miss these seniors.”

One day, Hallmark might look back on his fifth year at UTSA with a different perspective. It could be that the Roadrunners overachieved during a 17-10 run through conference, during which it beat East Carolina in a weekend series in San Antonio.

But after making a run for the AAC’s regular-season title though the last weekend and then losing twice in two days at the tournament, he admitted that “it’s a little sour” to leave Florida this way.

“I guess losing is less sour than not playing very well,” he said. “That’s the part that’s sour. But I love these kids. I’m going to miss ’em. Guys like (pitchers) Daniel Garza and Uli Quiroga. Gosh dang it, I wish I had ’em back.”

Paced by Christian Adams, who went 4 for 4 at the plate, the Owls proved to be unstoppable on offense.

Spencer Rich also had three hits, and Brando Leroux, John Schoeder and Jake Millan notched two apiece. Leroux hit a home run, and he joined Rich, Adams and Schroeder with two RBI apiece.

For UTSA, Caleb Hill homered and drove in two runs to highlight a 2 for 5 performance. Hill finished the tournament with five hits.

On the pitching side, Quiroga (8-2) took the loss. He worked the first three innings and yielded six runs, five of them earned, on eight hits.

Records

FAU 27-28
UTSA 32-24

Notable

UTSA reliever Conor Myles was ejected in the eighth inning after he hit FAU batter Christian Adams with a pitch.

Myles threw three pitches, including one that sailed high and behind Adams and all the way to the screen in front of the grandstand. A pitch followed that was high and inside, and then another one that hit Adams in the low back.

Asked about the pitch that hit Adams and the ensuing ejection of Myles, FAU coach John McCormack downplayed it.

“He’s coming in, in a tough situation, and I don’t know how much time he had to warm up,” McCormack said. “A ball got away from him. It happens. I didn’t think anything of it.”

The sequence of events in the eighth followed a seventh-inning incident involving Adams, a base runner, and UTSA second baseman Diego Diaz.

Adams led off with a single. FAU’s Jake Millan followed by hitting a ball into left field. As Adams ran, he approached second base and ran into Diaz, who had his back to the base runner.

The force of the collision resulted in both players falling to the ground. The infield umpire called Diaz for obstruction, McCormack said later.

McCormack said Adams intended to attempt a first-to-third base advance following the hit. He said Adams was looking at the ball in the outfield “and they just collided. I didn’t see it until they were both on the ground (and) then the umpire ruled obstruction, and Christian was able to go to third.

“I didn’t see it,” the coach added. “Looks like it was just a collision, and those things happen.”

With Diaz shaken up on the play, UTSA took him out of the game momentarily to have him checked out by the trainer. He returned during the same inning and played the rest of the game.

Asked about what happened in the incident involving Myles, Hallmark said he didn’t know. Added Hallmark, “He hit him. Probably going fastball in and just missed (on location) a little bit.”

Hallmark said he didn’t see the collision involving Adams and Diaz in the seventh.

“I was looking at the ball and the relay (throw), and when I looked back, Diego was on the ground.,” the UTSA coach said. “Obviously I put two and two together that the kid ran him over. But I was watching the play in the outfield, to see if we picked it up clean and made an accurate throw to the first guy.”

Hallmark said Diaz wanted to stay in the game. But it was determined that he should come out to be examined further by a trainer. “The trainer told me he thought he was fine,” Hallmark said. “So he and I chatted and he seemed totally fine.”

Diaz, a freshman from Pharr and Sharyland High School, finished the game with two hits and a run scored, and he was also charged with two errors.

Early game

Parker Smith pitched into the seventh inning, and Jack Riedel hit two opposite-field home runs as the Rice Owls beat UAB, 9-0, eliminating the Blazers.

With the win, the eighth-seeded Owls bounced back from a tournament-opening 12-4 loss to the East Carolina Pirates. They’ll play again on Friday against either the Wichita State Shockers or the top-seeded Pirates.

Smith gave up six hits in 6 and 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking two.

