Tag Archives: women’s college basketball

UTSA women open play today in the AAC at Charlotte

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After losing only twice in the first few months of the season, UTSA women open conference play today on the road against the Charlotte 49ers.

The Roadrunners (9-2) will carry high hopes of making an American Athletic Conference championship run into a meeting with the 49ers (5-6) at 1 p.m. at Halton Arena.

Blessed with a dynamic scoring threat in forward Jordyn Jenkins, quality guard play and a defense yielding only 55 points per game, UTSA has won six times by double-digit margins.

The Roadrunners have had a week off since routing Texas State, 70-54, in San Marcos on Dec. 21. On that same day, the 49ers also played on the road and lost by 27 at Davidson.

In falling 82-55, Charlotte failed to score 60 for the eighth time this season.

Playing under the guidance of new coach Tomekia Reed, the 49ers’ best hope today might be in controlling the pace and locking down on the defensive end, where they’re holding opponents to 64.2 points.

Charlotte has won three games this year during which it has limited opponents to fewer than 50 points. The 49ers won at Mercer on Dec. 5 by 43-42. They did it again at home on Dec. 16 when they beat Winthrop, 55-47.

Jackson State transfer Hayleigh Breland leads Charlotte, averaging 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds. Forward Keanna Rembert, who averages 9.9. points and 6.0, was one of the players who faced the Roadrunners last year in San Antonio.

Rembert played 37 minutes and scored 10 points as the Roadrunners downed the 49ers 81-80 in double overtime.

Records

UTSA 9-2
Charlotte 5-6

Coming up

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

Notable

Both the UTSA women and men will play today for the first time since the holiday break, and both are on the road.

The men (6-5) will take on the Army Black Knights (5-6) at West Point, N.Y. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. It’s the last non-conference game for the Roadrunners before they open AAC play on Jan. 4 at Tulane. Tai’Reon Joseph, Raekwon Horton and Marcus Millender are expected to play.

Joseph and Horton sat out UTSA’s last game, on Dec. 19, against Southwestern Adventist. Millender exited the game in the first half with an injury.

Women’s basketball: UTSA faces a road test at I-35 rival Texas State

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UTSA players warm up in Strahan Arena in preparation for a noon tipoff against the Texas State Bobcats. – Photo by Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

SAN MARCOS — The UTSA women’s basketball team is 8-2 this season leading into Saturday’s date with the Texas State Bobcats. If the Roadrunners can win in Strahan Arena, the Roadrunners would take the best record in school history into conference play when they open on the road in The American next week at Charlotte.

Even though UTSA might have its best team in years, with premium guard play, quality depth and a prominent inside scoring threat in Jordyn Jenkins, the task might not be an easy one.

Texas State has won six straight in the series against UTSA, including a 3-0 record against Roadrunners coach Karen Aston. UTSA hasn’t won a game in the Interstate 35 rivalry series since 2016 and hasn’t won in San Marcos since 2013.

Additionally, the Bobcats are 6-3 and playing well, having won four in a row. In their last outing, they traveled to meet the the University of Denver last Sunday, downing the Pioneers 63-60. Kansas State transfer Ja’Mia Harris, a 5-11 sophomore, led the way with 16 points.

During the winning streak, the Bobcats have won at UT-Rio Grande Valley and Tarleton State, at home against the University of Texas at Dallas and then on the road again at Denver.

Forward Jaylin Foster, who played in high school at Cibolo Steele in the San Antonio area, leads the Bobcats, averaging 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals. Guard Destiny Terrell, a transfer from Incarnate Word, averages 8.8 and 5.9 rebounds. Harris is averaging 8.6 points and Morgan Hill 8.2

UTSA is coming to the end of a busy week. Traveling to the West Coast last weekend, the Roadrunners played well against an NCAA-caliber team in Stanford and lost, 62-57. UTSA returned home for a few days of practice and then downed UT Arlington, 76-61, on Thursday afternoon.

Coming up

UTSA at Texas State, Saturday, noon

Records

UTSA 8-2
Texas State 6-3

Notable

Texas State coach Zenarae Antoine, in her 14th year at Texas State, is 9-5 against UTSA. Last year, the Bobcats came into San Antonio and rallied late to tie the score in regulation, before knocking off the Roadrunners, 65-57, in overtime. Jenkins, UTSA’s best player, wasn’t available to play as she was in the midst of rehabilitation from knee surgery. Two years ago in San Marcos, Jenkins had a big game, producing 18 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. But a second-half rally propelled Texas State to a 60-55 victory.

Aston’s Roadrunners have soared into the top 60 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. They’re No. 55 as of Saturday morning. The Roadrunners have scored five double-digit victories, with their only losses in single digits on the road in power-conference settings, at Texas A&M and Stanford. Defense is UTSA’s calling card, as the Roadrunners are holding teams to 36.8 percent shooting. They’re also outscoring opponents by 13.8 points and outrebounding them by 11.6.

Jenkins is averaging 19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 steal. She’s also averaging 1.3 blocks. The guard tandem of Sidney Love and Nina De Leon Negron is clicking. Coming off a 21-point game, Love is averaging 10.7 points, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals. De Leon Negron, in her first year with the team, is humming with 9.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

Home cooking? Stanford gets a steal and a late basket to beat UTSA, 62-57

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After a strange sequence of events in the final 13 seconds that totally frustrated the UTSA Roadrunners, the home team Stanford Cardinal made a defensive stop at the end and scored on a breakaway layup to record a 62-57 victory Monday afternoon at Maples Pavilion.

