Tag Archives: UTSA Roadrunners

Buggs-Ousmane friendship adds a layer of intrigue to the UTSA-North Texas rivalry

Posted on by

John Buggs III. A beat Bethune-Cookman 90-69 in men's basketball on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s John Buggs III says his good friend Abou Ousmane of the North Texas Mean Green has been playfully ‘talking noise’ on the eve of tonight’s game at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

If you ask John Buggs III a question, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll get an interesting answer, around which he almost always spins a yarn about his life in basketball.

For instance, I asked Buggs yesterday about playing tonight at the UTSA Convocation Center against the North Texas Mean Green.

It’s the Conference USA opener for both Buggs and the UTSA Roadrunners and the Mean Green, who have been a dominant force in the league for the past five seasons.

As a newcomer in the UTSA program, Buggs has yet to experience what it’s like to host the Mean Green at the Bird Cage.

Other than last season when North Texas dominated in a 59-48 victory, the UTSA-North Texas games played in San Antonio recently have been close, coming down to one or two possessions in the final minutes.

The crowd, as you’d expect, has usually been animated and vocal.

I was curious to get Buggs’ take on the rivalry, and what the game means to him at this juncture of an up and down season for the Roadrunners.

Also, what it means to him, to get a crack at the defending conference regular-season champions on opening night.

“I feel like we’re very excited,” Buggs said. “It’s an unbelievable opportunity that we have. We can definitely open a lot of eyes by getting a win, you know.”

It’s been a tough deal for UTSA to get many wins against North Texas lately.

In five previous seasons under Coach Grant McCasland, the Mean Green have posted a 6-2 record against the Roadrunners, including 3-2 in San Antonio.

Since 2017-18, North Texas has won handily in all three games against UTSA in Denton, all by double digits. In San Antonio, as mentioned, the games have been hotly contested for most of the 40 minutes on the game clock.

For instance, in December 2017, UTSA freshmen Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace and Co. battled to the end before North Texas made a few plays and won, 72-71.

In January 2019, Jackson hit a memorable, spinning jump shot in the final seconds to lift the Roadrunners to a 76-74 victory.

Two years ago, during the pandemic season, North Texas played at UTSA on back-to-back nights. The Mean Green pulled out a 77-70 decision on the front end of the double dip.

But UTSA bounced back the next night to exact revenge, winning 77-69 against a North Texas team that would go on to play in the NCAA tournament.

Last season, North Texas was all over UTSA at the Bird Cage with a smothering defensive effort. It was all Mean Green down the stretch in a 59-48 drubbing.

Buggs likely doesn’t know all the history, but he does know a little about this year’s North Texas squad based on film study.

He knows North Texas is a quality team, one of the best in the nation defensively, and that a win tonight for UTSA could really alter the trajectory of the season.

“I’m really excited,” Buggs said, a smile creasing his face. “One of my (former) teammates plays on their team, so we’ve been talking back and forth a little bit.”

Who does he know?

“Abou Ousmane,” Buggs replied. “We played together for a year at prep school.”

In Connecticut, in the 2018-19 season, right?

At the Putnam Science Academy?

“Yeah, he’s a little younger than me,” Buggs said. “But we were at the same prep school for a little while. Last year, when I was at Juco (at Hill College, in Hillsboro) I went to watch him play (in Denton) many, many times.

“(Ousmane) was one of my best friends in prep school. So, you know, we got a little duel going on (this week).”

If you think about it, the Buggs-Ousmane reunion is quite a hoops coincidence. Buggs is from northwest Louisiana and Ousmane, a 6-10 forward, is from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Both played together at the prep school in northeast Connecticut for one year, became friends and now they’re on opposite teams for a bragging-rights type game, scheduled to be contested in San Antonio, a few days before Christmas in 2022.

“We definitely have kept in touch,” Buggs said, smiling. “It’s going to be a show (tonight) for sure.”

So, have you talked to him or texted in the last several days?

“Yeah, I talked to him two days ago?” he said in an interview Wednesday at UTSA. “Actually before the Bethune-Cookman game (last Sunday), he was calling, talking noise. You know, he was throwing (verbal) shots. I said, ‘We ready.’ It’s going to be a good test for us tomorrow.

“Definitely.”

Wrist injury is expected to sideline UTSA’s Isaiah Addo-Ankrah for four weeks

Posted on by

Quietly, UTSA forward Isaiah Addo-Ankrah served as an inspiration to his teammates for all the extra time he spent working on his game in the offseason.

Isaiah Addo-Ankrah. A beat Bethune-Cookman 90-69 in men's basketball on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Isaiah Addo-Ankrah played in all 11 games this season and averaged 7.3 points before an X-ray revealed a wrist fracture that would keep him out four weeks. — File photo by Joe Alexander

In early September, for instance, the UTSA women’s basketball team usually worked out in the morning hours, followed by the women’s volleyball squad in the early afternoon, followed later in the day by Addo-Ankrah and his friends in men’s basketball.

Sometimes, a visitor would show up in the morning thinking that Coach Karen Aston’s women’s basketball squad would be on the floor, only to discover that it was a scheduled day off.