Records

UAB 26-29
Rice 23-35

Coming up

On Thursday afternoon, in the winners’ bracket, the Shockers and the Pirates will play the first game, followed by the Charlotte 49ers and the Tulane Green Wave.

AAC baseball: Surging East Carolina takes a half-game lead on UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The East Carolina Pirates swept a doubleheader on Saturday and moved into a half-game lead in the American Athletic Conference baseball race over the UTSA Roadrunners.

The ninth-ranked Pirates won 11-7 and 11-4 on their home field to sweep a three-game series from the Wichita State Shockers.

With UTSA preparing to host the UAB Blazers in a series finale in San Antonio on Sunday, here are the updated AAC standings:

American Athletic Conference
Baseball standings

East Carolina 11-4, 31-8
UTSA 10-4, 23-16
Charlotte 8-7, 19-21
Florida Atlantic 7-7, 20-16
South Florida 7-7, 21-18
Wichita State 7-8, 21-20
Tulane 6-8, 21-18
Memphis 6-9, 18-22
UAB 5-9, 17-20
Rice 5-9, 14-25

UTSA downs UAB, 7-5, with series finale set for Sunday

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA on Saturday bounced back from a loss in the series opener and downed the UAB Blazers 7-5 at Roadrunner Field. With the series knotted at one win apiece, UTSA and UAB will play the finale of the three-game set on Sunday at noon.

Caleb Hill, Alex Olivo and Mark Henning each had two hits apiece for the Roadrunners. Hill and Olivo scored twice and Henning had two RBI. Reliever Daniel Garza (3-1) pitched five innings to earn the victory.

With the win, the Roadrunners kept pace with the East Carolina Pirates in the chase for first place in the American Athletic Conference. Later in the day, the Pirates rallied from a seven-run deficit to beat the Wichita State Shockers, 11-7.

UTSA and East Carolina are tied for first place at 10-4.

Records

UAB 17-20, 5-9
UTSA 23-16, 10-4

Series at a glance

Game 1: UAB 7, UTSA 3
Game 2: UTSA 7, UAB 5

Coming up

UAB at UTSA, Sunday, noon.

Notable

UTSA’s Mason Lytle was hit on his batting helmet by a pitch in the bottom of the second inning and had to come out of the game briefly. After he was checked out by a trainer, he took the field in the top of the third and played the rest of the game. Lytle leads the Roadrunners with a .388 average.

Roadrunners utility man Isaiah Walker played in a game for the first time since April 5. Sidelined with injuries for much of the season, he came off the bench to pinch hit in the bottom of the third and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. In the top of the fourth, he entered the defensive alignment at third base. He finished one for two on the day.

The Roadrunners have won all four of their weekend series in the American, and now they’ll try to make it five for five with a victory on Sunday. UTSA has claimed series victories over East Carolina (2-1), Tulane (3-0), Charlotte (2-1) and Memphis (2-1).

Blazers down UTSA, 7-3, to hand Riojas his first loss

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UAB's David Harris scores in the fifth inning to tie the game 3-3. UAB beat UTSA 7-3 in American Athletic Conference baseball on Friday, April 19, 2024, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UAB’s David Harris slides in home, scoring from second base in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Nick Hollifield. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Logan Braunschweig and the UAB Blazers beat the hottest pitcher in the American Athletic Conference on Friday night at UTSA. Braunschweig’s two-run double highlighted a three-run ninth inning as the Blazers downed the Roadrunners, 7-3, handing UTSA star Ruger Riojas the first loss of his career.

Riojas (7-1) entered the game undefeated in a season and a half for the Roadrunners. After going 5-0 last year as a freshman, the sophomore righthander from Wimberley is now 12-1. He made his 37th appearance as a collegian in relief in the fifth inning and pitched into the ninth.