UTSA’s seven-game winning streak came to an end in bizarre fashion. Trailing by three with 13.5 seconds remaining and hoping to tie the game in regulation, the Roadrunners inbounded the ball. But after an estimated three or four seconds, officials noticed that the clock had not started.

A lengthy discussion ensued, and officials handed the ball to UTSA to inbound on the side. Much to the dismay of Roadrunners coach Karen Aston, officials put 10.9 seconds on the clock for UTSA’s last chance.

When play resumed, UTSA worked the ball to forward Idara Udo on the left elbow, but Stanford guard Jzaniya Harriel came up with the possession. She went the other way for a layup with no time left to secure the victory.

“That’s frustrating,” Aston said on the team’s postgame radio broadcast, “because you draw something up with the allotted amount of time. We’re emotionally and mentally ready to run it. And, you know, (there is a) stoppage of play, and (they) take time off (the clock) for their error. A little bit frustrating.”

In a gritty show of resolve against a nationally-renowned opponent in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Roadrunners fell behind by 10 in the first half and erased that deficit. In the fourth quarter, they allowed Stanford to build a 15-point lead and nearly came back to tie on the home floor of a power conference foe.

“We lost the game in the third quarter,” Aston said. “We let it get away from us, and (we) fought back … hard. We’ll learn some things (from) this loss, for sure.”

Stanford entered the game on a two-game losing streak, trying to avoid a three-game skid in one season for the first time in 23 years. It wasn’t pretty, but the Cardinal succeeded, with guard Elena Bosgana scoring 13 points, pulling down 11 rebounds and passing for three assists. Bosgana, from Greece, scored nine points in the third quarter when her team started to pull away from UTSA.

In addition, Harriel scored 12 points and hurt the Roadrunners with three of four shooting from the 3-point arc. Senior forward Brooke Demetre added eight of her 11 points in the first half. Demetre, another long-range shooting specialist, knocked down three of six from the arc.

As a team, Stanford made eight of 24 from distance after entering the game as the nation’s leader in 3-point shooting percentage. The Cardinal came in shooting 42 percent from three, which means that UTSA did a more than respectable job on some of the best perimeter players in the nation.

The Roadrunners had high hopes coming into the game at Stanford, where three national championship banners hang from the rafters. They had won seven straight and had won their last two by margins of 31 and 43 points. In the end, though, they didn’t make enough plays.

Jordyn Jenkins and Sidney Love each scored 14 to lead the team, but neither shot a high percentage. Jenkins finished five for 18 from the field and zero for two from the 3-point line. Love, who hit six of 14 shots from the floor, made two threes in the final 3:45 of the game to keep UTSA hopes alive.

Point guard Nina De Leon Negron had 12 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Forward Cheyenne Rowe came off the bench to produce seven points and four rebounds in 19 minutes.

During UTSA’s late push, the Roadrunners battled back from a 15-point deficit with a spirited 11-0 run. First, Jenkins scored on a jumper. Next, Love drove for a layup and nailed a three. When her triple splashed with 3:45 remaining, Stanford’s lead was reduced to single digits at 57-49.

On the other end, Stanford was faltering. After Demetre misfired on a jumper, UTSA sophomore Emma Luico buried a pull up jumper. Next play, Stanford came up empty again when Agara, the team’s leading scorer, was called for traveling. De Leon Negron missed a layup on the other end, but Rowe was there for the stick back, cutting the lead to four.

Love made it a two-point game when she received a pass on the left side and buried another three. After it ripped the nets, UTSA had pulled to within 59-57. Coming back the other way, the Cardinal got the ball to Bosgana, and Udo fouled intentionally with 13.5 seconds left.

She missed the first free throw and made the second, creating a three-point game going into the fateful final sequence.

Third quarter

Bosgana, a senior from Greece, took charge late in the third quarter for Stanford. The 6-foot-2 senior scored seven points in a spree that lifted the Cardinal into a 14-point lead. When Courtney Ogden hit a runner with 1:23 remaining, the Cardinal held a 47-33 advantage. Nina De Leon Negron sank a layup in the last minute, leaving UTSA down by 12 entering the fourth. Stanford led, 47-35

First half

Using their length and athleticism, the Cardinal stifled the Roadrunners’ offense in the early going, forcing them to miss their first four shots of the game and 11 out of their first 13. The Roadrunners had another long drought, misfiring on seven in a row, in the second quarter.

The Cardinal took advantage of the opportunity, building a 23-13 lead with 5:22 remaining on a three by Harriel. But in the end, the Roadrunners scored the last seven points of the half to pull within one. Stanford took a 26-25 lead into the dressing room at halftime.

Records

UTSA 7-2
Stanford 8-3

Coming up

UT Arlington at UTSA, Thursday, 4 p.m.
UTSA at Texas State, Saturday, noon

Notable

The Roadrunners had a chance to end a long losing streak against power conference opponents and played hard, but they didn’t execute well enough to get it done. As a result, they have now dropped 25 in a row to teams from major conferences in NCAA Division I that generate the most revenue.