Instead, the visitor would walk in to a nearly empty gym to the sound of squeaking shoes, with a couple of Coach Steve Henson’s men’s team players taking advantage of the open court to get up extra shots.

One day, it was Addo-Ankrah, who explained later that he’d committed to complete a couple of challenges from coaches — to make 10,000 3-pointers, outside of scheduled practices — in two different segments of the offseason.

As a consequence, the Houston native was in the gym up to three times a day from June through September. It was disheartening, in that regard, for the Roadrunners to learn recently that a fractured wrist 11 games into the season will sideline Addo-Ankrah for four weeks.

“It’s really disturbing to hear that,” UTSA guard John Buggs III said on the eve of the team’s Conference USA opener against North Texas. “Isaiah’s probably one of the more hard-working players on our team.

“He doesn’t have as many (natural) gifts as other people athletically, but, man, his work ethic … It’s just so heartbreaking for him. We hate that for him. Hopefully he’ll get well as soon as possible.”

The renewal of the hotly-contested, in-state rivalry between the Roadrunners and the Mean Green will take place on Thursday night at UTSA. Fortunately for UTSA, center Jacob Germany is expected to play.

Germany suffered a nasty-looking ankle sprain on Sunday afternoon in the Roadrunners’ 90-69 victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. UTSA (6-5) had a day off on Monday and then practiced Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for the defending C-USA regular-season champions.

Led by guards Tylor Perry and Kai Huntsberry, North Texas (9-2) has won four in a row on the season. In addition, the Grant McCasland-coached Mean Green have won six out of eight against the Roadrunners in the series over the past five seasons.

Henson discussed his team’s preparations and his personnel issues after a two-hour drill Wednesday afternoon.

“We didn’t do much, up and down, either day,” Henson said. “As much as we’d love for there to be some pace in the game tomorrow, we don’t anticipate there will be a lot of pace, so we did a lot of stuff on the halfcourt, offensively and defensively. Jacob was able to do most of it both days.

“He looked progressively better today than he did yesterday, so I don’t think he’ll be 100 percent, but he’ll play.”

Addo-Ankrah apparently had been playing with some discomfort in his left (non-shooting) wrist for some time. Because of lingering pain, a new X-ray was ordered. It revealed a fracture.

“He’s going to miss about four weeks,” the coach said.

The circumstances on how Addo-Ankrah suffered the injury weren’t immediately clear.

“He injured it a long time ago,” Henson said. “Initially, it didn’t show a fracture. He started feeling a little better. But he wasn’t quite getting over the hump there, so they re-X-rayed and they found a small fracture.”

For the season, Addo-Ankrah had played in all 11 games with eight starts. A three-point shooting specialist, he was fifth on the team, averaging 7.3 points.

Though Addo-Ankrah made a season-high four triples on Sunday afternoon against Bethune-Cookman, his shooting percentages were down from last season, as he was hitting .366 from the field and .313 from three.

Henson didn’t specify how he planned to fill the 23.5-minutes per game void. But, likely, players such as Aleu Aleu, Lamin Sabally and Lachlan Bofinger will need to step up.

“I think (Isaiah’s) presence will be missed as far as spacing the floor and creating driving lanes, that type of thing,” Buggs said. “But we have other guys that can get in the lane or attack the paint, affect the game with offensive rebounding, that type of stuff.

“I think we have guys that are ready to step up and take on a bigger role.”

Buggs said it’s a good sign for the team to see the efforts that Germany made to practice on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.

“It just sends a message that we’re all about being tough and trying to grind it out, and do whatever we need to do to win,” Buggs said. “I feel like, with Jacob playing, that puts us in the best position to win.”

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Records

UTSA 6-5
North Texas 9-2

Notable

North Texas’ top players are guards Perry and Huntsberry, with 6-10 power forward Abou Ousmane playing inside. Buggs said he was Ousmane’s teammate years ago in Connecticut at the Putnam Science Academy.

“He was one of my best friends in prep school,” Buggs said.

Buggs said he talked to Ousmane recently, likely in the days before the Bethune-Cookman game. “He was calling, talking noise,” Buggs said. “He was throwing (verbal) shots. I said, ‘Hey, we ready.’ It’s going to be a good test for us tomorrow. Definitely.”

The Mean Green have won at least 20 games in four of the past five seasons under McCasland. They reached the NCAA tournament in 2021 and advanced to the round of 32.

Last year, they finished 25-7 and 16-2 in the C-USA. North Texas played in the NIT, defeated Texas State and then lost to Virginia in the second round.

Comeback falls short for the UTSA women as Houston wins, 93-89, in overtime

Posted on by

Guard Laila Blair knocked down six free throws in six attempts and assisted on a field goal in the final 1:27 Monday, lifting the University of Houston Cougars to a 93-89 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners.

Blair’s efforts helped Houston thwart a massive comeback by the Roadrunners, who trailed by as many as 21 points in the second quarter. The Roadrunners, behind junior forward Jordyn Jenkins, rallied on a 32-11 run to tie the game near the end of the third period.

As Houston pulled away again in the fourth quarter, leading by nine with a little more than a minute remaining, UTSA rallied again to tie and send the game to the extra period. Kyra White scored five points in the comeback and freshman Maya Linton sank two free throws with six seconds left to tie it, 80-80.

