Tag Archives: women’s college basketball

Hardaway scores 20 as the UTSA women romp past FAU, 79-42

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After losing by 17 points in Tampa against the South Florida Bulls on Tuesday night, the UTSA Roadrunners wanted to make amends when they tipped off in Boca Raton against Florida Atlantic on Friday.

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

Ereauna Hardaway scored a season-high 20 points on seven of 11 shooting from the field. She was four for five beyond the 3-point arc. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Ultimately, the UTSA women played more to their potential against the Owls in the second game of a two-game American Conference road trip, rolling to leads as large as 41 in the second half en route to an easy 79-42 victory.

UTSA’s winning margin of 37 points was the widest in a regular-season conference game or in any road game in Coach Karen Aston’s five years at the school. The Roadrunners beat Sam Houston State by 43 at home in a non-conference game on Dec. 7, 2024.

With the victory, the Roadrunners (9-7, 4-1) regained the swagger more befitting of the defending champions in the American.

“We had great energy just from the jump,” Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s radio broadcast. “Our defense was really, really good in the first half. Not as good in the second, but I just thought we were very intentional with how we played the game today.”

The Owls (8-10, 2-4) entered the evening hoping to extend a two-game win streak in the American, but they never could figure out the Roadrunners on either end of the floor.

On the offensive end, UTSA played with a high level of efficiency, shooting a season-high 53.7 percent from the field. Ball movement was a key, with the Roadrunners scoring 29 field goals on 18 assists, with only 13 turnovers.

North Texas transfer Ereauna Hardaway scored 11 of her team- and season-high 20 points in the second quarter, when the Roadrunners blew the game open. The 5-8 senior hit seven of 11 shots from the field, including four of five from behind the 3-point arc.

Forward Cheyenne Rowe had 19 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

In addition, freshman guard Adriana Robles played one of her better games of the season with 10 points and four assists. When she took a charge on a drive in the first half, her teammates hailed her effort with a raucous cheer.

Mia Hammonds produced seven points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Damara Allen scored eight to go along with her team-high five assists. Nine UTSA players scored, notably, Siena Guttadauro with her first two points since returning to active status on Jan. 3.

Defensively, the Roadrunners smothered a smaller Owls team, not allowing much of anything within 15 feet of the basket. The Owls hit only five field goals in the first half for a 20-percent reading from the field.

A 40-percent shooting team for the season, they finished with 27 percent for the game, including three of 17 makes from three-point distance. Starting forward Vivian Onugha led the Owls with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Records

UTSA 9-7, 4-1
FAU 8-10, 2-4

Coming up

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

Notable

Rice leads the conference with a 4-0 record, followed by East Carolina, South Florida, North Texas and UTSA, all at 4-1.

The Roadrunners entered the day ranked 129th in the nation among 363 teams in the NCAA Evaluation Tool metric, while Florida Atlantic came in at 217.

UTSA scored its third-most points in a game this season, behind only 86 against Prairie View A&M and 82 versus Texas A&M-Kingsville. UTSA’s 10 three-point baskets ranked second, behind only the 12 makes against Kingsville.

Florida Atlantic’s 42 points were the fourth fewest by a UTSA opponent, behind 40 by Prairie View and Kingsville and 41 by Texas State.

Injured UTSA athletes not playing include Idara Udo and Maya Linton, both of them starters on last year’s 26-5 team. Udo has played 10 games this year, but has sat out the last six with a lower leg injury. Linton has not played.

Neither one of them, however, are listed as out for the season in the conference’s availability reports.

First half

Hardaway led a dominant effort with 15 points as the Roadrunners pushed out to a 41-16 halftime lead. The 41 points tied a UTSA season-best in a half.

Hardaway scored 11 of her points in the second period, when the Roadrunners outscored the Owls, 23-7.

From the start, the Roadrunners completely throttled the Owls, who entered the night with two straight wins in the American.

FAU was held to three of 15 shooting in the first quarter and two of 12 in the second. In the half, the Owls scored only two two-point field goals.

Offensively, the Roadrunners moved the ball well and effectively looped passes inside against a smaller front line. The ploy worked, with UTSA shooting 59 percent in the half.

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.