Aston is 0-9 against the power elite in a little more than three seasons at UTSA, including a 55-51 loss on Nov. 7 at Texas A&M. UTSA’s last win against a power opponent came on Dec. 16, 2010, when they defeated the Kansas State Wildcats, 72-55, at the Convocation Center. That win was 14 years ago to the day of the game at Stanford.

The Cardinal came into the game receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25. They were ranked 38th in the NCAA’s NET computer rankings. UTSA entered ranked 50th, the highest NET ranking of any team in the American Athletic Conference.

Stanford is entering its first season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, considered one of the four majors after the latest realignment. Previously, Stanford had been aligned with an amalgam of universities on the West Coast since 1918. Most recently, they were in the Pac-12, which has effectively dissolved. From the old Pac 12, Stanford and Cal started play this season in the ACC; Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA moved into the Big 10 and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah linked with the Big 12.

Stanford is also in transition with its coaching staff. Kate Paye is the head coach, replacing retired legend Tara VanDerveer.

UTSA’s Aston says an opportunity to play at Stanford is ‘a gift for our players’

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Karen Aston. UTSA women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Karen Aston leads her team into its toughest game of the season Monday afternoon at Stanford. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Tara VanDerveer will not be coaching the Stanford Cardinal on Monday afternoon, but her name will be on the court at Maples Pavilion, and that alone likely will be enough to light the competitive fires inside each and every member of the upstart UTSA women’s basketball team.

“Even though Tara’s not there, she built that program,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “To be able to play on a court that has her name on it, first of all, and to play a team that has such a rich tradition and footprint on our game, is a gift for our players.

“You know, we don’t take that lightly,” the coach added. “We appreciate the opportunity, and we’ll try to make the most of it. I expect our team to be competitive. I’ll be surprised if we’re not.”

The 2023-24 season was the last at Stanford for VanDerveer, who retired after 38 years as the school’s head coach. In the wake of her departure, the school put her name on the court, to honor a woman who led the program to 15 Pac-12 tournament championships, 14 Final Fours and three national titles.

Stepping into the job this fall was Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s former players, who was also one of the legend’s longtime former assistants.

Under Paye, the Cardinal (7-3) won seven of their first eight games before dropping the last two. Stanford had fourth-ranked LSU beat a week ago before giving up a lead in the final minutes and then losing in overtime in Baton Rouge, La.

On Friday night, they opened play in the Atlantic Coast Conference on the road against the Cal Bears. Surprisingly, the Bears walloped the Cardinal, 83-63. As a result, Stanford will be trying to avoid a three-game losing streak in the same season for the first time since January 2001.

Despite back-to-back losses, the Cardinal remain heavily favored to win on their homecourt. Yes, the Roadrunners (7-1) have forged a seven-game winning streak, the longest at the school in 11 years. But Aston, who faced the top teams in the country regularly as the head coach at the University of Texas, knows what she is up against.

Stanford is 7-0 this season on Tara VanDerveer Court and can light up the scoreboard with anyone.

Led by forward Nunu Agara and a fleet of talented perimeter players, the Cardinal have one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, averaging 83.2 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting from the field. In three-point accuracy, they lead NCAA Division I with a percentage of 42.8.

“It starts with the players,” Aston said. “They are able to recruit … players who can shoot and come into their (college) careers already having that skillset. And what they do offensively lends to that.

“They run a lot of motion, a lot of movement, a lot of actions, is what I would call it, and it puts a lot of pressure on your defense to not make … minor mistakes that get one of them open for a clear 3-point shot. So I think their system is really good, and the concepts they run, they’re really comfortable with.”

The Stanford offense will be a good test for UTSA, which has held its last four opponents to an average of 43 points on 29.7 percent shooting. Aston said she hopes her players are ready for Stanford 3-point artists Elena Bosgana, Brooke Demetre and Jzaniya Harriel.

“I think it will be a huge challenge for us on Monday to make sure they don’t have a hey-day on the 3-point line,” Aston said.

Records

UTSA 7-1
Stanford 7-3

Coming up

UTSA at Stanford, Monday, 2 p.m.
UT Arlington at UTSA, Thursday, 4 p.m.
UTSA at Texas State, Saturday, noon

Notable

Dating back to the 2010-11 season, UTSA women’s basketball has lost 24 games in a row to teams from power conferences. In other words, to teams that come from conferences bringing in the most revenue. Aston is 0-8 against the power elite in a little more than three seasons at UTSA, including a 55-51 loss on Nov. 7 at Texas A&M in this year’s opener. The Roadrunners’ last win against a power conference opponent came on Dec. 16, 2010, when they defeated the Kansas State Wildcats, 72-55, at the Convocation Center.

UTSA women rout Sam Houston State, 79-36, for their seventh straight win

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UTSA women's basketball beat Sam Houston State 79-36 on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

The UTSA Roadrunners celebrate a winning play Saturday near the end of a 43-point victory over the Sam Houston State Bearkats. UTSA held Sam Houston to 21 percent shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

In a women’s college basketball game held as a salute to educators, the UTSA Roadrunners on Saturday afternoon administered a two-hour tutorial in pressure defense, dismantling the Sam Houston State Bearkats 79-36 at the Convocation Center for their seventh straight victory.

The Roadrunners controlled the action from the outset and then delivered a crushing blow in the second half, outscoring the visitors 41-17 in front of an announced 837 fans.

