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UTSA baseball shrugs off Orloski’s injury and wins season opener in a rout

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Josh Arquette hit UTSA's first home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Newcomer Josh Arquette hit UTSA’s first home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning to ignite an eight-hit, seven-run rally. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Update: UTSA right-handed pitcher Robert Orloski exited Friday’s season-opening game against South Dakota State after experiencing an injury to his throwing shoulder in the first inning, according to an athletics department news release.

“Following an initial evaluation by the UTSA Athletics medical staff on Friday, Orloski will undergo further imaging and evaluation to determine the full nature of the injury,” according to the release issued to the media Saturday. “This process will be ongoing and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Twenty-three pitches into UTSA’s new baseball season, the crowd at Roadrunner Field fell silent.

Robert Orloski, the team’s ace pitcher, clutched at his upper right arm and grimaced in pain after delivering a fastball that sailed high and out of the strike zone.

Once the training staff ran out to check on him, it didn’t take long before he walked off the field to cheers of support from an anxious fan base.

Mike DeBattista. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Mike DeBattista relieved injured Rob Orloski 23 pitches into the first inning and pitched three innings scoreless to earn the victory. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Trailing by one run at the time, the Roadrunners steadied themselves. Mike DeBattista retired Travis Finney to retire the side.

After that, the UTSA offense took over in a big way, pounding four home runs among 19 hits in a 17-4 victory over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

An announced crowd of 953 turned out to celebrate the Roadrunners’ historic run to the NCAA Super Regionals last year, but the injury to Orloski likely lingered in the back of everyone’s mind as they left the ball park.

Sort of a bittersweet feeling, for sure.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said he didn’t know too much about the injury. “I kind of know what ya’ll know, I guess,” he said. “They’re checking him out. We’ll see where we go from here.”

Roadrunners third baseman Josh Arquette, who hit a solo home run to ignite a seven-run second inning, acknowledged that he’s worried about the team’s opening-day starter and one-time draft pick of the Boston Red Sox.

“We’ll be praying for him,” Arquette said. “I hope everyone else prays for him and hopefully it’s all well and it’s nothing too serious, and he’s able to get back and get back to competing for us.”

Andrew Stucky had one of UTSA's four home runs on Friday. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Andrew Stucky hammered a 390-foot plus, three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning to make it 12-1. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Game 2 of the three-game series is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday. The finale is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The Roadrunners put two runs on the board in the bottom of the first to take the lead and then broke it open in the second.

Doing damage against Jackrabbits starter Ty Madison and Trey Husar, UTSA punched out eight hits to score seven times in the frame.

Arquette, a sophomore transfer from Panola Junior College, hammered a leadoff homer and added another RBI on a sacrifice fly at the end of the inning.

Describing his mindset going into his first at bat in NCAA Division I, Arquette said he was “just feeling good up there, confident with all the work we’ve put in.

“You know, just trying to have fun with the boys and enjoying the first game, the first time out here, couldn’t be any more exciting.”

Other highlights in the inning included Drew Detlefsen’s two-run double, RBI singles by Wichita State transfer Lane Haworth and freshman Nathan Johnson and an RBI bunt single by the coach’s son, Christian Hallmark.

UTSA had three more homers, including a 390-foot, three-run shot by Andrew Stucky, a two-run blast by Diego Diaz and a 404-foot solo shot to center by Broc Parmer.

Diego Diaz (5) hit a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Diego Diaz (5) jumps into a gathering of teammates who celebrated his two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Parmer’s homer was a thing of beauty, if you were a fan of the Roadrunners. It sailed high and kept going, cutting through wind to the right of the batter’s eye and to the left of a pole adorned with the U.S. flag.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of that (power),” Arquette said. “I think our team has a lot of it. As long as we just stay within ourselves and trust in ourselves and our coaches, we’ll keep hitting it. We’ll keep doing our thing.”

In the UTSA pitching department, all was not gloomy. DeBattista, who had only spot duty last season, pitched three scoreless innings. He yielded three hits, struck out two and made one nice defensive play.

With two out and runners at second and third in the top of the second, South Dakota State slugger Luke Luskey bounced a high-hop single to first base.

Caden Miller fielded it and flipped at the bag to DeBattista, who immediately wheeled and fired home to catcher Andrew Stucky, who put a swipe tag on a head-first sliding Owen Siegert, who was out trying to score from second.