A burgeoning rivalry is renewed as the UTSA women travel to meet South Florida

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Update: UTSA freshman guard Adriana Robles will be available to play tonight at South Florida, according to the player availability report issued Tuesday afternoon. Robles suffered an apparent ankle injury at home Saturday in a 69-63 victory against Charlotte.

All-conference forward Idara Udo will sit out her fifth straight game with a lower leg injury, according to the report. UTSA is 3-1 in her absence, including 3-0 to start play in the American Conference.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Undefeated after three games in the American Conference women’s basketball race, the defending regular-season champion UTSA Roadrunners will play on the road in Tampa on Tuesday night in the continuation of a burgeoning rivalry against the South Florida Bulls.

The Roadrunners, in only their third season in the American, all under fifth-year coach Karen Aston, have become a challenger to the Bulls for superiority in the conference.

UTSA has won two out of three in head-to-head meetings, including two wins in the 2023-24 season. One of them came in the regular season in San Antonio and another in the conference tournament at Frisco.

The latter, a tense, 58-56 victory in the tournament quarterfinals, ended the season for the Bulls.

Last season, South Florida exacted revenge, winning 75-63 in Tampa and handing UTSA its only loss in a 17-1 regular season.

The Bulls, who finished third at 13-4, won the big prize by sweeping three games in Frisco for the postseason title and a trip to the NCAA tournament.

UTSA bowed out in the quarterfinals and ended up playing in the less prestigious Women’s Basketball Invitational.

This season, the dynamics of the rivalry changed.

Not only did standouts from both teams move on in their careers, but longtime South Florida coach Jose Fernandez left in late October to accept a job with the WNBA’s Dallas Wings.

He won 485 games and went to 10 NCAA tournaments the past 25 seasons at South Florida.

In the wake of Fernandez’ departure, South Florida promoted associate head coach Michelle Woods-Baxter to interim head coach, and the transition began.

After two weeks of conference play, the Bulls are 10-7 and No. 73 in the NET. The Roadrunners, with several players injured and not playing, are 8-6 and 124th, respectively.

In the American, the Roadrunners are tied for first place with the Rice Owls and Tulsa Golden Hurricane at 3-0, while the Bulls are knotted with the East Carolina Pirates and North Texas Mean Green at 3-1.

Records

UTSA 8-6, 3-0
South Florida 10-7, 3-1

Coming up

UTSA at South Florida, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at at Florida Atlantic, Friday, 6 p.m.

Notable

Both UTSA and South Florida have won three straight.

American women’s basketball: South Florida tops the field in NET rankings

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Competition in American Conference women’s and men’s basketball will get underway this week. Here are the national rankings for each team on the women’s side as published on Sunday morning, according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET):

Women’s basketball

1) South Florida
NET: 78
Record: 7-6

2) Rice
NET: 82
Record: 10-3

3) Temple
NET: 98
Record: 6-6

4) UAB
NET: 120
Record: 7-5

5) Tulsa
NET: 133
Record: 8-4

6) UTSA
NET: 134
Record: 5-6

7) North Texas
NET: 142
Record: 6-6

8) Charlotte
NET: 150
Record: 6-7

9) East Carolina
NET: 170
Record: 8-5

10) Tulane
NET: 177
Record: 5-7

11) Memphis
NET: 225
Record: 6-7

12) Florida Atlantic
NET: 229
Record: 6-6

13) Wichita State
NET: 284
Record: 3-10

This week’s schedule

Tuesday — Tulane at UTSA; 1 p.m.; UAB at East Carolina, 5 p.m.; North Texas at FAU, 6 p.m.; Rice at South Florida, 6 p.m.; Wichita State at Tulsa, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday — Memphis at Charlotte, 2 p.m.

Saturday — Memphis at East Carolina, 1 p.m.; Rice at FAU, 1 p.m.; UTSA at Temple, 1:30 p.m.; Tulane at Wichita State, 2 p.m.; UAB at Charlotte, 2 p.m.; North Texas at South Florida, 6 p.m.

UTSA women hoping for a signature victory today in New York City

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

On a trip to New York during the holidays, the UTSA women will get more than a chance to see the sights in the big city.

Coach Karen Aston. UTSA women's basketball lost to UNLV 66-39 on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Karen Aston leads the Roadrunners into New York today to play the defending Ivy League champion Columbia Lions. – File photo by Joe Alexander

The defending champions in the American Conference have one last opportunity to produce a signature victory and boost their standing in the NCAA rankings before league play commences.