Ruger Riojas. UAB beat UTSA 7-3 in American Athletic Conference baseball on Friday, April 19, 2024, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Ruger Riojas took the first loss of his UTSA career after yielding four runs on seven hits in 3 and 2/3 innings. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Blazers touched him for four runs on seven hits in 3 and 2/3 innings to win their third straight game, including wins at Rice last Sunday, at 18th-ranked Alabama on Tuesday and now against the team that had been leading the AAC standings.

“The biggest thing for us is, it’s three straight good games we’ve played,” UAB coach Casey Dunn said. “We had a good win last week on Sunday and we carried that over to a good win on Tuesday night against Alabama.

“We came out here and played … error-free baseball, with the exception of the mis-read in the outfield when they were able to score from first on the single. You take that play out of the equation and I thought we played really clean.”

UTSA appeared to have the upper hand after scoring three runs in the fourth inning for a 3-1 lead. With runners at first and third, Hector Rodriguez looped a single into center field. Freshman Diego Diaz, one of the fastest players on the Roadrunners, motored all the way from first and slid in safely.

Alex Olivo followed with an RBI single, but the Roadrunners tried to score a second run on the play but were thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

After the game, Dunn acknowledged that it was significant that they were able to beat Riojas, who entered the game with a 1.91 earned run average, good for third in the conference and 15th in the nation. His seven wins were tied for first with East Carolina star Trey Yesavage.

Robert Orloski. UAB beat UTSA 7-3 in American Athletic Conference baseball on Friday, April 19, 2024, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman Robert Orloski gave up three runs, two of them earned, on three hits in 4 and 2/3 innings. He struck out four. – Photo by Joe Aleander

“He’s the guy we talked about,” Dunn said. “I’ve played against (coach) Pat (Hallmark) and his guys for a few years now, and he seems to like his best guys in the bullpen and try to get to ’em in later in games. We talked a lot about it, that if we were going to win, we were going to have to beat that guy, and I thought our guys had a good approach.”

The Blazers already scored once in the fifth inning against UTSA starter Rob Orloski when Riojas entered the game. Trying to protect a 3-2 lead, Riojas threw a fast ball that Nick Hollifield whacked into right field for an RBI single. The game was tied.

In the sixth, Mayes White slapped an RBI single to put UAB on top, 4-3. Riojas settled down and blanked the Blazers in the seventh and eighth innings. But he couldn’t get through the ninth unscathed. With one out and runners at first and second, Braunschweig, a left-side hitter, laced a double down the left field line that scored two runs.

Hollifield followed with an RBI single up the middle for the last run of the game.

Records

UAB 17-19, 5-8
UTSA 22-16, 9-4

Coming up

Saturday: UAB at UTSA, 11 a.m.
Sunday: UAB at UTSA, noon

Hector Rodriguez loops a single into center field in the bottom of the fourth, driving in two runs. Freshman speedster Diego Diaz scores all the way from first base on the play. – Video by Jerry Briggs

Alex Olivo drives in a run with a single through the right side in the bottom of the fourth, but the Roadrunners try to score again on the play and get thrown out at the plate. Rightfielder Tyler Waugh made the throw to catcher Nick Hollifield, who applied the tag on a sliding Mason Lytle. – Video by Jerry Briggs

Ruger Riojas. UAB beat UTSA 7-3 in American Athletic Conference baseball on Friday, April 19, 2024, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander Ruger Riojas went undefeated in his first 36 appearances as a pitcher for the UTSA Roadrunners. After finally taking a loss against the UAB Blazers Friday night, Riojas fell to 7-1 on the season and to 12-1 in his career. – Photo by Joe Alexander

AAC-leading Roadrunners host UAB Blazers in three-game series

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The first-place UTSA Roadrunners will host the UAB Blazers this weekend in American Athletic Conference baseball. A three-game series will commence with the opener set for Friday at 6 p.m. First pitch for Game 2 has been moved up to 11 a.m. Saturday to avoid incoming inclement weather. The finale is set for noon on Sunday.

UTSA opened the week on Tuesday with a 4-2 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In a development that could prove helpful this weekend, pitchers Ryan Ward and Ryan Beaird worked three scoreless innings apiece. Braylon Owens and Ruger Riojas split the last three innings, with Riojas pitching shutout ball for the final 1 and 2/3 innings.