It was the first of two gold-star defensive plays by UTSA pitching. In the eighth inning, reliever Christian Okerholm dove to the third-base side of the mound and snared a hard-hit ground ball, popped up and threw to first for the third out.

Fans rose up from their seats and cheered Okerholm as he walked back to the UTSA dugout.

“A good play,” Pat Hallmark said. “(Hall of Fame pitcher) Greg Maddux used to make a bunch of good plays like that. So, yeah, a good play. We have what we call PFP. You know, pitcher fielding practice.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark’s offense erupted for four home runs among 19 hits in a 17-4 victory over South Dakota State. .- Photo by Joe Alexander

“We do it all the time, and those guys give each other a hard time on who the best athlete is. So, Okerholm probably has bragging rights now.”

Hallmark also said DeBattista was great in shutting down the Jackrabbits back in the first inning.

“I was a little worried right when he came in,” the coach said. “We needed the breaking ball, and he missed with a couple of them. But then he settled in and found everything. Threw some good changeups to left-handed hitters. Found his breaking ball.

“Once he got his feet on the ground a little bit, he was fine. Happy for him. Last year, Mike wanted to pitch, and there just wasn’t a spot for him. Again, it’s early. Not ready to say anyone’s got anything locked up. But, Mike is hungry, and we like hungry people.”

Records

South Dakota State 0-1
UTSA 1-0

Coming up

South Dakota State at UTSA, Saturday, at 6 p.m.
South Dakota State at UTSA, Sunday, at 1 p.m.

Notable

One of the questions looming ahead of the season opener revolved around who would step into the center field spot played so adroitly over the last two years by Mason Lytle.

Robert Orloski. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA starter Robert Orloski suffered an unspecified injury to his throwing arm and failed to make it out of the first inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

As it turned out, the name was familiar. It was a kid named Hallmark. It was junior college transfer Christian Hallmark, the son of the head coach.

The coach’s son produced two hits and three RBIs in his first game with the Roadrunners, which was also his first in Division I.

One of the hits was an RBI bunt single that kept alive the Roadrunners’ big rally in the second inning.

“He had a good game,” Pat Hallmark said. “The bunt was big. Little stuff like that goes a long way.”

Against a left-handed pitcher, Christian Hallmark, who bats lefty, put his bat on the ball and nudged it right where it needed to go.

“I was happy to see him do that,” the coach said.

The 953 attendance count was a UTSA record for a home opener.

Rob Orloski, an Idaho native who was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox, recorded an 8-0 record last year with nine saves and posted a 3.36 earned run average.

As a freshman in 2024, he struggled at times as a starter but did have his moments, beating East Carolina’s Trey Yesavage in one memorable performance at Roadrunner Field.

Yesavage reached the major leagues last year with the Toronto Blue Jays and pitched in the World Series.

Broc Parmer hit a home run in the bottom of the seven inning. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Broc Parmer’s solo homer in the seventh inning traveled 404 feet and landed beyond the wall in center field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Opening-day scoreboard

Texas 12, UC Davis 2, 7 innings, at Austin
Texas A&M 15, Tennessee Tech 6, at College Station
TCU 5, Vanderbilt 4, at Arlington
Dallas Baptist 13, Binghamton 2, at Dallas
Dallas Baptist 14, Binghamton 1, at Dallas
Baylor 15, New Mexico State 2, 7 innings, at Waco
(Baylor’s Tyce Armstrong hits three grand slams)
Xavier 4, East Carolina 3, at Greenville, N.C.

Double dip: UTSA men to host North Texas, while the women will challenge Tulsa on the road

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners men’s and women’s basketball teams will try to snap out of their respective slumps today. Here are the details on a pair of games in the American Conference, with the men hosting the North Texas Mean Green and the women paying a visit to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Men’s game

North Texas (12-11, 3-7)
at
UTSA (4-18, 0-10)

When: Today at 1 p.m.
Where: The UTSA Convocation Center

North Texas

Coach: Daniyal Robinson, in his first season with the Mean Green.
Top players: Guard Je’Shawn Stevenson, forward Dylan Arnett, guard David Terrell Jr.
Recently: Lost four straight and six of the last eight.
Notable: North Texas defeated UTSA 81-62 on Jan. 21 in Denton. Stevenson knocked down seven 3-pointers. The Mean Green’s best win was a 72-67 decision at home over Tulsa in the second game of conference play.