So much for the idea that UTSA’s travel back from Puerto Rico last Sunday and a week-long layoff would have an effect on the team’s performance.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA women's basketball beat Sam Houston State 79-36 on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins, taking it to the basket against Sam Houston, finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“As a coach, I’ll nit-pick a little bit about certain things,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. ” … We came back from Puerto Rico and I thought we had a little bit of a lag … recovering from it. And then with finals coming up, I think it was a tough week for us, practice-wise. But, again, (I’m) proud of how we started and finished (the game).”

Forward Jordyn Jenkins finished with a 22-point, 10-rebound double double for UTSA.

Idara Udo, on her birthday, produced a season-high 15 points and also eight boards as her teammates won the rebounding battle, 53-27. From the UTSA backcourt, Sidney Love scored 10 points on four of seven shooting and Nina De Leon Negron passed for eight assists.

Junior forward Cheyenne Rowe delivered off the bench, scoring eight points on four of four shooting. Rowe also contributed with six rebounds in 16 minutes.

As a team, UTSA limited Sam Houston to 21.6 percent shooting from the field. While the UTSA defensive effort produced an opponent season low in points, the team played well offensively, as well, running up a point total that represented a season high.

The Roadrunners shot 48 percent from the field as they won their second game in a row by more than 30 points, the first time that has happened in 28 years.

UTSA’s winning streak seems to have developed two phases to it. In the first three games, the Roadrunners’ offense clicked with scores in the 70s and also with high shooting percentages from the field and from the 3-point arc. But in those games, opponents also shot the ball well against them.

When they returned to San Antonio from a two-game road swing to New Mexico State and UTEP, the team’s approach to defense changed a bit, with eye-opening results for the Roadrunners. They have since held their last four opponents to an average of 43 points per game, allowing only 29.7 percent shooting from the field.

Asked what has changed with UTSA’s defense over the last four outings, Aston said, “I honestly think we just re-assessed. When we came back from UTEP, our defense was maybe a little bit too scout-based, up until that point. The coaching staff looked at that and said, ‘Ok, what’s going on here?’

“We sort of just went back to fundamentals and basics, and I think it’s paid off in a sense that, having as many young players as we do, maybe not making them think quite so much about personnel and what the play is, and all that, and just getting back to the basics and concepts.”

Idara Udo. UTSA women's basketball beat Sam Houston State 79-36 on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA center Idara Udo celebrated her birthday by producing a season-high 15 points and eight rebounds. She also won the team’s ‘Cash In’ award for the game. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Early on in Saturday’s matinee, both Sam Houston and UTSA were pressing and trapping aggressively While the Roadrunners weathered the storm of pressure, the Bearkats eventually broke down against their bigger and stronger opponent. In the end, the Roadrunners outscored the visitors 26-10 on points off turnovers.

Jenkins, a power forward, was deployed to trap in the backcourt and came up with three of UTSA’s eight steals on the day.

“I think our press is getting better,” Aston said. “I think there are some things that are getting much better. But we need to take some really big steps … in the next couple of weeks. I mean, I know we have a lot of games. After we get through with finals week (next week) we have three games … in six days.

“But, to be honest, I’m more worried about what we’re doing in the next two weeks … to prepare for conference play. Whatever happens in these (next) three games (at Stanford, at home against UT Arlington and at Texas State) it just happens, because our focus needs to be on preparation for Dec. 29.”

UTSA opens play in the American Athletic Conference at Charlotte on Dec. 29.

Records

Sam Houston State 5-3
UTSA 7-1

Coming up

UTSA at Stanford, Monday, Dec. 16, 2 p.m.

First quarter

With both teams pressing and trapping, the period ended when the Roadrunners produced a 9-0 run in the final 2:20 for a 23-11 lead. Cheyenne Rowe and Maya Linton led the Roadrunners with six points apiece. Linton hit a three with 23 seconds left for the final bucket. Whitney Dunn scored nine in the period for the Bearkats. UTSA forced eight Sam Houston turnovers, while Sam Houston forced six by the home team.

Nina De Leon Negron. UTSA women's basketball beat Sam Houston State 79-36 on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Point guard Nina De Leon Negron continued her strong play by running a fast-break attack and dishing out eight assists – Photo by Joe Alexander

Second quarter

After going scoreless for nearly five minutes, the Roadrunners finished strong, scoring nine points in the final 2:12 of the half. De Leon Negron had a couple of assists and ran for a twisting reverse layup in the last few minutes. Two 3-pointers by Dunn in the last minute kept the Bearkats close.

First half

Pressing and trapping, the UTSA Roadrunners forced 13 turnovers and turned them into 18 points as they opened a 38-23 lead on the Sam Houston State Bearkats. UTSA, playing aggressively, also outrebounded Sam Houston 25-9 and pulled down 13 boards off the offensive glass. Jordyn Jenkins finished the half with 11 points and Idara Udo had seven. Nina De Leon Negron, running the team at point guard, had five assists. Whitney Dunn had 16 points at intermission for Sam Houston.

Third quarter

UTSA’s defense was at its best after intermission, holding Sam Houston to one of 13 shooting and seven points. Playing as many as three freshmen at the end of the period, the Roadrunners outscored the Bearkats and took a 52-30 lead into the fourth.

Notable

The Roadrunners keep setting new standards for team success. Their program-best national NET ranking of 69th as of Saturday morning is destined to improve after another lopsided win. Moreover, their 7-1 start now ranks second only to an 11-1 in 1985-86.