Houston’s Tiara Young missed a layup in the final seconds that could have won the game, but it bounced off the rim, and the Cougars failed to get off another shot.

In the overtime, Young opened the period with a jumper as the Cougars took the first lead. Jenkins followed by grabbing on offensive rebound and putting it back to tie the score. But when Young made both free throws with 3:35 remaining, Houston had the lead by two. Ultimately, the Cougars would never relinquish it.

Jenkins scored 35 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Roadrunners, who fell to 2-7 on the season and 0-5 on the road. UTSA is 0-2 in neutral site games. Tiara Young led the Cougars with 21 points.

Records

UTSA 2-7
Houston 3-9

Individuals

Scoring: UTSA — Jordyn Jenkins 35, Elyssa Coleman 15, Kyra White 12, Alexis Parker 11. Houston — Tiara Young 21, Laila Blair 20, Bria Patterson 15, Tatyana Hill 10.

Rebounding: UTSA — Jenkins 10, Coleman 5, White 5. Houston — Tatyana Hill 12, Tiara Young 4.

Team stats

Field goal percentage: UTSA, 32-61, 52.5. Houston, 28-66, 42.4.
Rebounds: UTSA, 44. Houston, 29. Offensive rebounds: UTSA, 13. Houston 10.
Turnovers: UTSA, 36. Houston, 22. Steals: UTSA, 12. Houston, 16.

Coming up

Conference USA opener for UTSA at Louisiana Tech, Dec. 29; UTSA at UAB, Dec. 31.

UTSA offense sizzles in a 90-69 victory over Bethune-Cookman

Posted on by
Japhet Medor. A beat Bethune-Cookman 90-69 in men's basketball on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Japhet Medor led five UTSA players in double figures with 18 points. He also had four assists and three rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners had positive day on a number of fronts Sunday afternoon in rolling to a 90-69 victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

For one thing, their offense seemed to have a good look about it, especially the three-point shooting. The Roadrunners hit 11 of 23 triples for 47.8 percent.

Steve Henson. UTSA beat Bethune-Cookman 90-69 in men's basketball on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Steve Henson’s UTSA Roadrunners improved to 6-5 leading into a Conference USA opener Thursday night at home against the North Texas Mean Green. – Photo by Joe Alexander

In addition, they also used some different player rotations and seemed to do well with whoever was on the floor at a given time.

Despite a slow start, they corrected the issue with a 35-17 run to the end of the first half that lasted a little more than 10 minutes — one of the best stretches of basketball that they’ve produced all year.

One notable question for the team leading into a Thursday night Conference USA opener against North Texas, however, centered on senior Jacob Germany, who twisted an ankle early in the second half and didn’t return.

“A little concerning,” Coach Steve Henson said. “Probably will get X-rays right away. He twisted it pretty bad. We’ll find out soon.”

On a move to the basket, UTSA’s leading scorer for the season went down in a tangle of players under the goal with about 13:30 remaining in the game.

Reggie Theus. UTSA beat Bethune-Cookman 90-69 in men's basketball on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Reggie Theus’ Bethune-Cookman Wildcats lost to both Incarnate Word and UTSA on a swing through San Antonio. Theus was a two-time NBA all star with the Chicago Bulls in the 1980s. – Photo by Joe Alexander

He came off the floor grimacing, as trainer Jiana Hook attended to him. Later, he was seated on the bench in a walking boot.

“Hope it’s nothing serious,” Henson said. “He twisted it badly. So he’s not going to be feeling very good when he wakes up tomorrow. He’s in great hands. Jiana will take care of him and the doctors will do a great job.

“Hopefully it’s just a sprain and we can get him some treatment and get him back as soon as possible.”

UTSA started slowly, with Bethune-Cookman of the Soutwhestern Athletic Conference pulling out to an early 21-14 lead.

From there, the Roadrunners produced a run toward the end of the half that was as good as any this season.

Isaiah Addo-Ankrah. A beat Bethune-Cookman 90-69 in men's basketball on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Isaiah Addo-Ankrah sank four of UTSA’s season-high tying 11 three-point baskets. He scored 14 points off the bench in 16 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By the time it was over, UTSA was up 49-38, and Bethune-Cookman was reeling. Meanwhile, the Roadrunners (6-5 on the season) kept applying the pressure in the second half.

As a result, the Wildcats (4-7) never got closer than 10 and found themselves trailing by as many as 26 with two minutes left.

UTSA guard D.J. Richards admitted that it felt good to win in convincing fashion after losing by double digits to both New Mexico and Utah — two teams ranked in the top 40 in the nation — on a recent road trip.

“We played two (NCAA) tournament teams,” he said. “We felt like those were good measurements for us. We felt like we’d learn from them and just move forward.”

Richards said UTSA employed an up-tempo attack to turn the game around at the end of the first half.

John Buggs III. A beat Bethune-Cookman 90-69 in men's basketball on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

John Buggs III filled up the boxscore with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“We got one transition bucket and then it turned into two,” he said. “We got like five straight transition buckets, and some of them were threes.”