Riojas is 7-0 with six saves. He’s fashioned a 1.91 ERA to go along with an 0.98 WHIP. UTSA’s pitching staff was highly efficient against the Islanders, striking out 12 and walking none.

Mason Lytle and Caleb Hill are leading the UTSA offense. Lytle is among the AAC’s batting average leaders at .398. In addition, he has hit eight home runs and 33 RBI. Hill, meanwhile, is hitting .347 with a team-leading nine homers and 32 RBI.

UAB has had an up-and-down season. But the Blazers enjoyed a big day on Tuesday with a road victory against 18th-ranked Alabama. Blayze Berry, tonight’s projected starter, is 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA.

Records

UAB 16-19, 4-8
UTSA 22-15, 9-3

Coming up

Friday: UAB at UTSA, 6 p.m.
Saturday: UAB at UTSA, 11 a.m.
Sunday: UAB at UTSA, noon

AAC standings

UTSA 9-3, 22-15
East Carolina 8-4, 28-8
South Florida 7-5, 21-16
Wichita State 7-5, 21-17
Florida Atlantic 6-6, 19-15
Memphis 6-6, 18-19
Tulane 5-7, 20-17
Charlotte 5-7, 16-21
UAB 4-8, 16-19
Rice 3-9, 12-25

UTSA women sizzle in blowout victory over first-place UAB

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Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat UAB 76-58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins (top) is hoisted in the air by freshman Idara Udo (at right) after UTSA defeated the UAB Blazers Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center. Teammate Hailey Atwood is in the foreground. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Forward Jordyn Jenkins played as hard as she could for as long as she could, and her return to basketball on Sunday afternoon following 10 months of knee rehabilitation seemed to inspire the UTSA Roadrunners to a 76-58 victory over the first-place UAB Blazers.

With the victory, UTSA improved to 3-0 at home this season against teams coming into the Convocation Center in first place in the American Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners have beaten the Charlotte 49ers, the North Texas Mean Green and now the Blazers at home in AAC play.

Jenkins, the 2022-23 Conference USA Player of the Year, scored 11 points in 12 minutes off the bench.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat UAB 76-58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordan Jenkins scored 11 points in 12 minutes Sunday in her return to basketball 10 months after she suffered an offseason knee injury. – Photo by Joe Alexander

More than just the raw statistics, it was a joyful afternoon for Jenkins, who could be seen smiling and laughing even during pre-game stretching. On her first shot attempt, she swished a three. After the victory was complete, the native of Kent, Wash., was bear-hugged and hoisted off the floor by freshman Idara Udo.

During the second quarter, Coach Karen Aston utilized Jenkins creatively, at intervals, using her on set offensive possessions and then bringing her back to the bench on defense. The coach managed the situation deftly, as the Roadrunners started to take control of the game with a second-quarter outburst.

UTSA played the game without rebounding and shot blocking leader Elyssa Coleman. Asked about Coleman’s status for a scheduled Wednesday night road contest at Tulsa, Aston said, “I think she’ll be fine. We were making sure that we’ve got her down the stretch (of the season). It really was precautionary today. I wasn’t happy about it, but it’s what’s best for our team.”

For the Roadrunners, the last three games seem to have underscored the up-and-down nature of their season.

First, they defeated the Mean Green at home by eight points in overtime on Jan. 31. Four days later, the Tulane Green Wave came into San Antonio winless in AAC road games and walloped the Roadrunners, leading by more than 20 in the second half and eventually winning by 11. Now, UTSA is riding high again after demolishing the Blazers.

Kyra White. UTSA beat UAB 76-58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA senior Kyra White looks to attack the basket against the UAB Blazers. White produced 12 points and five rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I hope that we understand that every game is a big game,” Aston said. “I think that the league really has a lot of parity. I said this last week. You see a team (that is) second or third in the league, getting beat by somebody that’s in the bottom half … I just think that there’s a lot of parity. If you don’t play the way we did today, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.”