UTSA

Coach: Austin Claunch, in his second season with the Roadrunners.
Top players: Guards Jamir Simpson, Austin Nunez and Brent Moss.
Recently: Lost 15 straight and 16 of the last 17.
Notable: Moss scored a career-high 32 points Wednesday in UTSA’s last outing, a 109-88 setback at South Florida. UTSA’s losing streak is a school record and is tied for second with Air Force for the longest active skid in NCAA Division I.

Women’s game

UTSA (10-11, 5-5)
at
Tulsa (16-6, 8-2)

When: Today at 2 p.m.
Where: The Reynolds Center in Tulsa.

UTSA

Coach: Karen Aston, in her fifth season with the Roadrunners.
Top players: Forward Cheyenne Rowe, guard Ereauna Hardaway, forward Idara Udo.
Recently: Lost two straight and five of the last seven.
Notable: UTSA’s recent slide comes after the defending conference champions started conference play at 3-0. The Roadrunners beat the North Texas Mean Green 66-64 at home on Jan. 28 but have since dropped games to the conference-leading Rice Owls 65-55 (at home) and to the last place UAB Blazers 81-69 (on the road).

Tulsa

Coach: Angie Nelp, in her fifth season with the Golden Hurricane.
Top players: Guard Mady Cartwright, forward Hannah Riddick, guard Jade Clack.
Recently: Won four straight and five of the last six.
Notable: Coach Angie Nelp is working on her fifth straight winning season with the Golden Hurricane. Two years ago, Tulsa tied with North Texas and Temple for the American’s regular-season title. This season, the Golden Hurricane notched a power conference victory over the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

UTSA women set to tip off against FAU in Boca Raton

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Update: UTSA will apparently have 10 players available for the FAU game. Among six inactive players is junior Idara Udo, an all-conference performer who will sit out her sixth straight game, according to the player availability report. Sophomore Emilia Dannebauer likely will start in her place. For FAU, redshirt junior guard Haley Walker, the team’s leading rebounder, is listed as questionable. She has sat out the Owls’ last two games.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coming off a double-digit loss at South Florida, the defending American Conference champion UTSA women hope to rebound Friday night in Boca Raton against the upstart Florida Atlantic University Owls.

The Roadrunners (8-7, 3-1) had a three-game winning streak snapped in Tampa on Tuesday night, giving up 49 points in the first half en route to a 70-53 loss to the Bulls.

Damara Allen produced a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore from Aurora, Colo., also had three steals. Another sophomore, center Emilia Dannebauer, scored 13 on five of six shooting.

The Owls (8-9, 2-3) were picked to finish last in the American’s preseason poll, but they have been surprising in their resilience under first-year coach LeAnn Freeland, winning two straight after an 0-3 start in conference.

First, they traveled and defeated the UAB Blazers 70-63 last Saturday, and then they returned home and turned it on offensively Tuesday night in an 88-64 victory over the Wichita State Shockers.

Against the Shockers, the Owls hit eight of their 11 three-point baskets in the first half and shot 51 percent from the field overall.

South Alabama transfer Michiyah Simmons led FAU in scoring with a season-high 17 points off the bench.

The Owls reached the NCAA tournament in 2005-06 but have struggled since, with only two winning seasons and one at .500 since then. They have suffered four straight losing seasons since they finished .500 in 2020-21.

The Roadrunners are 10-8 and have won four straight in the all-time series against the Owls. FAU’s last win came in January of 2023 in Boca Raton.

Records

Florida Atlantic 8-9, 2-3
UTSA 8-7, 3-1

Coming up

UTSA at Florida Atlantic, tonight at 6
East Carolina at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

UTSA’s Claunch to open the season against a ‘Phi Slama Jama’ legend

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Thirty-five-year-old UTSA coach Austin Claunch cut his teeth on the game of basketball in Houston, a decade or so removed from the crowd that grew up with ‘Phi Slama Jama’ in the 1980s.

Back in the day, while center Hakeem Olajuwon was perfecting the “Dream Shake” in the post under Coach Guy V. Lewis, he was flanked by the likes of Clyde “The Glide” Drexler, Larry Michaux and Michael Young.