With tipoff set for noon today Central time, the defending Ivy League champion Columbia Lions will be waiting at Levien Gymnasium to test the Roadrunners.

UTSA coach Karen Aston said her players will need to be “on task” against a very good team.

“We’ll have to have a competitive mindset for 40 minutes,” she said.

Columbia finished 24-7 last season and made school history by winning its first NCAA tournament game.

The Lions defeated the Big Ten’s Washington Huskies in the Round of 68 before getting knocked out in the next round by the Big 12’s West Virginia Mountaineers.

This season, the Lions return six players from the NCAA squad, including their two leading scorers, guards Riley Weiss and Perri Page.

Columbia (7-4) has played a rigorous non-conference schedule and has been prone to inconsistency, but has won a few games against high major competition.

On opening night, the Lions won on the road, beating Butler of the Big East in Indianapolis.

Eleven days ago, they defeated another Big East team, the Seton Hall Pirates, on the road in South Orange, N.J.

Page hit the game-winning basket on a driving layup with one second remaining.

As a result, the Lions are 70th in the NET rankings of 363 NCAA Division I programs, with the Roadrunners (5-5) coming in at No. 148.

UTSA finished 26-5 last season and won the American at 17-1.

But this year has served as a challenge with a few stars playing out their eligibility, a few others transferring to other programs and more than a few talented athletes sitting out with injuries.

On top of all that, the Roadrunners have played four games, dropping all four, against power conference opponents.

The team’s best wins have come on a neutral site (in Frisco) against Grand Canyon Lopes of the Mountain West and at home against the Sun Belt’s Texas State Bobcats.

UTSA enters today’s game coming off home victories over Prairie View A&M and NCAA Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Records

UTSA 5-5
Columbia 7-4

Coming up

Tulane at UTSA, Dec. 30, 1 p.m.

UTSA women ignite a ‘6-7’ cheer from young fans as they win their second straight

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Ereauna Hardaway, Dec. 15, 2025

Guard Ereauna Hardaway produced 15 points and eight assists Monday as the UTSA Roadrunners overwhelmed the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas, 82-40. – Photo by Antonio Moreno, from UTSA athletics

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Hundreds of giddy elementary school students on Monday afternoon playfully ushered the “6-7” phenomenon into the halls of higher education at UTSA.

On a day billed as “Rowdy’s Fast Break Field Trip,” school kids in attendance at a Roadrunners’ women’s basketball game waited patiently for an opportunity to celebrate the latest pre-teen fad.

Their chance came two minutes into the fourth quarter at the Convocation Center when UTSA forward Sanaa Bean tossed a pass out of the post. Her teammate, Adriana Robles, caught it and calmly swished a three pointer.

As soon as the scoreboard flashed to 67-31, in favor of the Roadrunners, kids seated on the east side of the Convo’s lower section of seats erupted in cheers.

Remarkably, the celebration lasted pretty much to the end of UTSA’s 82-40 victory over the Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas, their second win in three days.

UTSA players rekindled the positive vibes afterward, taking a few minutes after the school song to walk as a group to an area right in front of their new fans.

Mia Hammonds, a sophomore from San Antonio-area Steele High School, led an impromptu cheer, thanking them for coming out. She said later that she likes playing in front of kids.

“I just love the energy,” Hammonds said. “Like, that’s our best crowd … kids full of energy. I think they were really into the game, and I think that really helped us, especially with our 6-7.

“We all had a good time when we hit 67.”

According to published reports, the nationwide fad among young people apparently started with a rap song by Skrilla, entitled, “Doot Doot (6-7),” with it gaining viral attention via TikTok.

In media interviews after the game, Hammonds was asked about it and tried to explain what it was all about, with coach Karen Aston and guard Ereauna Hardaway seated next to her and listening in.

“As a young adult and as children,” Hammonds said, “that 6-7 is such an important number to us. I don’t know how we got here. But we love it, and we cheered for it. Right coach?”

Replied Aston, “I can’t tell you what it is. I don’t even know how it originated. But it’s a craze right now, so we just went along with it.”

The UTSA women started the season with their toughest schedule in years, playing four Power Four conference opponents among six games away from home out of their first eight.