The Roadrunners’ three-point shooting has been effective over the last five games. Four times in that stretch, they’ve hit 10 or more from beyond the arc.

Against Bethune-Cookman, Addo-Ankrah came off the bench to lead the barrage with four from distance, while starters John Buggs III, Japhet Medor and D.J. Richards hit two apiece.

Medor led five players in double figures with 18 points. Addo-Ankrah had 14, Buggs and Richards 12 apiece and Josh Farmer 10.

Joe French led the Wildcats with 27 points on 10 of 19 shooting.

Records

UTSA 6-5
Bethune-Cookman 4-7

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, Thursday, 7 p.m. (a Conference USA opener for the Roadrunners)

Notable

UTSA opened the game with freshman Massal Diouf at center and Germany at power forward, with Medor at point guard, Buggs at the shooting guard and Richards, another freshman, on the wing at small forward.

Massal Diouf. A beat Bethune-Cookman 90-69 in men's basketball on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Bethune-Cookman forward Elijah Hulsewe (left) tries to hold off UTSA freshman Massal Diouf for position under the glass. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Richards continued to shine, scoring in double figures for the third straight game. He’s scored 20, 12 and 12 points, respectively, in his last three outings.

In that span, he’s hit 56 percent from the field (14 of 25) and 61.5 percent from three (eight of 13).

Nothing seems to faze Richards, who played last year at Montverde Academy in Florida following a high school career at Houston Cypress Creek.

In interviews, he thanked coaches and teammates for “believing in me,” but he also expressed optimism that Diouf also would continue to blossom.

“I’m just really happy for Massal,” Richards said. “He came a long way from having, like, no minutes to the starting lineup … I hope he just builds on it, small steps, and then who knows where he’ll be.”

It was the first start of the season for Diouf, who went on to play 18 minutes and 45 seconds.

DJ Richards. A beat Bethune-Cookman 90-69 in men's basketball on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

DJ Richards hit five of seven from the field, including two of three from long distance, in scoring 12 points for his third straight game in double figures.. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from The Netherlands had only three points and four rebounds, but his physical style seemed to give the Roadrunners a lift.

“Just feels like he gives us a little different look,” Henson said. “We thought it would give Jacob some more life, knowing that he wouldn’t have to be the one banging all the time.

“Overall, felt pretty good about it. Massal played quite a few minutes in the first half and didn’t turn the ball over, and that’s the big thing.

“The game’s just a little bit faster (than he’s seen previously). He doesn’t have much experience. If he can protect that basketball and then rebound big, he can play for us.”

Statistically speaking

With the victory, UTSA improved to 4-5 on the season against Division I competition, while Bethune-Cookman fell to 2-7. Daytona Beach, Fla.-based Bethune-Cookman moved up from D-II to D-I in 1980. The Wildcats have never been to the NCAA tournament. UTSA started its D-I programs, with men’s basketball as the lead sport, in 1981. UTSA has been to four NCAA tournaments.

Finding a spark midway through the first half, the Roadrunners hit 10 of their last 14 shots from the field, running away from the Wildcats to lead 49-38 at intermission … For the game, the Roadrunners connected on 25 of 28 free throws for a season-high 89.3 percent. The 25 makes were also a season high.

JB’s video replay

Banking on Isaiah

Making it look easy

Spotting up for three

UTSA hosts Reggie Theus and Bethune-Cookman today

Posted on by

Former NBA all star Reggie Theus will lead the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats into the UTSA Convocation today for a 3 p.m. tipoff against the Roadrunners.

The Wildcats (4-6) are a work in progress under Theus, a 13-year NBA veteran and 2-time all star, who is in his second season at the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based NCAA Division I program in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Formerly a head coach at New Mexico State and Cal State-Northridge, Theus returned to the sidelines in 2021 to lead the Wildcats, a program that has never reached the NCAA Division I tournament since it elevated to D-I status in 1980.

After finishing last year at 9-21, including a 7-11 record in the SWAC, the Wildcats opened with three victories in their first six games this season, before losing three of their last four.

They’re on a road trip which has seen them fall 88-48 at North Florida and 77-65 in San Antonio at Incarnate Word.

UTSA is also coached by a former NBA player in Steve Henson. In his seventh season with the Roadrunners, Henson’s team is looking to gain traction today against Bethune-Cook before opening Conference USA competition Thursday at home against North Texas.

The Roadrunners (5-5) are 5-2 at home this season. They’re coming off a road trip in which they dropped games to a pair of top 40 programs 50 programs.

They lost 94-76 at New Mexico and 91-70 to the Utah Utes of the Pac-12 conference.

Records

UTSA 5-5
Bethune-Cookman 4-6

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, Thursday, 7 p.m. (a Conference USA opener for the Roadrunners)

Notable

Against Division I competition, both Bethune-Cookman and UTSA are under .500, with the Wildcats 2-6 and the Roadrunners 3-5. UTSA is ranked 296th out of 363 Division I programs in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Bethune-Cookman is ranked 337th.

A positive sign for UTSA is the recent play of point guard Japhet Medor, who tweaked an ankle on Nov. 27 at home against Dartmouth. While he appeared limited physically in playing the next night in a victory over Incarnate Word, he scored 11 points at New Mexico and added 23 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals at Utah.