Additionally, they have won two games in a row by more than 30 points each for the first time since 1996-97. UTSA downed Towson, 71-40, last Friday in Puerto Rico. Their 43-point margin of victory over Sam Houston was the largest since an 86-33 victory over Nicholls State on Jan. 14, 2008.

Jordyn Jenkins surpassed the 1,500-point mark in her college basketball career. She entered the day with 1,484 points over two seasons at USC and two-plus at UTSA. She now has 1,506 points in 93 games. UTSA center Idara Udo won the team’s “Cash In” award on her birthday.

UTSA played without 6-foot-4 redshirt senior forward Nyayongah Gony and junior guard Siena Guttadauro. Gony has an injury and sat out a game for the first time this season. Guttadauro won’t play again this season as she steps away for personal reasons. Guttadauro, who made the announcement Friday, has indicated she plans to return to the team for 2025-26, according to an athletics department release.

The California native had a solid summer and started the fall in UTSA’s point guard rotation behind Nina De Leon Negron and Sidney Love.

Kyleigh McGuire, a reserve forward on last year’s UTSA team that reached the WNIT, started for Sam Houston State. She finished with four points, five rebounds and two blocks. Forward Whitney Dunn finished as high scorer for the Bearkats with 16 points. She was held scoreless in the second half.

Sidney Love. UTSA women's basketball beat Sam Houston State 79-36 on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA junior Sidney Love had 10 points on four of seven shooting from the field. Love also had five assists against only two turnovers. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Jenkins scores 27 as UTSA beats New Mexico State, 75-61

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Jordyn Jenkins on Thursday night produced her second double double of the season, exploding for 27 points and 11 rebounds, as the UTSA Roadrunners downed the New Mexico State Aggies, 75-61.

Nina De Leon Negron had 14 points and three assists for the Roadrunners, who won their first road game of the year and improved to 2-1. Despite a shaky start because of foul trouble, center Idara Udo scored 11 on four of five shooting for UTSA.

Nina De Leon Negron. The UTSA women's basketball team beat St. Mary's 90-38 in an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Nina De Leon Negron hit four of UTSA’s nine 3-point field goals. . The Roadrunners made nine of 18 for the game, improving the team to 38.8 percent accuracy on the season. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Not known as a three-point shooting team, the Roadrunners knocked down nine of 18 from outside the arc. De Leon Negron, who sat out UTSA’s last game with a heel injury, made four treys on five attempts.

Guard Molly Kaiser had 23 points, four assists and four steals for the Aggies, who fell to 2-1. Forward Fanta Gassama, who was averaging 18 points and 15 rebounds entering the game, was held to 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Roadrunners played tough defense down the stretch, holding New Mexico State to one field goal in the final 7 minutes and 58 seconds.

A wild sequence ensued just after the start of the fourth quarter. The teams combined to hit four straight three-point shots in the first 1:13.

First, De Leon Negron hit for UTSA. Next, Emma Desovich answered for New Mexico State. On the next trip, Udo — UTSA’s starting center — set her feet at the top of the circle and knocked one down. Undeterred, Desovich made another one for the Aggies.

New Mexico State had some momentum at that point, and Kaiser hit a shot to bring the home team to within four points. In retaliation, UTSA pulled away with a 13-3 run to the buzzer.

Jenkins started the spree with a three, and then she broke away for a fast break layup to open the lead to 67-58. New Mexico State never got closer than seven the rest of the way.

Records

UTSA 2-1
New Mexico State 2-1

Coming up

UTSA at UTEP, Saturday, noon

Notable

Through only three games, UTSA’s 3-point field goal accuracy is a robust 38.8 percent. The Roadrunners have made 19 of 49 on the season. In their last two games, wins over UT Rio Grande Valley and New Mexico State, they have hit a combined 16 of 33 for 48.4 percent. Last year, the Roadrunners ranked near the bottom of the American Athletic Conference in shooting from distance, making 162 of 554 for 29.2 percent.

Quotable

“This is a good road win. I thought they would be tough to beat, and they were.” — UTSA coach Karen Aston, on the team’s radio broadcast.

First half

Holding off a surge by the New Mexico State Aggies in the second quarter, the UTSA Roadrunners hit a couple of three-pointers in the last six minutes to take a 39-33 lead into intermission.

Jordyn Jenkins had 12 points early in the game and the Roadrunners knocked down three threes in the first quarter to go ahead 25-16 after one period.

In response, the Aggies picked up their defense, started to play the passing lanes and forced turnovers to fuel an offense that brought them to within one.

A steal and fast break layup by Anna Czenyi trimmed UTSA’s lead to 34-33 with 2:57 remaining.

New Mexico State continued to scrap, getting a couple of offensive rebounds on an ensuing possession. But in the end, the Aggies turned it over themselves.

UTSA capitalized on its next two possessions. First, Sidney Love drove the left side for a layup with 1:08 remaining. Next, De Leon Negron buried a three for a 39-33 lead.

UTSA women win, seize a No. 4 seed in the AAC tournament

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Idara Udo. UTSA beat Rice 60-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, March 5, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

The American Athletic Conference tournament opens Saturday in Fort Worth, but freshman Idara Udo and the UTSA Roadrunners have earned a double bye all the way through to Monday’s quarterfinals.- Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

For the UTSA women’s basketball team, its winning formula Tuesday night was a lot like so many others this season. Appy pressure on defense. Rebound with a fury. On the offensive end, pound the ball into the paint and make the opponent stand up to a physical style.