Returning home to play twice in the past three days against teams they should beat, they took full advantage of the situation, rolling to two easy victories and evening their record at 5-5.

After powering past the Division I Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers 86-40 on Saturday, they played a game against the Javelinas that was similar in some respects.

Like the Lady Panthers on Saturday, the Javelinas hit a few shots early and started fast but soon gave way to the Roadrunners, who dominated with their size and quickness over the last three quarters to win easily.

Hardaway produced 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds to lead the Roadrunners. Cheyenne Rowe and Hammonds scored 12 apiece, and Damara Allen had 10.

For the third straight game, Hardaway, a senior transfer from North Texas, scored in double figures.

In that stretch, she’s scored 40 points combined against Baylor, Prairie View and Kingsville, while nailing 16 of 33 from the field and five of seven from three.

Records

Texas A&M-Kingsville 0-7
UTSA 5-5
x-The game counts on UTSA’s record but not on Kingsville’s.

Coming up

UTSA at Columbia (N.Y.), Dec. 20, 1 p.m.
x-Tulane at UTSA, 1 p.m., Dec. 30, 1 p.m.
x-American Conference opener

Freshman guard Adriana Robles hit a three in the fourth quarter to give UTSA 67 points, prompting a cheer from fans who have taken to a social media fueled ‘6-7’ fad among children. – Photo by Antonio Moreno, from UTSA athletics

A one-point quarter

The Javelinas had problems on the offensive end of the floor long before they showed up at the Convocation Center. They were averaging 47 points a game in an 0-7 start.

The Roadrunners added to the visitors’ woes by building a 38-17 halftime lead.

As they won the second quarter, 14-1, they held the Javelinas to zero for eight from the field.

Kingsville was held without a point for more than nine minutes before Landri Richey was fouled and hit the second of two free throws with 16 seconds left.

The Roadrunners also struggled offensively, especially early, though they warmed up to finish with more than 80 points for the second straight game.

In the end, UTSA shot 41.7 percent from the field and 48 percent (12 of 25) from three. Defensively, the Roadrunners dominated, forcing 30 turnovers that led to 34 points.

UTSA sophomore guard Mia Hammonds scored 12 points, including nine in the second half on three of three shooting. – Photo by Antonio Moreno, UTSA athletics

Notable

Six scholarship players out of 15 on the UTSA roster have not played this season.

Five of them regularly attend all home games, including forwards Taylor Ross and Sema Udo, plus guards Maya Linton, Siena Guttadauro and Saher Alizada.

Another, Nyayongah Gony, hasn’t been seen in warmups or on the bench at home games this season.

UTSA has said that Ross and Udo have suffered season-ending injuries, while Guttadauro gave birth to a son in July. The others are presumed to be dealing with injury rehabilitation or other unspecified issues.

It’s uncertain if any among the six will be available to play in the Roadrunners’ 18-game conference schedule, which commences on Dec. 30 against Tulane.

Linton emerged last season as one of the best defensive players in the American Conference for the Roadrunners, who won the league title at 17-1.

UTSA women carry momentum into a Wednesday night home game against UNLV

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

Cheyenne Rowe leads the Roadrunners with 13.7 points and also averages 7.5 rebounds. After a stirring comeback victory against Grand Canyon (Ariz.) last week, UTSA plays a home game Wednesday night against the four-time defending Mountain West champion UNLV Lady Rebels. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Six days have passed since the UTSA women registered a stunning comeback victory against the Arizona-based Grand Canyon Lopes in Frisco, and players are still talking about it.

Especially about how Roadrunners forward Cheyenne Rowe took over the game in the final minutes.

“Honestly, it wasn’t a shocker to me,” UTSA guard Jayda Holiman said Tuesday, on the eve of a Wednesday night home game against the UNLV Lady Rebels. “You know, Cheyenne, she’s a big-time player. She does those things. She does it in practice all the time.”

Trailing by 10, UTSA outscored Grand Canyon 18-7 in the final 3:35 to win by one. Rowe scored 10 of her career-high 20 points in the final 2:03 to punctuate the Roadrunners’ 65-64 victory.

“We know, when it’s time, it’s time for Cheyenne Rowe to go,” Holiman said. “I really trust Chey as a player. She works hard. Always. Has a great attitude as well. I really respect her.