De Leon Negron rallies the UIW women past UTSA, 56-53

Posted on by

One of the smallest players on the floor stood tall Thursday night at the McDermott Convocation Center.

Five-foot-six Nina De Leon Negron scored 17 of her game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter as University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals erased an eight-point deficit and downed their cross-town rival UTSA Roadrunners, 56-53.

Playing on their home court, the Cardinals trailed by 11 points late in the third quarter and then by a 40-32 score entering the fourth.

At that point, De Leon Negron, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, took control of the game with a relentless string of drives to the basket.

UTSA seemed to have enough to hold off UIW when forward Jordyn Jenkins, who led the Roadrunners with 21 points and 11 rebounds, scored on a left-handed scoop mid-way through the fourth period.

Jenkins’ skillful move to the basket stablized the Roadrunners and boosted them into a 44-37 lead with 6:10 remaining.

De Leon Negron, however, was just getting started.

First she drove to the hoop, scored and completed a three-point play. After a Queen Ulabo turnover on the dribble, UIW came down and De Leon Negron swished a three from the top, cutting the deficit to one.

Jenkins missed, setting up a Chloe Storer layup on the other end as the Cardinals surged into their first lead since the second quarter. Kyra White answered with a drive and a bucket to make it 46-45 for UTSA.

With White converting at the 4:19 mark, it would be the last lead for the Roadrunners. After that, De Leon Negron scored seven points over the next four minutes to put UTSA away.

Trailing by five with seven seconds left, the Roadrunners made it interesting to the final whistle.

After Deb Nwakamma’s long two out of the corner splashed, accounting for the final points of the game, UIW inbounded with one second left. The pass landed in the hands of UTSA’s Jenkins, who was standing outside the three-point line, but couldn’t get off a shot as the buzzer sounded.

It was a frustrating night for UTSA, which remained winless this season on the road (0-4).

The Roadrunners out-rebounded the Cardinals (37-28) and hit four more field goals (21-17) and, somehow, they still managed to lose. Problems centered around UTSA’s perimeter shooting (0-for-10 from three) and free-throw shooting.

While the Roadrunners hit only 11 of 20 from the line, the Cardinals made the most of their opportunities, knocking down 20 of 28.

De Leon hit eight of 14 from the field and one of two from 3-point territory. She put down eight of 12 at the free-throw line.

Records

UTSA 2-6
UIW 4-4

Notable

De Leon Negron has been hot and cold this season. In her last four games, she was held scoreless at TCU, had nine points at Texas Tech, 16 against Division III Schreiner and now a season-high 25 against UTSA.

With the victory, UIW improved to 2-1 against UTSA over the past three seasons. UTSA leads the overall series, 3-2.

UTSA, meanwhile fell to 0-6 away from home this season, including 0-4 on the road. Five of UTSA’s six losses have come by seven points or less.

Forward Elyssa Coleman had a good start to the game, scoring 13 points through three quarters. She was scoreless in the fourth and ended up fouling out.

Coming up

UTSA plays its last non-conference game on Monday at the University of Houston. After that, the Roadrunners have a 10-day break before opening Conference USA play. The Roadrunners play at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 29 and at UAB on Dec. 31.

UIW, coming off an NCAA tournament appearance last season, plays at home on Sunday against Sul Ross. From there, the Cardinals are at SMU on Dec. 21. UIW opens Southland Conference play at Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 31.

Branden Carlson-led Utah romps to a 91-70 victory over UTSA

Posted on by

For the second time in four days on the road, the UTSA Roadrunners faced a team with superior size and quality athleticism at several positions.

In the Utah Utes, they played a team that had beaten the Arizona Wildcats, a top-five opponent, less than two weeks ago.

UTSA raced to an early lead in the first half and then faded down the stretch Tuesday night, falling 91-70 to the Utes.

With 7-foot center Branden Carlson and the Utes defending homecourt at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, they pumped the lead up to 20 points on the Roadrunners for most of the last six minutes of the game, leading by 28 at one point.

UTSA coach Steve Henson, in his postgame remarks, didn’t sugarcoat what happened to his team on the trip. Beaten by 18 at New Mexico on Saturday. Whipped by 21 at Utah.

At the same time, he also was heartened by some good things his team did in both games against opponents that likely will be playing in the NCAA tournament.

“Disappointed we didn’t play better in the second half here,” Henson told UTSA broadcaster Andy Everett. “Our guys practiced so well. I’m so proud of the way they practiced. We traveled. You know, we’ve been on the road here for several days.

“Had a really good practice two nights ago. Had a good practice again last night. They’re doing what we’re asking, for the most part.”

Guard Japhet Medor led the Roadrunners against the Utes, rolling to 23 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Medor, a 6-foot senior transfer from the Florida junior college circuit, also made five steals in a dynamic showing against a Pac-12 Conference contender.

“We’re getting better,” Henson said. “I think we’ve taken some steps here. Both scores were pretty disappointing. But, if we’ll stay together and go back and get to work, I think we’ll keep improving. Different guys are getting a little more comfortable with their roles. That’s what we got to do at this point.”