At the University of Houston, the Phi Slama Jama Cougars reached the NCAA Final Four in 1983 and 1984 and established an identity that is remembered fondly today, even in an era when Coach Kelvin Sampson’s team always seems to arrive in March with 30 wins and a No. 1 seed.

All of which brings us around to Claunch and the second installment of his UTSA basketball reclamation project.

Young, once a burly, highly-skilled, left-handed shooting guard for the Cougars, is now in his second year as head coach of the nascent Houston-based program at the College of Biblical Studies.

His team, in its third year of existence, will be the opposition in the season opener for Claunch’s Roadrunners at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Convocation Center. Claunch said it’ll fun for him to coach against a guy with Young’s chops.

“Just understanding what he and those (Houston) teams did for the city,” Claunch said. “I would expect their team to play a lot like he did, just that pace, in that frenetic offensive style.”

“It’s going to be an interesting challenge on night one (for us), where (we’re) still trying to iron out some things defensively, and not turn the ball over … and be clean. I would imagine that they’re going to come in and push the pace.”

With 11 newcomers, the Roadrunners haven’t scratched the surface yet in becoming the team they hope to be.

They’ve lost twice to teams in the Southland Conference, first faltering in a neutral-site, closed scrimmage against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, and then coming up short with a spirited second-half comeback against the Incarnate Word Cardinals.

Claunch said his practices since the UIW exhibition have been good and that he’s excited for the week, which will include a home game Friday against SIU-Edwardsville.

“I just think we have a clear vision of what we need to do,” the coach said. “We’re much more clean on the things we expect. Our non-negotiables. And, obviously, when the lights turn on, you got to go perform. As coaches, we’ve got to have our guys better prepared.

“We certainly want to show that same fire and aggression that we have in practice, show that when the lights come on … I would expect to see that wholeheartedly on Wednesday and Friday.”

One bit of positive news for the Roadrunners has been the return to form of guard Austin Nunez, who sat out the UIW game with an undisclosed ailment.

A 6-foot-2 guard, the Arizona State transfer is expected to give the team a veteran presence, as well as a speed component.

“He’s been in (practice) all week and he looks great,” Claunch said. “He’ll be full go come Wednesday. He’s looked good. Listen, if (the exhibition) had been an NCAA tournament game, we probably would have gotten him out there.

“He really wanted to play, but knowing what we have coming up, what lies ahead, it was important for us to (hold him out). He’s such a competitor, and he’s only got one speed. He’s 100 percent every time he’s in the game.

“So, sometimes as a coach, you got to protect ’em from themself. He’s looked great in practice, and he’s ready to go. He’s excited for Wednesday.”

Nunez came out of high school in San Antonio at Wagner in 2022, when he averaged 28.5 points and 6.2 rebounds.

He spent his first season in college at Arizona State, transferred to Ole Miss the next year and then returned to Arizona State last year.

Coming up

Wednesday – College of Biblical Studies at UTSA men, 6 p.m.
Thursday – UTSA women at Texas Tech, 6 p.m.
Friday – SIUE at UTSA men, 12:30 p.m.
Saturday – UTSA women at Houston, 7 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners men on Friday will host SIU-Edwardsville, an Ohio Valley Conference team that won 22 games and reached the NCAA tournament last season.

UTSA celebrates women’s basketball regular-season title: photo gallery

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Jordyn Jenkins and the UTSA women's basketball teams celebrates at the Convocation Center after winning the 2024-25 American Athletic Conference regular-season title on Saturday, March 1, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins and the UTSA women’s basketball teams celebrates at the Convocation Center after winning the 2024-25 American Athletic Conference regular-season title on Saturday.

The UTSA women’s basketball team danced in the confetti and cut down the net on Saturday at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners are the American Athletic Conference regular-season champions.

UTSA’s Campos receives contract extension through 2029

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The University of Texas System on Wednesday approved a contract extension for UTSA’s Lisa Campos through Nov. 30, 2029. Campos is UTSA’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics.

Named to lead UTSA’s athletic department on Nov. 17, 2017, Campos has worked at the helm of a program in transition.

In her tenure, the department has opened the Roadrunner Athletics Center for Excellence, has announced plans for a basketball and volleyball training center and has moved the entire program from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference.

UTSA recently completed its first season in the AAC.