“Honestly, it was just Chey being Chey.”

The defending American Conference champion Roadrunners will need another big effort to beat the Lady Rebels, who have won four straight Mountain West regular-season titles.

UNLV (4-3) has won two straight games, beating Creighton and Northern Iowa off campus last week in Las Vegas.

The Rebels opened the season with victories at home over Washington State and DePaul, before losing three straight against Baylor, Montana State and Arizona State. UNLV lost to nationally-ranked Baylor at home and the other two on the road.

UTSA (3-3) has played fairly consistently on the defensive end lately while struggling at times to put up points on offense.

At Frisco, in the Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Challenge, the Roadrunners turned it over 30 times in losing their opener to Auburn, 59-42.

After a 48-hour break, they defeated Grand Canyon, 65-64, winning on Rowe’s two free throws with seven seconds left and a defensive stop in the paint just before time expired.

Records

UNLV 4-3
UTSA 3-3

Coming up

UNLV at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
UTSA at Baylor, Sunday, 2 p.m.

Notable

Both UTSA and UNLV are in transition from last year’s championship seasons.

Of the nine UTSA players in the rotation now, only Idara Udo was a starter for the team that won a school-record 26 games a year ago and advanced to the WBIT.

Returners in expanded roles this season include forwards Rowe and Emilia Dannebauer and guards Damara Allen and Mia Hammonds.

UNLV also reached last year’s WBIT, and only two Lady Rebels who played in the second-round loss to Florida were on the floor in their most recent game against Northern Iowa — 6-2 forward Meadow Roland and guard Aaliyah Alexander.

Roland, who scored 25 against Creighton and 17 against Northern Iowa, leads the Lady Rebels with 16.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. Guards Jasmin Lott (13.3) and Aaliyah Alexander (12.0) are also double-figures scorers.

Rowe-led UTSA women rally late to stun Grand Canyon, 65-64

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Showcasing equal parts effort, poise and skill in the clutch, the UTSA women erased a 10-point deficit in the final 3:32 Wednesday afternoon to stun the Grand Canyon (Ariz.) Lopes, 65-64, in the Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Challenge.

“Oh, man,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said later. “That was crazy.”

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

Cheyenne Rowe scored 10 of her career-high 20 points in the final two minutes as the UTSA Roadrunners came from behind to beat the Grand Canyon Lopes. – File photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA senior forward Cheyenne Rowe scored 10 of her team- and career-high 20 points in the last 2:06 as the Roadrunners came back on the Lopes and left Frisco’s Comerica Center with a split of two games in the multi-team event.

She knocked down two free throws with seven seconds left to account for the final score. On the other end, Grand Canyon forward Anisa Jeffries missed a shot from the paint as time expired.

On Monday, the Roadrunners played poorly in the opener, shot 29 percent from the field and turned it over 30 times, as the Auburn Tigers beat them easily, 59-42. Against Grand Canyon, they started fast and led the Lopes for most of the first three quarters.

In the fourth, the Lopes made a charge. Down by two to start the quarter, they hit three three-pointers and outscored the Roadrunners 19-7 in the first seven minutes. A triple by Julia LaMendola splashed with 3:32 remaining and boosted Grand Canyon into a 57-47 lead.

Undeterred, the Roadrunners made play after play in the clutch to pull it out. “I thought we established some leadership tonight,” Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s postgame radio broadcast. “For the first time, I thought we rose up and kind of carried our young guys.

“Cheyenne and Ereauna Hardaway, they rose to the top as far as leadership, and we needed that. We needed to see who could do that. This was really good for us.”

Faced with the 10-point deficit, UTSA called on junior transfer Jayda Holiman, who was making her first start of the season. The younger sister of former UTSA men’s team guard Adante’ Holiman initiated the late uprising with a three.

After a Lopes turnover, the Roadrunners rebounded three of their own misses on one possession and turned it into two Rowe free throws. When Rowe hit two with 2:06 remaining, Grand Canyon’s lead had been trimmed to five.

Grand Canyon guard Chloe Mann made it a seven-point game at 59-52 when she drew a foul and hit two free throws. On the next possession, the Lopes had a chance to boost the spread back to 10, but LaMendola misfired on a three.