Once again, the Roadrunners made it all work. Despite their own offensive struggles, they opened a 12-point lead at halftime, held a 15-point advantage after three quarters and bullied their way to a 60-52 victory over the Rice Owls.

With the victory, the Roadrunners finished the regular season 16-13 and clinched a tie for fourth in the American Athletic Conference at 10-8.

Elyssa Coleman. UTSA beat Rice 60-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, March 5, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Elyssa Coleman produced 14 points and six rebounds in the regular-season finale against Rice despite foul trouble that limited her to 17 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

About 90 minutes after the game was completed, the AAC on its website posted a bracket indicating the Roadrunners would be the No. 4 seed in the five-day AAC postseason tournament, which will open on Saturday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

A double bye will place UTSA in a strong position to claim the conference’s postseason title. In other words, the team will get to skip past play on Saturday and Sunday and will get to start in the quarterfinal round on Monday, March 11.

With such an advantageous placement in the bracket, the Roadrunners will need to win only three games in three days to clinch the AAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Before the conference posted its bracket, UTSA coach Karen Aston said in her postgame news conference that she believes the Roadrunners, picked to finish eighth in the conference’s preseason poll, would get the No. 4 seed. “I think we’re fourth, unless I’m missing something, and I don’t think I am,” she said.

AAC teams receiving double byes into the tournament quarterfinals will be No. 1 Tulsa, No. 2 North Texas, No. 3 Temple and UTSA.

Tulsa and North Texas both won Tuesday night and finished 13-5, while Temple, at 12-5, plays its finale on Wednesday at home against FAU.

Officially, UTSA and South Florida have tied for fourth in the standings at 10-8. But with the Roadrunners having beaten the Bulls 65-42 in San Antonio on Jan. 16, they get No. 4 seed via the two-team tiebreaker, which is based on the one and only head-to-head meeting this season.

“I’m really proud of the way the team played tonight,” Aston said. “I know that they haven’t necessarily been in that situation before, where the stakes were as high as they were today. They knew first of all that if they didn’t win, they had a chance to get in that bottom four and play the first day (on Saturday).

“We’ve been talking about that since Day 1 … that it’s a difficult track if you have to play that first day. So I think that was on their minds and they were ready to play. I could tell they were ready to go at shootaround. I thought the last five minutes, we got a little bit tight, and maybe tried to play not to lose.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Rice 60-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, March 5, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordyn Jenkins came through in the last minute with five of her 14 points as the Roadrunners fended off a late Rice Owls rally. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“But that’s a learning process.”

Aston said that by posting a winning record in conference play, UTSA has put itself into a position to play in a postseason tournament, no matter what happens to the Roadrunners in Fort Worth at the AAC.

“It could be one of three tournaments,” UTSA’s third-year coach said. “We hope it’s the big one (the NCAA tournament), but the fact is, we’re eligible for postseason and that’s just an unbelievable feat in the time that we’ve been trying to build this program.”

Initially, after UTSA completed the game and secured the victory, players looked almost as exhausted as they were exuberant. It was a physical game. They had the upper hand for most of it, but the Owls made a run at the end behind post Malia Fischer, who produced 30 points and 12 rebounds.

Later, after the Roadrunners sang the school song at halfcourt, players were informed that all the dominoes had fallen their way on the last night of the season, meaning that they likely had attained the double bye. In unison, they celebrated, with some of them smiling broadly, some of them clapping and others just screaming.

UTSA redshirt junior Elyssa Coleman told reporters that she doesn’t think the Roadrunners have a so-called ‘ceiling’ in terms of how far they might advance in the AAC and beyond. “It’s really cool,” she said, “like in my first year (in 2021-22), winning that first conference game was like a Super Bowl win for us.”

Coleman, playing only 17 minutes because of foul trouble, finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Jordyn Jenkins, playing in only her eighth game of the season, produced 14 points and nine boards.

After spending most of the past year rehabilitating a knee injury, Jenkins came up big at the end of the game against the Owls, scoring five points in the final 30 seconds to help the Roadrunners close out the game.

Freshman Idara Udo also played a major role, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive end. As a team, UTSA outrebounded Rice, 45-41. The Roadrunners held the Owls to 30 percent shooting on 18 of 60 from the field.

Kyra White. UTSA beat Rice 60-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, March 5, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Senior guard Kyra White played 35 minutes and totaled seven points, two assists and two rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Sidney Love. UTSA beat Rice 60-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, March 5, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sidney Love had four points, seven rebounds and two assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Records

Rice 15-14, 9-9
UTSA 16-13, 10-8

Coming up

AAC women’s basketball championship

Saturday, March 9
Game 1: No. 13 Wichita State vs. No. 12 Florida Atlantic – 4 p.m.| ESPN+
Game 2: No. 14 Tulane vs. No. 11 SMU – 6 p.m. | ESPN+

Sunday, March 10
Game 3 – No 9 East Carolina vs. No. 8 Memphis – Noon | ESPN+
Game 4 – Game 1 winner vs. No. 5 South Florida – 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 5 – No. 10 Rice vs. No. 7 UAB – 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. No. 6 Charlotte – 8 p.m. | ESPN+

Monday March 11
Game 7 – Game 3 winner vs. No. 1 Tulsa – Noon | ESPN+
Game 8 – Game 4 winner vs. No. 4 UTSA – 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 9 – Game 5 winner vs. No. 2 North Texas – 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 6 winner vs. No. 3 Temple – 8 p.m. | ESPN+

Tuesday, March 12
Game 11 – Semifinal 1, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner – 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 12 – Semifinal 2, Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner – 8 p.m. | ESPN+

Wednesday, March 13
Game 13 – Championship, Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner – 6 p.m. | ESPNU

–From the AAC website

Aysia Proctor. UTSA beat Rice 60-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, March 5, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Aysia Proctor hit three of six from the field and had six points and three rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First half

After misfiring on 10 straight shots in the second quarter, the UTSA Roadrunners started to make a move.