The contract extension, approved by the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, marks the second contract extension for Campos during her tenure at UTSA, according to a news release from the UTSA athletic department.

Campos’ base salary in FY25 will be $550,000, increasing annually by $25,000 throughout the life of the contract and reaching $650,000 by FY29.

Karen Aston’s Roadrunners to play the SMU Mustangs in Dallas

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Karen Aston. UTSA beat Charlotte 81-80 in double overtime in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston will lead the UTSA Roadrunners into Dallas today to face the SMU Mustangs. UTSA is 10-8 on the season and 4-3 in the American Athletic Conference. – File photo by Joe Alexander.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Karen Aston appreciates the progress her team is making. Every time her UTSA Roadrunners play well and win, she talks about how proud she is of her players for making it happen. At the same time, the coach isn’t content. Not by any means.

She wants more. Locked in a tie for sixth place in the American Athletic Conference standings and coming off a one-point loss, the Roadrunners will try to regain the momentum today when they play on the road against the SMU Mustangs.

At the turn of the new calendar year, the Roadrunners hit their stride. They knocked off Wichita State, Florida Atlantic, Charlotte and South Florida in succession.

Charlotte was undefeated in conference when UTSA registered an 81-80 victory in double overtime. South Florida came to San Antonio with the best program in the AAC over the last decade and it, too, went down to defeat.

The Roadrunners crushed the defending AAC regular-season champs, 65-42.

Last weekend, UTSA nearly made it five wins in a row. The Roadrunners traveled to Alabama and led most of the way against the UAB Blazers, only to give up the lead in the fourth quarter. UAB nipped UTSA, 54-53.

As a result, UTSA will hit the court today at Moody Coliseum, hoping to make strides in the other direction. With the Mustangs, the Roadrunners will face a team that is probably better than its record would indicate.

In their last two games, the Mustangs have displayed competitive fire. A week ago today, they traveled to face the East Carolina Pirates, an NCAA tournament team last year and this year’s conference favorite in the preseason poll.

The Pirates, who pounded the Roadrunners by 28 on Jan. 2, struggled against the Mustangs. Eventually, the Mustangs fell 68-61 even though they had neutralized most of the Pirates’ best scoring threats.

On Wednesday night, the contending Temple Owls tipped off against the Mustangs in Dallas. Temple was a team that out-muscled and out-played UTSA at Philadelphia. The Mustangs took care of the Wildcats, 68-66.

Records

AAC women’s basketball:
UTSA 10-8, 4-3; SMU 9-10, 3-5

Notable

The UTSA men are also on the road today. Steve Henson’s Roadrunners, coming off an 89-88 victory at home over the Tulane Green Wave, will be in Tampa, Fla.

They’ll tip off at 3 p.m. against the South Florida Bulls. Within the past few weeks, the Roadrunners have had a chance to win twice against Top 25 competition in the AAC, but they lost both games in overtime.

In their last outing, they won in dramatic fashion.

Jordan Ivy-Curry hit a three with 2.3 seconds left, boosting the Roadrunners to an 89-88 victory over the Tulane Green Wave. With Ivy-Curry in the lineup, UTSA all of a sudden has the look of one of the most dangerous teams in the conference. He is averaging 18.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Another player who raised eyebrows against the Green Wave was 7-foot center Carlton Linguard Jr., who scored a career-high 31 points.

For UTSA, South Florida will provide another tough test. The Bulls, who have won 10 of their last 11 overall, have moved into title contention in the AAC. They’re tied in the loss column with the leaders and only a half game out of first place.

Records

AAC men’s basketball:
UTSA 8-12, 2-5; USF 12-5, 5-1

Carlton Linguard Jr. UTSA defeated Incarnate Word (UIW) 90-80 in a non-conference men's basketball game at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Seven-foot center Carlton Linguard Jr. has hit 32 of 88 shots from 3-point distance this season. His 3-point percentage of 36.4 ranks as one of the best among big men in the AAC. – File photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA rallies from 15 down to beat A&M-Corpus Christi 66-59 in OT

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Shooting the ball poorly and trailing for almost the entire four quarters of regulation, the UTSA women’s basketball team just wasn’t ready to pack it in and take a loss.

The Roadrunners rallied from a 15-point, second-half deficit and won 66-59 in overtime Wednesday night, emerging from the Dugan Wellness Center with a remarkable road victory over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders.