Jayda Holiman. UTSA women's basketball beat Incarnate Word 74-57 on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at UIW. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jayda Holiman earned her first start of the season and responded with 12 points and eight rebounds. – File photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA scored the next five points on a banked-in three by Rowe and two free throws by sophomore Emilia Dannebauer. In response, LaMendola dialed up another shot from long distance, and this one hit to put the Lopes up 62-57 with 49 seconds left.

Undaunted, the Roadrunners pushed it the other way and answered with a Damara Allen three, off an assist from Ereauna Hardaway.

Trailing by only two at that point, the Roadrunners didn’t need to foul, but they did, putting Ale’jah Douglas on the line. She hit two, boosting the Lopes into a 64-60 advantage with 36 seconds remaining.

UTSA answered again with – who else? – Rowe, who buried a three to bring UTSA to within one. After a couple of timeouts with 31 seconds left, the Lopes made their last costly mistake, as Jeffries turned it over on an errant pass.

The Roadrunners gained possession, put the ball in Rowe’s hands, and the 6-foot-2 native of Canada drew a foul from Holly Griffiths. Rowe sank both freebies with seven seconds left to give the Roadrunners the lead and, ultimately, their most satisfying victory of the season.

UTSA pulled off the comeback despite standout center Idara Udo fouling out with 6:49 remaining.

“It was kind of a chess match for awhile with Idara being in foul trouble,” Aston said. “And, just fatigue. You know, we’re not a very deep bunch. We kind of have to mix and match sometimes. You know, I thought they hung in there with it, and we went to the press late.

“Obviously we can’t do that the whole game. I told them when we do it, they got to sell out on it, and they did that.”

Records

Grand Canyon 1-6
UTSA 3-3

Coming up

UNLV at UTSA, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

Shuffling the starting lineup after a loss on Monday to the Auburn Tigers, the UTSA Roadrunners bounced out to a 28-23 lead at intermission against the Grand Canyon (Ariz.) Lopes at the Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Challenge.

On the last day of the multi-team event in Frisco, in the DFW area, the Roadrunners installed guard Jayda Holiman into the starting lineup, and Holiman responded with 12 points and eight rebounds. She knocked down four three pointers for her second straight game in double figures.

Damara Allen also contributed 12 points and six rebounds. Allen, a sophomore from Aurora, Colo., made two of UTSA’s season-high nine triples. In all, the Roadrunners made nine of 15 from beyond the arc to offset 10 threes by the Lopes.

In many ways, point guard Ereauna Hardaway was the glue, producing seven points, four assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes.

Once again, though, Cheyenne Rowe led the Roadrunners with an all-around performance.

She had seven rebounds, a block and a steal in 38 minutes. Hitting five of 12 from the field and two of three from distance, she also sank all eight of her free throws. Notably, she was only nine of 17 at the line coming into the game.

Julia LaMendola connected on five triples and led the Lopes with 21 points. Anisa Jeffries scored 12 and Chloe Mann and Ale’jah Douglas had 11 apiece.

The loss was the Lopes’ sixth of the season, but their 1-6 record is deceiving, in that they’ve dropped games to powers South Carolina and Oregon on the road and to Atlantic Coast Conference entry Cal on a neutral site. South Carolina is the No. 2 team in the nation.

Last year, Grand Canyon finished 32-3 and lost to Baylor in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Records

Grand Canyon 1-6
UTSA 3-3

Coming up

UNLV at UTSA, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 6:30 p.m.

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Defense boosts Auburn women to a 59-42 victory over UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA coach Karen Aston said coming into the Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Challenge that the length and athleticism of the Auburn Tigers would be a concern.

Aston was right, as the Tigers from the Southeastern Conference forced 30 turnovers and converted them into 25 points in a 59-42 victory over the Roadrunners in the opener of the three-day, multi-team event at the Comerica Center in Frisco.

The Roadrunners felt good coming into Frisco after winning back-to-back games against regional rivals Texas State and Incarnate Word. But the defending champions in the American Conference were no match for the Tigers.

The Tigers just had too much quickness for the Roadrunners, who never seemed to be able to string together a run because of ball-handling miscues. As a result, they were held to their season low in total points.