For Utah, Carlson was the story. The preseason all-conference selection hit 10 of 14 shots from the floor and scored 27 points. He also had eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. If that wasn’t enough damage inflicted on the Roadrunners, he also had four blocked shots.

Guards Gabe Madsen and Marco Anthony scored 16 apiece as the Utes (9-2) rallied from a six-point, first-half deficit and won their fifth straight. Anthony, a sixth-year senior from San Antonio Holmes High School, also had 10 rebounds and four assists.

UTSA (5-5) made a go of it early in the game, pushing behind point guard Medor on a 22-4 run. When Medor hit a jumper with 7:05 remaining, the Roadrunners had the Utes down 28-22 and had the home crowd silenced.

“We were playing hard,” Henson said. “That was a big part of it. Kept them off the glass. Didn’t keep them off the glass, kept them from getting rebounds. They were getting shots and there were three guys right around the rim. We had five guys and were able to dig those rebounds out.”

Records

Utah 9-2
UTSA 5-5

Coming up

Bethune-Cookman at UTSA, Sunday, 3 p.m.

Notable

With the loss, UTSA fell to 0-3 on the road this season, with losses at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, New Mexico and Utah. Roadrunners freshman guard D.J. Richards scored 12 points for his third double-figures game in the last four. Senior center Jacob Germany had 10 points and five rebounds. He was four of ten from the field, completing the road trip seven of 19 afield.

The Utes held shooting guard John Buggs to five points on two of seven shooting.

In losing to Utah, UTSA extended a string of futility against Power 5 conference competition, falling to 0-25 since they beat Iowa of the Big Ten, 62-50, in November of 2009. Since the Iowa game, the Roadrunners haven’t won a game against an opponent from the Pac-12, the Big 12, the Big Ten, the Southeastern Conference or the Atlantic Coast Conference. The loss to Utah puts them at 0-6 against teams from the Pac-12 in that stretch.

First half

Trailing by six, the Utes tightened up on defense in the lane late in the half, reeled off plays on both ends of the floor and surged into a 39-34 halftime lead.

Lazar Stefanovic hit a three and Carlson went inside to hit a layup to cap a 17-6 run for the Utes in the final seven minutes.

It was an impressive opening 20-minutes for Carlson, a preseason Pac-12 all conference pick, who had 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks.

The Roadrunners, sparked by Medor and Richards, attacked on offense and gave the Utes everything they could handle for a five-minute stretch midway through the period.

Medor sparked a 22-4 run, scoring 11 points in the streak. Richards had 10 during the outburst, including a couple of three-point baskets.

UTSA’s Jenkins shines after making necessary adjustments

Posted on by
Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Idaho 76-69 in women's basketball on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins had one of her best games as a UTSA player with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The formula for Jordyn Jenkins’ success on Saturday afternoon was pretty simple. UTSA’s rising standout in women’s basketball made good decisions with the ball. When the 6-foot-1 junior forward wasn’t passing for an assist, she was swinging it to a teammate.

Then, when the traffic cleared, and the ball returned to her hands, she’d either make the Idaho Vandals pay by sticking an easy bucket from close range or by hitting a jumper from the perimeter.

Sidney Love. UTSA beat Idaho 76-69 in women's basketball on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Sidney Love from San Antonio-area Steele High School scored a season-high 17 points for her third straight game in double figures. — Photo by Joe Alexander

Unlike previous games when she was saddled with early foul trouble, she stayed away from those agonizing whistles in scoring a team-high 22 points for the Roadrunners in a much-needed 76-69 victory.

“Mostly when it comes to me fouling, they’re offensive fouls,” Jenkins said. “Like, very rare (are they) defensive fouls on the shot. I mean, I really try not to foul anyways. I feel like I have good body control.

“So, I just kind of have to keep that in mind and also have the mindset that I can’t foul. It helps when the team defense is good, then there’s less pressure on me.”

In losing five of six games to start the season, including three in a row, the Roadrunners’ team defense was not good. UTSA coach Karen Aston said as much on the eve of a match with the Vandals of the Big Sky Conference.

A 60-55 loss at Texas State on Nov. 30, when UTSA sqauandered an early 12-point lead, was still front of mind through nine days of practice between games. After holding Idaho to 33.3 percent shooting from the field, though, Aston felt much better.

“Well, I think we were ready to play,” the coach said. “After the bad taste we had in our mouths at Texas State, unfortunately for the players, we had a long break. We did a lot of practicing. I think we accomplished some things … I (think) our defense is improving. Attention to detail is improving.

Queen Ulabo. UTSA beat Idaho 76-69 in women's basketball on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Senior Queen Ulabo came off the bench against Idaho and sparked UTSA with a season-high 15 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I thought some adjustments we made during the game made a difference. I thought Jordyn adjusted as the game went along. You can tell every game, people have a game plan on her, and what they’re going to do with her. I thought she made a lot of extra passes today and didn’t force things.

“She kind of took what they gave her.”

With Aston starting three freshmen (Sidney Love, Alexis Parker and Maya Linton) and playing with as many as three on the floor at a time through the game, the young Roadrunners responded, building a lead as large as 19 points early in the fourth quarter.