With the win, UTSA claimed its first win away from home this season and improved to 2-1 overall. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, coming off back-to-back 19-win seasons, fell to 2-2.

Guard Kyra White, playing 43 minutes, led UTSA with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Elyssa Coleman made some big buckets late and finished with 14. Sidney Love scored 10.

A&M-Corpus Christi, outsized at most positions, played extremely well for most of the game. The Islanders were paced by forward Alecia Westbrook with 17 points and eight rebounds. Mireia Aguado and Paige Allen contributed 14 apiece.

At one point midway through the third period, all looked lost for UTSA. Corpus Christi expanded on a 13-point halftime lead and made it 41-26 on two Aguado free throws with 3:26 left in the third. Going into the fourth, the home team led, 43-32.

UTSA, however, had scored the final basket of the third and the first nine points of the fourth period to pull within two points. Corpus Christi kept battling, with Aguado, Westbrook and Allen leading the way. A layup by Westbrook with 3:27 left pushed the home team in front, 49-44.

The Roadrunners responded with a 9-4 run in the final three minutes, with White taking charge and scoring five. At the end of the frantic fourth quarter, with the game tied, a key play unfolded. Aguado went to the free throw line and missed two free throws with six tenths of a second left to send it into the extra period.

From there, the Roadrunners scored the first six points in the OT. First it was Love, who knocked down two free throws. Then, Coleman nailed a jumper. Finally, it was UTSA newcomer Cheyenne Rowe, who rebounded a miss by White and laid it in.

Not to be outdone, Siena Guttadauro nailed a three-point shot out of the corner. Later, UTSA pushed the lead to eight, and the Islanders never got closer than four the rest of the way.

Records

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

Coming up

UTSA at UT Arlington, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners were cold from the field early, three for 17 in the first quarter and three for their first 23 attempts overall. But in the end, they found the touch and finished 24 of 64 for 37.5 percent. Corpus Christi shot 39 percent and damaged its own cause by hitting only 50 percent (16 of 32) at the free-throw line. UTSA star Jordyn Jenkins sat out her third straight game. The Player of the Year last year in Conference USA is regarded as week-to-week in her rehabilitation from a knee injury.

Individuals

UTSA — Guard Kyra White, 18 points, six rebounds, five assists. Center Elyssa Coleman 14 points on seven of 13 shooting. Guard Sidney Love, 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals. Freshman guard Aysia Proctor and forward Cheyenne Rowe, seven points apiece off the bench.

A&M-Corpus Christi — Forward Alecia Westbrook, 17 points and eight rebounds. Guard Mireia Aguado, 14 points on five of seven shooting. Paige Allen, 14 points and eight rebounds.

First half highlights

Taking advantage of the sputtering Roadrunners, Westbrook and Aguado combined for 21 points in the first half as the Islanders forged a 33-20 lead at intermission.

Westbrook, a 6-foot-1 post from Kansas City, dominated inside the paint with three for three shooting from the field. Utilizing her size and agility, she also drew fouls consistently and converted six of seven from the free-throw line.

Aguado, a 5-9 playmaker from Barcelona, Spain, hurt UTSA with her speed and athleticism in the transition game. She hit four of six from the floor, a few of those buckets coming in transition, and finished with nine points in only 13 minutes.

UTSA’s offense was in such disarray that it produced almost twice as many turnovers (13) as field goals (seven) in the half. The Roadrunners managed to stay in the game with effort. On the boards, the Roadrunners held a 27-12 lead, including 14-3 on the offensive glass.

UTSA women in home opener Friday against New Mexico State

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By Jerry Briggs
For The JB Replay

The UTSA basketball teams return to action Friday, with the women hosting the New Mexico State Aggies and the men hitting the road to meet the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Here is a look at the matchups:

New Mexico State at UTSA women

At a glance: The Aggies (0-1) and the Roadrunners (0-1) will play Friday at 7 p.m. at the UTSA Convocation Center.

New Mexico State: The Aggies lost 68-57 at home Monday night to the Arizona Wildcats. Falling behind by 13 points after one quarter, New Mexico State rallied to make it close but couldn’t overcome 49 percent shooting by Arizona. Senior guard Molly Kaiser produced 22 points and six rebounds for the Aggies. Kaiser hit four of six from 3-point distance. Junior guard Sabou Gueye scored 13 points. New Mexico State has joined a revamped Conference USA, and in the C-USA preseason poll, the Aggies were picked sixth out of nine teams. Coach Jody Adams has entered her second season with the program, after leading New Mexico State last year to records of 18-17 and 10-8 in the Western Athletic Conference.