With Aysia Proctor, Jenkins, Kyra White and Sidney Love all scoring in double figures, the Roadrunners also did a number on the Blazers defensively, holding them down to 37 percent shooting. From three-point range, UAB started off well but finished eight of 26 from behind the arc for 31 percent.

UTSA also dominated the boards, as usual, winning the battle 46-33, including 18-9 on the offensive end.

In the AAC, with so many teams roughly equal in talent, Aston said it’s all a matter of playing with urgency. The Roadrunners definitely had it going against the Blazers as they kept pounding the glass and building the lead to as many as 24 points with three minutes left. Clearly, the effort was the difference.

“I’m not saying that’s easy,” Aston said. “I think it’s easier said than done to bring the type of energy and attention to detail that we did. But when we do that, I really think we can compete with anybody.”

It was a big moment for the team when Jenkins checked into the game with 5:35 remaining in the first quarter. After a few possessions, she made her presence known, swishing a three-point shot from the left wing. Her teammates stood and cheered the moment, as the fans joined in.

“I’m just excited,” said Jenkins, a USC transfer who averaged 20.6 points at UTSA last year. “It’s been a really long time since I’ve been on the court, you know … I don’t know, it was just exciting. I worked out earlier today and was getting a whole bunch of shots up on that play specifically. As soon as coach ran that play, I kind of already had it set … I said, OK, let me come off this (screen) hard and make the shot.”

Records

UAB 17-7, 8-4
UTSA 12-10, 6-5

Coming up

UTSA at Tulsa, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at North Texas, Feb. 18, 2 p.m.

Individuals

UAB coach Randy Norton. UTSA beat UAB 76-58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UAB coach Coach Randy Norton’s UAB Blazers came out with energy early but couldn’t sustain it, becoming the third first-place team in the American Athletic Conference to lose this season at the UTSA Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UAB – Kylee Schneringer scored 12 points to lead the Blazers. Guard Mia Moore had 11 points and six rebounds. Also, guard Denim DeShields, the team’s offensive catalyst, produced seven points and three assists. Together Moore and DeShields shot a combined 6 for 21 from the field. Moore left the game in the second half with a lower leg injury. Ashton Elley came off the bench to score nine points. She hit three from three-point range.

UTSA – Aysia Proctor scored a team-high 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Kyra White had 12 points and five boards. Jenkins and Sidney Love both scored 11 points apiece. Jenkins hit three of 12 shots from the field and one of three from long distance. She added four-for-four at the free-throw line. Idara Udo scored nine points and tied Proctor for the team-high with seven boards.

After three quarters

Playing for the first time this season with Jenkins on the floor, the Roadrunners recovered from a shaky start to build a 51-38 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners ran an effective offense and outscored the Blazers 38-20 in the middle two periods.

By the end of the third, Proctor had 12 points, Jenkins had nine and Udo and Love six apiece.

In the second quarter, UTSA blew out UAB by a 19-6 count to take an eight-point lead at intermission. After intermission, the Roadrunners took control of the game. They outscored the first-place team in the AAC 19-14 in the third period.

Notable

UTSA promoted the game for cancer awareness. “I think it’s a reminder to all of us that there is a bigger battle going on for a lot of people across the world,” Aston said.

As she was leaving the interview room, UTSA’s Jordyn Jenkins announced her favorite in the Super Bowl. “Go Usher,” she said, referring to the singer/entertainer extraordinaire who was scheduled to serve as the halftime entertainment at the NFL championship game in Las Vegas.