At the outset, they set the tone, opening with three former San Antonio high school players in the backcourt — Love (from Steele), Parker (Brandeis) and junior Kyra White (Judson). Up front were Jenkins, from Kent, Wash., and Linton from Duncanville High School.

When White tweaked an ankle early in the first quarter, she hobbled off the court, returned briefly and then was shut down for the remainder of the afternoon. It was a situation that could have been disastrous, because the 5-10 USC transfer has been one of the team’s most productive players.

But even with White on the bench, the Roadrunners brought in players determined to win, all making plays, hitting shots and gradually building the lead. At the end of the first quarter, it was 18-14. By halftime, it was 37-28.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Idaho 76-69 in women's basketball on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Karen Aston’s UTSA Roadrunners improved to 2-5 for the season and 2-0 at home in the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Four freshmen — Parker, Love, Siena Guttadauro and Madison Cockrell — had a hand in an impressive 11-0 run to the halftime buzzer. In the second half, the Roadrunners kept up the pressure by hitting the Vandals with another 11-0 streak, this one at the outset of the fourth quarter.

Junior Queen Ulabo started it off with a three out of the corner. Love, the prep player of the year in the San Antonio area last season, capped it with her own corner three that hiked the score to 65-46 with 6:16 remaining.

Jenkins, meanwhile, imposed her will at almost every turn. In reaching the 20-point mark for the third time in her last four games, she hit eight of 13 shots from the field in the face of an assortment of traps and double teams.

Jenkins also had eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. And, what about fouls? She was whistled for only one, while drawing seven from the Vandals who were doing their best to defend a player with significant skill and touch on her shot.

In postgame interviews, she said she’s dealing with the extra attention from opposing teams as best she can.

“Like coach said, I’m going to just have to take whatever the other team gives me,” said Jenkins, now averaging 18.4 points per game. “I’ve noticed on the court (it’s) a lot more blurry, with a lot more people in my vision, so, in order to make myself better … whatever I do, it needs to be quick.

“Getting my teammates open is what I need to do a little more, just because they’re doubling me.”

Records

Idaho 2-6
UTSA 2-5

Coming up

UTSA at Incarnate Word, Thursday, 6 p.m.

Alexis Parker. UTSA beat Idaho 76-69 in women's basketball on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

The UTSA Roadrunners did a nice job in holding the Idaho Vandals to 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 32.1 percent from three. But once again, they allowed their opponent to take too many trips to the free-throw line. Idaho hit 20 of 26 free throws for the game, including 15 of 17 in the second half. UTSA, playing at home, made 14 of 21 freebies. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Notable

The five UTSA freshmen that Aston brought into the program over the summer all made their mark against the Vandals. Love had 17 points, five rebounds and two assists. Parker played the most minutes of any of them with 31. She had five points, three assists and a steal. Linton, tasked with guarding Idaho scoring whiz Beyonce Bea, had four rebounds. Off the bench, Cockrell had three points and a steal. Guttadauro finished with three points, hitting from behind the arc on a chaotic play at the end of the first half.

Queen’s day

Senior guard/forward Queen Ulabo had a big day offensively, coming off the bench to score 15 points in 25 minutes. Ulabo made five of eight from the field and four of six from three. Her four three-point baskets were a season high.

Idaho standouts

Guard Sydney Gandy and forward Beyonce Bea led the Vandals with 23 points apiece. A 6-1 forward who likes to play on the perimeter, Bea came into the game eighth in the nation in scoring, averaging 22 per game. UTSA did a decent job in holding her to four of 16 shooting from the field. Bea made UTSA pay, though, in hitting 15 of 18 at the free-throw line. Gandy sank eight of 19 afield, including five of 13 from three.

Video highlights

Alexis Parker’s sweet dish

Siena’s crazy play

Love is all you need

Correction

Sorry about the misspelled name in my fourth-quarter tweet (see above). UTSA’s freshman point guard is Sidney Love.

Undefeated New Mexico fends off a spirited effort from UTSA, 94-76

Posted on by

Trailing by 21 points early in the first half against the undefeated University of New Mexico Lobos, the UTSA Roadrunners battled from behind and gradually scratched their way back into contention. At one point after intermission, UTSA surprisingly pulled to within six.

But the Lobos, playing at home at the Super Pit in Albuquerque, didn’t flinch at the challenge and eventually rolled to a 94-76 victory in a men’s college basketball contest played before an announced crowd of 10,049.

“There were a lot of things in this game that were not good,” UTSA coach Steve Henson told the team’s radio broadcast. “But there were a few stretches where it encourages us, that we’re headed in the right direction in certain areas. This is the best team we’ve played. These guys are really good, and (it’s a) good environment.”

Coming in to the game, the Roadrunners knew they would need to deal with the Lobos’ top players in forwards Morris Udeze and Josiah Allick and guards Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. Regardless, all four played well.

Udeze had 24 points and eight rebounds, while Allick chipped in with 13 points, six boards and three blocks. House scored 21 points and hit four of five three-point shots. Mashburn had 18 points, including 13 of them in the second half to keep UTSA at bay.