Finally breaking through on the offensive end, they scored 10 points in two minutes. Near the end of the streak, the Roadrunners trapped at midcourt, forced a turnover and turned it into a Jordyn Jenkins fast-break layup.

Pressured again by the Roadrunners, the Owls finally took advantage and turned it into a Malia Fischer layup for the final points of the half. UTSA ducked into the dressing room leading 30-18.

For the Roadrunners, it was a productive half in many ways. They forced the Owls into 7 of 26 shooting from the field, including 0 for 9 from the three-point line. They also harassed the Owls into 11 turnovers.

Then again, it felt like the Roadrunners should have been able to open a wider gap than 12 points at intermission.

UTSA hit only 12 of 32 from the floor, with some of the misses coming on clean looks. Despite Rice’s problems offensively, UTSA never led by more than seven in the first quarter. Their 12-point lead was the largest of the half.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Rice 60-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, March 5, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Third-year coach Karen Aston has led the Roadrunners to a 16-13 record overall, including 10-8 in the American. UTSA hasn’t had a winning record in the regular season since 2014-15 when team went 16-14, which ultimately became 16-15 after a Conference USA tournament loss. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Women’s basketball: UTSA wins on the road at Wichita State

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The UTSA women’s basketball team built a 15-point lead in the third quarter and then watched as it dwindled to five down the stretch Saturday afternoon in Wichita, Kan. In the end, the Roadrunners kept their poise and came away with their 15th win of the season, a 68-61 victory in the American Athletic Conference over the Wichita State Shockers at Koch Arena.

Records

UTSA 15-13, 9-8
Wichita State 8-21, 4-13

Coming up

Regular-season finale: Rice at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
AAC women’s basketball tournament, March 9-13, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth

Jenkins scores a season-high 29 as the UTSA women beat first-place North Texas, 66-63

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Fast-improving forward Jordyn Jenkins scored 12 of her season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter Sunday as the UTSA Roadrunners defeated another first-place team in the American Athletic Conference women’s basketball race, downing the North Texas Mean Green 66-63 at the Super Pit in Denton.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Florida Atlantic 77-61 in Conference USA women's basketball on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins scored a season-high 29 points Sunday afternoon in her third game back after sitting out the first 21 in rehabilitation for a knee injury. – Photo by Joe Alexander

With the victory, UTSA (13-11, 7-6) split a two-game AAC road trip and swept a two-game, regular-season series against North Texas (19-6, 9-4).

UTSA, aided by 16 points from freshman guard Aysia Proctor and nine points and nine rebounds from junior center Elyssa Coleman, also improved to 4-0 on the season against first-place AAC teams. The Roadrunners are 3-0 at home and 1-0 on the road against squads leading in the standings.

The Mean Green were in first place both times they played the Roadrunners and were turned away twice in close games. On Jan. 31, UTSA won in its on-campus arena, downing North Texas 75-67 in overtime.

In that game, Jenkins had not yet been cleared to play. She sat out the first 21 games this season while rehabilitating a knee injury. Since her return, the Roadrunners have won two out of three, claiming the two victories against AAC contenders Alabama-Birmingham and now North Texas.

UTSA’s road win against its in-state rivals, at the Super Pit in Denton, may have been the team’s best of the season. The Mean Green had been 10-0 at home this season. They were also 5-0 in AAC games at home — until Jenkins, a high-scoring forward from Kent, Wash., showed up to play.

Jenkins hit 11 of 17 shots from the floor, including three of five from three-point distance. In the fourth period, she was at her best, hitting four for four from the floor and knocking down her only three-point attempt.

On one of her shots, she had the ball on the right side of the floor, about eight feet from the basket, when she turned and flipped in a left-handed scoop shot. The bucket gave UTSA a three-point lead with 40 seconds remaining.

Coming out of a time out, North Texas guard Dyani Robinson hit a shot to cut the UTSA lead to one. On the other end, Jenkins was fouled and sank two free throws with 27 seconds left for the game’s final points.

North Texas called time with 20 seconds left needing a three to tie. The Mean Green failed to get off a clean shot, as Shamaryah Duncan’s three from the right wing was deflected by UTSA’s Kyra White, clinching the victory for the Roadrunners.

Six-foot forward DesiRay Kernal paced North Texas with 16 points and 12 rebounds. As UNT’s top offensive threat, she wasn’t as effective as she has been, making five of 12 from the field. Another Mean Green threat, center Tommisha Lampkin, was hindered by foul trouble and played only 20 minutes. She finished with six points and six rebounds.