Aysia Proctor. UTSA beat UAB 76-58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Aysia Proctor from San Antonio-area Clemens High School led the Roadrunners with 14 points. She hit six of nine from the field and two of four from three-point distance. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat UAB 76-58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins made her UTSA season debut on a minutes restriction Sunday, totaling 12 minutes for the game. Regardless, she made a significant impact on the game, coming off the bench for 11 points and six rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Breaking: Jordyn Jenkins is on the floor, warming up for UTSA

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Editor’s note: It appears that UTSA forward and 2022-23 Conference USA Player of the Year Jordyn Jenkins will make her season debut on Sunday against the UAB Blazers. Jenkins, who averaged 20.6 points a year ago, is on the floor warming up for the Roadrunners. She hasn’t played yet this year after suffering a knee injury last April. It also appears that UTSA center Elyssa Coleman will not play. Coleman didn’t practice on Saturday and isn’t in uniform.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA women’s basketball coach Karen Aston says she will have a conversation from time to time with forward Jordyn Jenkins.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA women's basketball lost to UTEP 74-67 in Conference USA on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins is expected to make her season debut for the UTSA women’s basketball team today. – File photo by Joe Alexander

The two will talk about the player’s pre-game routine.

“I’ve told her, ‘Don’t put your uniform on unless you’re ready to play, because I might put you in,’ ” Aston said.

The coach said the two discuss this topic “every day before warmups.”

Presumably, that conversation will take place again Sunday before the Roadrunners hit the floor a 1 p.m. game at the Convocation Center against the UAB Blazers.

On Saturday, it became apparent that a decision is looming on whether Jenkins will try to play in the last few weeks of the season, or whether she will continue her workouts with an eye on not playing, which would allow her to maintain two full seasons of eligibility.

For background, the 2022-23 Conference USA Player of the Year injured a knee last April. The mishap occurred in the weeks after the Roadrunners were eliminated in the semifinals from the C-USA tournament. It was evident then that her recovery would take time, and indeed it has.

A 20-points per game scorer last season, she hasn’t played yet through 21 games. At the same time, she has made steady progress and has stayed steady with her rehabilitation and her commitment to the program. Jenkins has attended every practice that I’ve seen all season. Every game, too.

Lately, her workouts have been encouraging. For the past two weeks, she seems to do a little more each time out. On Saturday, she was banging against male practice players in the post.

Afterward, I asked the coach, “Is No. 32 getting ready to play?

“Um, she looks better,” Aston said. “She’s definitely coming along.”

At that, I followed up with a question on whether the two have talked about the implications of playing the last few weeks of the season and having it count toward a year of her eligibility.

“We talk about it, for sure,” Aston said. “So, we’ll see. I mean, (the season) is winding down.”

Do you think she might play (against UAB), I asked.

“Day to day,” the coach replied.

At that, I glanced at the coach and smiled. The coach, who has a world-class poker face, smiled back — slightly.

“I don’t know,” she said.

With seven games remaining in the regular season remaining, it’s logical that today could be the day, considering the Roadrunners might need her scoring to avoid dropping their second home game in a row.

So, as the coach is fond of saying, “We’ll see.”

Records

UAB 17-6, 8-3
UTSA 11-10, 5-5

Coming up

UTSA at Tulsa, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

UAB edges UTSA, 54-53, in AAC women’s basketball

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Guard Denim DeShields scored 19 of her 22 points in the second half Saturday as the UAB Blazers rallied for a 54-53 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners in the American Athletic Conference.

In the game played at Birmingham, UTSA led most of the way but fell behind in the closing minutes. In the last 25 seconds, the Roadrunners trailed by three points and gained possession on a turnover by the Blazers.

With the ball, UTSA put it in Kyra White’s hands. She had it at the three-point line and missed a triple.

UTSA freshman Idara Udo rebounded and sank a short put-back at the buzzer, leaving the Roadrunners with the final one-point deficit.

White led the Roadrunners with 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Udo and Sidney Love also scored 11.

For the most part, UTSA controlled the pace and the action. UTSA led 18-10 after the first quarter and 31-21 at the half.

The Roadrunners continued to play well after intermission, with Elyssa Coleman scoring to give them a 43-32 lead with 2:38 remaining in the third period.

Records

UTSA 10-8, 4-3
UAB 14-4, 5-1

Coming up

UTSA at SMU, Saturday, 2 p.m.