For UTSA, D.J. Richards poured in 20 points in a career-high showing for the 6-foot-5 freshman guard, who has established himself as one of the team’s most reliable players through the first nine games.

Going up against an elite backcourt, Richards hit four of eight from the field, four of six from three and eight of nine at the line.

The Houston native from Cypress Creek High School continues to impress as a perimeter threat, having hit at least one shot from beyond the arc in all nine games and more than one on five occasions.

New Mexico did a much better job against some of UTSA’s more experienced players. For instance, center Jacob Germany had a string of two-straight double-doubles snapped, as he was held to eight points (on three of seven shooting) and seven rebounds.

The starting backcourt of Japhet Medor and John Buggs combined for 17 points, though they did have nine assists between them.

Medor, who had six points and five assists and fouled out in 19 minutes, finished three for seven from the field and did not get to the free-throw line. Buggs hit a couple of threes and scored 11, but he was three for 10 overall.

Records

New Mexico 9-0
UTSA 5-4

Quotable

“Really proud of Massal. He impacted the game in a positive way.” — UTSA coach Steve Henson said on the team’s radio broadcast, commenting on the play of 6-foot-9, 240-pound freshman Massal Diouf from The Netherlands. Diouf had three points and four rebounds and fouled out in 12 minutes.

Coming up

UTSA plays next at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

Aston says UTSA must learn to defend better without fouling

Posted on by
Kyra White. UTSA beat Abilene Christian 76-70 on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2022, at the Convocation Center in the Roadrunners' first women's basketball home game of the season. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Versatile guard Kyra White has averaged 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists despite playing five of her first six games away from home. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Saying bluntly that “we’ve got to grow up,” UTSA women’s basketball coach Karen Aston wants her players to acknowledge inconsistencies on the defensive end that have led to a 1-5 start to the season.

“We’ve got to do things better,” she said.

The schedule has been an obvious factor in the first month, with Aston’s Roadrunners losing all five games played away from the Convocation Center.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Abilene Christian 76-70 on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2022, at the Convocation Center in the Roadrunners' first women's basketball home game of the season. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Karen Aston has challenged her team to step it up defensively. – Photo by Joe Alexander

But on the eve of a Saturday afternoon home game against the University of Idaho, Aston downplayed the schedule and instead lamented what she called a “passive mentality” on defense that has led to an opponent parade to the free-throw line.

In fact, Roadrunners’ opponents have built a lopsided 114-84 advantage — collectively, in all six games — in free throw attempts. Opponents have also surged to a 95-59 edge in free throws made.

Even though UTSA has played three road games and two at neutral sites, it’s never a good thing for a coach to see that wide of a disparity. For the team to succeed in the long term, defending without fouling must become a priority.

“We have to get better,” Aston said. “We have to get in better position. We have to get more disciplined with what we do on the defensive end, because it’s overwhelming right now, the difference in the free throws.”

At least some of the disparity stems from the nature of the game. Ever since Dr. Naismith hung up the peach basket, home teams at all levels of the game have always shot more free throws.

In addition, it’s also true that teams with young and inexperienced players in key roles always tend to get beat up on the road.

But with games looming at Incarnate Word on Dec. 15 and at Houston on Dec. 19, followed by the start of the Conference USA schedule on Dec. 29 at home against Louisiana Tech, it’s a critical juncture of the schedule for the Roadrunners.

If they’re going to win consistently in the spring, when it matters, they need to start making necessary adjustments now.

“We have to be more disciplined and communicate better,” Aston said. “That’s just because we’re throwing so many young kids in the mix, so many that didn’t play last year. I mean, it’s just part of it. We’ve got to grow up. We’ve got to do things better than we’re doing.”

Aston said the Roadrunners, generally speaking, have been guilty of being out of position and reaching to make stops.

“I say this all the time, sometimes you can make a mistake by getting beat, but you don’t want to double it by fouling,” she said. “That’s what we’re doing … We’re getting beat. We’re letting someone have position, or cut on us, and then we’re late to help, so we foul. Or, we get beat and we foul.

“So we have to make some adjustments. We have to get better.”

Coming up

Idaho at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Records

Idaho 2-5
UTSA 1-5

Notable

Like UTSA, Idaho has struggled in the early going of the season. But Vandals forward Beyonce Bea is eighth in the nation in scoring, averaging 22.6 points on 50.9 percent shooting from the field. The 6-1 native of Washougal, Wash., is also averaging 9.4 rebounds …

Three UTSA players rank in the top three in Conference USA in key individual statistical categories. Junior forward Jordyn Jenkins is third in scoring (17.8) and third in field goal percentage (47.2). Junior guard Kyra White is second in assists (4.0). Sophomore center Elyssa Coleman is second in blocks (1.7). Jenkins scored a season-high 25 points against St. John’s on Nov. 26 …

Coach Karen Aston said she hopes to know “in a couple of weeks” whether 6-foot-4 center Nissa Sam-Grant will be able to play this season. Sam-Grant, a transfer from Panola College, is academically ineligible. Aston declined to speculate on what will happen with an appeal to the NCAA. Despite the uncertainty, Sam-Grant has improved by continuing to practice hard, the coach said.