In the second and third quarters, the Mean Green started to play better team basketball. They hit six of 11 from the field and eight of nine at the free throw line in the second, outscoring the Roadrunners 21-16 in the period and taking a 34-30 lead at the intermission. After halftime, they came out energized and once again got the better of the visitors, opening the advantage to 52-46.

North Texas guard Jaauckland Moore made a three with three seconds remaining in the third, lifting the Eagles into their six-point lead.

Records

UTSA 13-11, 7-6
North Texas 19-6, 9-4

Coming up

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

Notable

After missing so much of the season, Jenkins is fast improving her conditioning. In her first two games, she played 11 minutes against UAB and 14 in a Wednesday-night loss at Tulsa. Against both UAB and Tulsa, she scored 11 in each game. Combined in those two games, she hit seven of 25 shots from the field. Jenkins followed with 24 minutes against North Texas and finished 11 of 17 from the floor. Her 29-point performance left the Mean Green faithful with long memories dismayed, as she scored 40 in the Super Pit last February in UTSA’s 68-67 overtime victory. The two games were played nearly one calendar year apart — from Feb. 20, 2023 to Feb. 18, 2024.

Down by 13 at home, Tulsa rallies late to beat UTSA, 74-70

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Temira Poindexter and Mady Cartwright sparked a huge fourth-quarter rally Wednesday night as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, playing at home, stormed from behind to edge the upset-minded UTSA Roadrunners, 74-70.

In an American Athletic Conference women’s basketball thriller, the Roadrunners fell behind by nine points in the first half, but then started to play well and steadily built what evolved in a 13-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the game.

At that point, the Golden Hurricane heated up and turned the game around with a 20-3 run over the next six and a half minutes. When Poindexter hit two free throws with 29 seconds left, the Golden Hurricane’s lead ticked up to four points at 73-69.

On the other end, UTSA’s Madison Cockrell missed a three with 16 seconds left. The rebound went to forward Idara Udo, who was fouled, and she hit one free throw to make it a three-point game.

On her one miss, Kyra White grabbed the offensive rebound to give the Roadrunners hope, but she also missed a three with 13 seconds remaining. For Tulsa, Katia Gallegos responded by driving, drawing a foul and knocking down one free throw with seven seconds left for the final point.

With the win, Tulsa (18-7 overall, 8-4 in the American) registered a possible momentum-turning victory after losing two of its last three. UTSA (12-11, 6-6) came into the game feeling good, winning at home Sunday and knocking the UAB Blazers out of first place.

Now the Roadrunners face a Sunday afternoon road game against the AAC heavyweight North Texas Mean Green. UTSA coach Karen Aston said on the postgame radio show that her team let one get away against Tulsa.

“We didn’t manage the clock very well,” she said. “We started shooting too quick … just didn’t have an understanding that we have four and a half minutes left. We needed to move the ball and make them play a little bit longer. Youth played a part in that, but credit to Tulsa. They did what they had to do to win.”

The story of the game was the fourth-quarter rally by the Golden Hurricane. During the 20-3 run, Poindexter, a 6-foot-1 junior from Sapulpa, Okla., took over. She scored eight points in the stretch. Cartwright also contributed during the run with six points.

For the game, Poindexter led the Golden Hurricane with 20 points. Guard Delanie Crawford added 15 and Cartwright had 13. Together the threesome knocked down seven of Tulsa’s nine three-point baskets. Tulsa shot 50 percent from the field for the game, including 55 percent in the fourth period.

UTSA’s backcourt of Sidney Love and Kyra White led the Roadrunners in scoring. Love totaled 16 points and White had 15. Forwards Jordyn Jenkins and Idara Udo had 11 points apiece. Jenkins, in her second game back after sitting out most of the season, also had seven rebounds. Freshman guard Aysia Proctor scored 10.

Generally, UTSA played well on the road on the home floor of one of the better teams in the conference. From midway through the second quarter to midway through the fourth, the Roadrunners went on an extended roll, outscoring the Golden Hurricane 40-18.

Records

UTSA 12-11, 6-6
Tulsa 18-7, 8-4

Coming up

UTSA at North Texas, Sunday, 2 p.m.

First quarter

Tulsa’s Caranda Perea hit a long jumper and a three-pointer in the last minute of the first quarter. Capping a hectic period, UTSA’s Kyra White followed a missed shot with a three of her own. Tulsa emerged with a 22-19 lead going into the second,

Second quarter

Playing fast and running the break, the Golden Hurricane pushed out to a couple of nine-point leads before the Roadrunners rallied at the end. Sidney Love missed a jumper in the final seconds as UTSA went into the dressing room down by only four at 38-34.

Guard Delanie Crawford sparked Tulsa in the half with a team-high 12 points and seven rebounds and three assists. Temira Poindexter had eight points on three of six shooting.

For UTSA, freshman Idara Udo had eight points and four boards. Also, Sidney Love had seven points and Jordyn Jenkins, in her second game back after sitting out the first 21 in knee rehabilitation, scored six.

Third quarter

UTSA stepped up the defensive pressure and started forcing turnovers. Meanwhile, Sidney Love and Kyra White started to turn it on offensively. The Roadrunners outscored the Golden Hurricane 21-13 in the period.

A highlight came late when Maya Linton got a steal on one end. On the other, Kyra White dribbled down court on the break, made a Euro-step move at the bucket and twisted in a layup. The Roadrunners will take a 55-51 lead into the fourth quarter.