Guard Kaitlyn Duhon had four steals and two blocks to spark Auburn on the defensive end. Offensively, guard Mya Petticord scored 14 points. Guard A’riel Jackson added 12 and forward Khady Leye 10 for the Tigers, who won easily despite shooting 39.7 percent.

Guard Jayda Holiman came off the bench to lead the Roadrunners with 14 points. Forward Cheyenne Rowe added 13 points and seven rebounds. Rowe, who entered shooting 54 percent from the field, finished six of 13.

As a team, UTSA was held to 29.2 percent on 14 of 48 shooting. Outside of Rowe, UTSA’s starters were all held down below their averages. Damara Allen had six points and Ereauna Hardaway and Idara Udo two apiece. Mia Hammonds was scoreless.

First half

The Tigers forced nine turnovers in the first half and converted them into 14 points as they took a 33-24 lead.

Records

Auburn 7-0
UTSA 2-3

Coming up

UTSA vs. Grand Canyon, Ariz., Wednesday, 4 p.m., at Frisco

Notable

With the loss, UTSA extended a long losing streak against opponents from power conferences. The Roadrunners have dropped 28 in a row against the majors, including 12 in a row under Aston.

UTSA hasn’t won a game against a power conference foe since 2010 when the Roadrunners beat the Kansas State Wildcats in San Antonio.

Auburn is now 2-0 against UTSA in the all-time series. In the only other meeting between the schools, the Tigers defeated the Roadrunners 73-50 on Dec. 30, 2001 in San Diego.

Quotable

“There’s things we consistently do in practice, that, I’ve been telling them, it’s not going to translate,” UTSA coach Karen Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s radio broadcast. “You know, it’s not going to translate against good competition, and we continue to do it. Until we can take care of the ball better and slow down a little offensively, and handle the ball and do the tough things, then I think we’re going to get the same results.”

UTSA women block out the noise and roll past Incarnate Word

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Cheyenne Rowe. UTSA women's basketball beat Incarnate Word 74-57 on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at UIW. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Cheyenne Rowe reached a career-high in scoring for the second straight game, producing 17 points in a 74-57 victory over Incarnate Word. She hit seven for 11 from the field, hiking her shooting percentage to a team-leading 54 percent. — Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

For the players and coaches on both benches, and for all the late-arriving fans walking into the McDermott Convocation Center on Wednesday night, the first thing that came to mind was the noise.

The University of the Incarnate Word band, rocking and rolling in the north west corner of the gymnasium, was loud. On top of that, the piped-in sound booming through the speakers hiked the decibel level a few more notches.

Then, when the 1,138 fans started to feel the emotion of a fast start by the home-team Cardinals, their voices only added to the cacophony.

Idara Udo. UTSA women's basketball beat Incarnate Word 74-57 on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at UIW. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Junior center Idara Udo, wearing jersey No. 25, finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds. She grabbed six boards off the offensive glass. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The visiting UTSA Roadrunners, to their credit, kept their cool.

Steadying themselves after the Cardinals drained three 3-point baskets in the first three minutes, the Roadrunners gradually imposed their will on the proceedings and rolled to a 74-57 victory.

“I was really proud of our players,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I thought it was a great atmosphere. I thought they did a great job of getting people in the stands. The band was good. It was a really good basketball atmosphere.”

For the Roadrunners, it was their second straight lopsided victory after winning at home last week by 64-41 against the I-35 rival Texas State Bobcats.

“Our players are learning kind of on the job right now,” Aston said. “I thought they handled it really well. Really well. I thought we played hard. We’ve got lots to work on, but that’s what we’re doing this week.”

Amped with emotion to play the defending champions in the American Conference, the Cardinals (1-3) kept the game close for one quarter until the Roadrunners (2-2) started to play with a little more aggression on the defensive end.

UTSA led 21-20 going into the second period and then blitzed UIW 20-9 in the next 10 minutes behind a scoring and rebounding binge from starting frontcourt players Cheyenne Rowe and Idara Udo.

Up by 12 at halftime, the Roadrunners never allowed the Cardinals to get closer than nine the rest of the way.

Jhasmin Player. UTSA women's basketball beat Incarnate Word 74-57 on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at UIW. - Photo by Joe Alexander

First-year UIW coach Jhasmin Player said it was an “incredible’ feeling to work against one of her long-time confidants, veteran UTSA head coach Karen Aston. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First-year UIW coach Jhasmin Player was still emotional after the game, talking about how it felt “incredible” to go up against one of her long-time basketball mentors.