UTSA: Playing without injured star forward Jordyn Jenkins, the Roadrunners lost 70-55 at Arizona State on Monday night. Jenkins, the reigning Player of the Year in Conference USA, is likely out for the New Mexico State game and is considered week-to-week as she continues rehabilitation. On Monday, playing on the road in the Pac-12 in her absence, the Roadrunners fell behind 25-12 after one quarter and could not recover. Though they out-rebounded the Sun Devils by 10, a few of their interior players found themselves in foul trouble and two of them, Elyssa Coleman and Maya Linton, fouled out. Offensively, UTSA shot 34.5 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from three. Freshman power forward Idara Udo debuted with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Coming up: UTSA at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m.

UTSA at Minnesota men

At a glance: The Roadrunners (1-0) and Golden Gophers (1-0) will meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Minneapolis.

UTSA: The Roadrunners won 78-68 in overtime Monday night against Western Illinois. Playing at home, they called on Christian Tucker and Trey Edmonds to make big plays in the extra period, when they outscored the Leathernecks, 13-3. Tucker finished with 18 points and eight assists. Edmonds had 15 points and eight rebounds. Roadrunners now look to carry the momentum into Minneapolis. In facing the Gophers, the Roadrunners are looking to snap a 25-game losing streak against Power 5 competition. They haven’t won a game against a team from the Big Ten, the Big 12, the ACC, the SEC or the Pac-12 since November of 2009 when the defeated Iowa (of the Big Ten) on the road. UTSA coach Steve Henson is 0-13 against the P5 in his seven previous seasons.

Minnesota: The Gophers played at home Monday and scored an 80-60 victory over Bethune-Cookman, Fla. Forward Dawson Garcia produced 23 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. The 6-foot-11, 230-pound Garcia hit 14 of 16 at the free throw line. Minnesota led by 24 points at intermission and by 27 early in the second half, only to see Bethune-Cookman chip away and pull to within 10 with five minutes remaining. With Garcia leading the charge in the opener, the other frontcourt starters were 6-7 Joshua Ola-Joseph and 6-9 Pharrell Payne. In the backcourt, the Gophers went with 5-11 Howard transfer Elijah Hawkins and 6-4 Braeden Carrington. Minnesota finished 9-22 and 2-17 in the Big Ten last year. The Gophers, led by third-year coach Ben Johnson, are picked 14th (last) in the league.

Coming up: UTSA at Lamar, Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m.

Trey Edmonds. UTSA beat McMurry 125-84 in a men's basketball exhibition game on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

With a physical style, forward Trey Edmonds is emerging as one of the most significant newcomers on UTSA’s roster. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA basketball teams open regular season Monday

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Men’s basketball
Western Illinois at UTSA
Monday, 7 p.m.

Western Illinois at a glance: Coming off a 16-14 season, the program’s first winning record since 2012-13. Returning starters are Jesiah West and Quinlan Bennett. Sixth man KJ Lee and reserve JJ Kalakon also return. James Dent Jr., Drew Cisse, Joe Petrakis and Ryan Myers highlight the newcomers. WIU reloaded the roster with eight transfers. Chad Boudreau takes over as Leatherneck head coach, being promoted from associate head coach last spring. Boudreau was the lead WIU assistant the past three seasons. He previously was the head coach at Highland College in Freeport, Ill.

Women’s basketball
UTSA at Arizona State
Monday, 7 p.m.

Arizona State at a glance: Coming off an 8-20 season, including 1-17 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Sun Devils have 10 returning players and seven newcomers. Jaddan Simmons, who started 77 games over the past three seasons, averaged 12.4 ppg last year. Simmons was second on the team in scoring behind Tyi Skinner, who averaged 19.3. But Skinner is lost for the season due to a knee injury. Treasure Hunt is another key returning player, having averaged 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds. Making their ASU debuts will be Kadidia Toure, Marina Radocaj, Sandra Magolico, Kiley Sours-Miller, Hanna Miller, Mallory Miller and Jalyn Brown. Hanna and Mallory Miller are sisters.