By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The American Athletic Conference champion UTSA women’s basketball team rolled to a 28-point lead in the third quarter and then cruised to a 67-48 victory over the East Carolina Pirates Tuesday night.

With the win, coming in a road game at Greenville, N.C., the Roadrunners improved to 26-3 on the season. They finished their remarkable run through the AAC with a 17-1 record, tying a school mark for wins in conference. UTSA is 19-1 in its last 20 games leading into the AAC tournament.

The tournament opens on Saturday in Denton and continues the rest of the way in Fort Worth at Dickies Arena. Second-round games are Sunday, and then UTSA will open play on Monday in the quarterfinals as the tournament’s top seed.

Jordyn Jenkins had 26 points and six rebounds to lead the Roadrunners. Jenkins, a player of the year candidate in the AAC, hit 11 of 14 shots from the field. Forward Idara Udo contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Point guard Nina De Leon Negron had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists as the Roadrunners swept two games this season from the Pirates, who eliminated the Roadrunners at the AAC tournament last year.