As a high school standout in Bay City some 20 years ago, Player met Aston as a University of Texas assistant who was trying to recruit her to play for the Longhorns.

Though Player eventually signed with Baylor, their paths crossed a few years later when Aston joined head coach Kim Mulkey’s staff in Waco for one season.

The Lady Bears went 26-9 and reached the NCAA tournament that year. Player said it was incredible to work her fourth game as a college head coach against Aston, who has won 351 games in a little more than 17 seasons.

“Coaching against Karen was just one of the most incredible things,” Player said. “She is one of my favorite coaches ever. She was one of my favorite assistants (when I played). Now, as a head coach, she’s one I follow really closely because I always had such a high respect for her.

“I thought the atmosphere in here was great tonight. I think this is exactly what it needs to be all the time. I’m glad our kids at least gave us one really great quarter of competitive basketball. That first quarter was fun.”

A number of UTSA players made it extremely tough for UIW to sustain any momentum.

Adriana Robles. UTSA women's basketball beat Incarnate Word 74-57 on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at UIW. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Adriana Robles scored 11 points off the bench on four of five shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Rowe, who along with Udo was playing with foul trouble much of the second half, led the Roadrunners with a career-high 17 points. The ball often found her as the shot clock was winding down, but she almost always answered, hitting seven of 11 from the field.

Udo, for her part, produced 11 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Ereauna Hardaway, a UTSA newcomer, had 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in her best performance for the Roadrunners.

Not to be outdone, freshman guard Adriana Robles had 11 points and four assists. She hit four of five from the field.

Hardaway said it felt great to get a win.

“I felt like it was a great atmosphere,” she said. “It reminded me of when I was in high school. It’s not a big gym but the fans made it seem like there were a lot of people here. So it was a great atmosphere, a cross-town rivalry.”

In winning decisively, the Roadrunners reached their season-high in points. They out-rebounded the Cardinals 43-22 and pounded the ball into a zone defense to draw contact, which yielded 19 points at the line in 26 attempts.

“We’re building our chemistry,” Hardaway said. “As we continue to play, we’re learning to play with each other, building chemistry and gaining confidence in each other.”

Further underscoring the improvement of the offense, UTSA shot a season-high 52.1 percent from the field. If the Roadrunners could have cut down on a few of their 18 turnovers, they could have easily scored in the 80s.

“It’s practice translating into games,” Hardaway said. “It’s putting the work in, in practice and executing on the offensive end and trusting in our teammates to know what to do.”

Guard Destiny Whitaker led the Cardinals with 18 points and six rebounds. She hit three 3-pointers, all in the first quarter, including one from halfcourt at the first period buzzer. Jorja Elliott had 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Records

UTSA 2-2
UIW 1-3

Coming up

UTSA vs. Auburn, Monday, at Frisco, 4 p.m.
UTSA vs. Grand Canyon, Wednesday, at Frisco, 4 p.m.

Notable

Cardinals guard Madison Cockrell, a former player with the Roadrunners, did not dress out. She sat out with an injury after starting for UIW in its first three games.

UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe has hit career highs in scoring in each of her last two games. She scored 16 against Texas State and added 17 against UIW. In her third season with the Roadrunners, Rowe is shooting 54 percent from the field.

Roadrunners coach Karen Aston said earlier this week that Rowe’s work in the summer always pays dividends

“One of my favorite things to talk about is … the time that they use in the summer, it all comes to light in the winter time,” Aston said, “and I think she’s a reflection of that. She always takes advantage of summer to make sure that her shooting is consistent, and her confidence is consistent with that.”

Recruiting

UTSA on Wednesday announced the signing guard Rihyana Kinsey from Waco La Vega. Previously, the Roadrunners signed forward-center Amaya McDonald from Braswell High School in Aubrey. McDonald’s hometown is Shreveport, La. Both are expected to join the team for the 2026-27 season.

Ereauna Hardaway. UTSA women's basketball beat Incarnate Word 74-57 on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at UIW. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Newcomer Ereauna Hardaway, a transfer from North Texas, played her best game for the Roadrunners with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander