UTSA men look for keys to unlock offensive potential

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Four days after his team journeyed out on the road and lost by 42 points to the 12th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, UTSA coach Austin Claunch paused on Thursday morning to review the experience for what it was.

Simply put, a vastly more talented team overwhelmed his Roadrunners in the first half en route to an easy win.

Austin Claunch. Southern Illinois Edwardsville (SIUE) beat UTSA 77-60 in men's basketball on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch leads his team into road games Saturday at Colorado and next Wednesday at Southern Cal. – File photo by Joe Alexander

With the Crimson Tide crashing the offensive glass and forcing turnovers, the point differential quickly reached double figures in the opening minutes and expanded to 39 by intermission.

But then, all of a sudden, the Roadrunners took a different tack to give the second half an entirely different feel.

UTSA’s offense loosened up and played well. The Roadrunners scored 38 points in the final 20 minutes while knocking down six shots from behind the arc, including three by freshman Dorian Hayes.

“We sort of just kept it simple and played with a little bit more pace,” Claunch said in a zoom conference. “I wouldn’t say (with) more freedom … But kind of just letting our hair down and going to the hoop.”

Still searching for the keys to unlock their offensive potential, the Roadrunners will continue the toughest stretch of road games on their schedule on Saturday afternoon against the high-scoring Colorado Buffaloes.

Records

UTSA 4-5
Colorado 8-1

Coming up

UTSA at Colorado, Saturday, 3 p.m.
UTSA at Southern Cal, Wednesday, 8 p.m.
Seattle at UTSA, Monday, Dec. 22, 2 p.m.
x-UTSA at FAU, Wednesday, Dec. 31, noon
x-American Conference opener

Offensive woes

To date, UTSA’s offense has been nothing less than streaky.

Last month, it seemed to be rounding into form when the Roadrunners scored 84 points in a road win at Denver. In their next game, they followed with a 103-70 victory at home against Southwestern Christian.

On a subsequent trip to Florida, they stumbled a bit in the opener of the Jacksonville Classic, losing 61-50 to Abilene Christian, only rise up and play well again the next day against Georgia Southern.

The Roadrunners revved the offense to hit 51 percent from the field in the second half of a 77-64 victory over the Eagles. Since then, though, they’ve struggled to score.

In consecutive losses to South Alabama (at home) and Alabama, the Roadrunners have averaged only 56.5 points on a combined 29.2 percent from the floor.

Their effort includes two halves in which they shot 25 percent or less. During the two-game stretch, only in the second half against the Crimson Tide did the Roadrunners reach the 40-percent level.

“It’s more on me,” Claunch said. “I’ve got to simplify this thing for our guys. Sometimes that’s the best thing you can do, is go back to your foundation.

“It’s better to be really good at one or two things than be OK at 10 things.

“We’ve got to identify who we are, the shots that we want to take and just get really, really good at things that get us those looks.”

Help apparently is on the way. TCU transfer Vasean Allette, considered the team’s top offseason pickup in the transfer portal, has returned to workouts.

“Vasean is back practicing,” Claunch said. “Hopefully we can have him as this thing gets nearer to conference play. I think he’s starting to approach being where he needs to be.”

Without saying exactly why Allette hasn’t played yet, Claunch confirmed that the 6-2 guard won’t be with the team at Colorado or USC, hinting that he could return on Dec. 22 at home against the Seattle Redhawks.

“We’re 100 percent behind him and continue to take the steps to get him back full go as we move closer to conference,” the coach said.

Notable

As the Roadrunners try to find answers on offense, the defense has held up fairly well, limiting opponents to 38.1 percent shooting from the field for the season.

Even though South Alabama and Alabama have totaled 179 points against UTSA over the past two games, the defensive base has been solid, limiting those two to a combined 41.4 percent shooting.

That number includes holding Alabama, one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, to 39 percent.

UTSA will need to be at its best defensively against the Buffaloes, who average 88.4 points on 52.1 percent shooting.

Coach Tad Boyle’s team is sixth in the nation from 3-point range, making 41 percent. Moreover, five players average between 11 and 15 points per game and four of them range from 6-feet-9 to 7-0.

Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson leads Colorado, averaging 15.3 points off the bench.

Women’s basketball: Freshman L.A. Sneed scores 16 in her first start at Utah

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

L.A. Sneed, a University of Utah freshman from Wagner High School, scored 16 points and passed for six assists last Thursday in a 70-58 road victory at Colorado State.

Her season high in scoring came in first career start for the Utes.

Sneed is one of at least 25 athletes from the San Antonio area this season in NCAA Division I women’s basketball. Moreover, at least 11 play for teams in power conferences.

San Antonio area women in NCAA Division I basketball:
2025-26 season

Averi Aaron, Louisiana Tech, 6-1 sophomore forward from Boerne HS

Hailey Adams, Rice, 6-1 redshirt junior guard from Clark HS

Rian Forestier, Southern Cal, 5-11 sophomore guard from Brandeis HS

Mia Hammonds, UTSA, 6-3 sophomore guard from Steele HS

A’Maya Holton, Oral Roberts, 6-0 freshman forward from East Central

Natalie Huff, Southeastern Louisiana, 5-7 redshirt freshman guard from Clark HS; transfer from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Madison Hurta, Houston Baptist, 5-9 sophomore guard from New Braunfels (homeschool)

Christeen Iwuala, Ole Miss, 6-3 senior forward from Reagan HS, also, Waco Midway; transfer from UCLA

Vivian Iwuchukwu, Southern Cal, 6-2 sophomore forward from Cole HS, also from Montverde, Fla.

Deja Jones, Texas State, 5-9 graduate student guard from East Central HS, transfer from Indiana State, previously at UTSA

Kayla King, Houston, 5-10 freshman guard from Judson HS

Sidney Love, Texas Tech, 5-8 senior guard from Steele HS, transfer from UTSA

Amira Mabry, Tulane, 6-0 senior forward from Judson HS

Kalysta ‘Bird’ Martin, Texas Tech, 6-2 sophomore guard from Providence Catholic School

Mia Ramos, Southeastern Louisiana, 5-7 freshman guard from Brandeis HS

Alexis Parker, Lamar, 5-9 senior guard from Brandeis HS; transfer from UTSA

Aysia Proctor, North Texas, 5-8 junior guard from Clemens HS; transfer from UTSA

Aaliyah Roberson, TCU, 6-2 junior forward from Clark HS

Arianna Roberson, Duke, 6-4 redshirt freshman from Clark HS

Taylor Ross, UTSA, 6-0 sophomore forward from Brennan HS

LA Sneed, Utah, 5-6 freshman guard from Wagner HS

Jordyn Weaver, Tulane, 5-11 graduate student forward from Wagner; transfer from Queens University (N.C.)

Sedelia Wilson-Larkin, Incarnate Word, freshman forward from Saint Mary’s Hall

Sammie Wagner, Oregon, 6-1 redshirt junior guard-forward from Reagan HS

Carleigh Wenzel, Virginia Tech, 6-0 redshirt junior guard from O’Connor HS and Antonian HS

Notable

With full disclosure, this list might not be complete with names of every women’s basketball player from the area in Division I. We might have missed a few. At the same time, we feel like we’ve identified most of them, while promising to add names as new information comes to light:

No. 14 Baylor women beat UTSA, 73-55, with a strong second half

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The 14th-ranked Baylor Lady Bears shot 57 percent from the field in the second half and pulled away from the UTSA Roadrunners for a 73-55 victory Sunday afternoon in Waco.

Baylor guard Taliah Scott scored 17 of her game-high 19 points after intermission to pace the Bears. Guard Jana Van Gytenbeek added 16 and forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs 14.

Guard Ereauna Hardaway scored 15 points to lead the Roadrunners. Forward Cheyenne Rowe also reached double figures with 10.

Coming off a 66-39 loss to UNLV at home last Wednesday, UTSA entered the game looking to make amends.

The Roadrunners played well and stayed with their Big 12 opponent in the first half, trailing by four at the quarter and by five at intermission, only to see the Bears heat up offensively behind Scott.

With Scott scoring nine in the third quarter on three of three shooting, the Bears took a 12-point lead into the fourth and increased it to 20 twice down the stretch.

“I thought we played really hard,” UTSA coach Karen Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s radio broadcast. “That was something we talked at length about after the UNLV game. You know, our effort just wasn’t acceptable against them, and we just needed to start with that.”

UTSA out-rebounded Baylor 40-31, including 18-8 on the offensive end.

“(You) got to show up,” Aston said. “You got to show up and put on your jersey and you got to compete. I thought we did that today. There were some critical moments that it got away from us. Just (our) decision making, and shot-making on their part.

“But I thought we competed hard today. I can do something with that. You know, I can’t do something with how we played against UNLV.”

Aston altered her starting lineup slightly, going with a dual point-guard look of Hardaway and freshman Adriana Robles, along with Damara Allen on the wing.

Robles had some good moments, finishing with nine points on four of 10 shooting.

The Baylor bench played well, outscoring UTSA’s reserves, 19-9. The Bears also enjoyed a sizeable advantage at the free-throw line, making 17 of 21 to the Roadrunners’ one of four.

“I thought we tried to be aggressive and get to the free-throw line,” Aston said. “But some of it’s the difference in the height and the bodies. They were a lot more physical than we were.

“But I thought we tried to get to the free-throw line. We just couldn’t get angles, couldn’t get into their bodies. They’re a really good shot-blocking team, I will say that, one of the better in the country and they showed it.”

Records

UTSA 3-5
Baylor 9-1

Coming up

Prairie View A&M at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners, defending champions in the American Conference, finished their non-conference schedule against Power Four competition with an 0-4 record, with all four games played away from home.

Previously, UTSA lost by 29 at Texas Tech, and then followed a few days later, playing much better defensively but still falling by four at Houston. On Nov. 24 in Frisco, UTSA lost by 17 to Auburn.

The Roadrunners have lost 29 straight to power conference foes, dating back to Dec. 20, 2010, when they defeated the Big 12’s Kansas State Wildcats 72-55 in San Antonio.

No. 12 Alabama dominates the UTSA men, 97-55

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Jalil Bethea scored 21 points and Labaron Philon Jr. and London Jemison added 20 apiece Sunday, leading the 12th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide to an easy 97-55 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners.

Bethea hit five 3-pointers while Philon, a sophomore from Mobile, Ala, added seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Jemison knocked down six field goals and six free throws.

Alabama capitalized on 18 UTSA turnovers, turning them into 34 points. The Tide also dominated on the glass, 57-41, including 19-9 on the offensive end.

“Thirty four points off turnovers, and we’re a program that prides ourselves on not turning it over,” UTSA coach Austin Claunch told Andy Everett on the team’s post-game radio broadcast. “That’s the big key.”

Because Alabama entered the game shooting 49.3 percent from the field, Claunch took heart in his players’ effort in holding a high-powered team to 39 percent.

UTSA came in ranked 25th in the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 37.9 percent.

“They’re a really good team,” Claunch said. “Ninety seven doesn’t really tell the story. I thought we competed defensively and did a lot of good things.”

The Roadrunners entered the game looking to end a couple of streaks — they ‘re winless against Top 25 opponents since 1994 and against power conference foes since 2009 — but they couldn’t get it done against the Tide.

Alabama, playing on its home court in Tuscaloosa at Coleman Coliseum, held UTSA to 17 points in the first half. After building a 39-point lead intermission, they cruised to their seventh win in nine games.

Jamir Simpson led the Roadrunners with 20 points. UTSA’s leading scorer for the season made seven of 17 shots from the field and two of eight from 3-point distance. Dorian Hayes scored 12 points and hit four 3-pointers in the second half.

First half

Playing harassing defense and crashing the offensive boards, Alabama also hit 11 three-point baskets and raced to a 56-17 lead.

Crimson Tide guard Jalil Bethea led the way with 16 points by hitting four of seven from beyond the arc. Labaron Philon Jr. and Latrell Wrightsell had 10 points each.

Alabama won the battle on the offensive boards, 11-4, and also forced 11 turnovers.

The Roadrunners were limited to six field goals and 23 percent shooting from the field. Jamir Simpson had seven points on two of seven from the field.

Records

UTSA 4-5
Alabama 7-2

Coming up

UTSA at Colorado, Dec. 13, 3 p.m.

Tall task: UTSA men take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa, while the women meet Baylor in Waco

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Both the UTSA men’s and women’s basketball teams will face nationally-ranked teams from power conferences Sunday. The men will play the 12th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at 1 p.m. in Tuscaloosa, while the women will take on the No. 14 Baylor Lady Bears at 2 p.m. in Waco.

UTSA men at No. 12 Alabama

Records

UTSA 4-4
Alabama 6-2

The skinny: Coming off a 24-point home loss to South Alabama, the Roadrunners travel to take on one of the nation’s top programs, featuring one of the best guards in the nation. Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr. averages 21.6 points and 5.4 assists. The 6-4 sophomore from Mobile tied a season high with 29 points Wednesday night at home in a 90-84 victory over Clemson.

UTSA women at No. 14 Baylor

Records

UTSA 3-4
Baylor 8-1

The skinny: After losing at home by 27 against the UNLV Lady Rebels, the Roadrunners will go on the road to meet the once-beaten Bears. Guard Taliah Scott, a transfer from Auburn, ranks as the seventh leading scorer in the nation with a 23.7 average. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs is a force inside with 10.9 rebounds per game. Baylor beat UNLV 62-54 at home on Nov. 15.

Notable

Both the UTSA men’s and women’s teams are riding long losing streaks against teams from power conferences. In other words, teams from conferences that produce the most revenue.

The men have dropped 28 in a row against power foes. Their last win over such a program came in 2009 when they beat the Big Ten’s Iowa Hawkeyes 62-50 on Nov. 15, 2009 in Iowa City.

The women have also lost 28 straight, including setbacks this season to Texas Tech, Houston and Auburn. Their last win over a power program came on Dec. 20, 2010 when they defeated the Big 12’s Kansas State Wildcats 72-55 in San Antonio.

When the streaks started in 2009, there were five power conferences — the Big 12, the SEC, the ACC, the Big Ten and the Pac-12. In the past two years, the Pac 12 fractured, leaving the others to comprise what is known now as the Power Four.

Road tough: UNLV women roll, 66-39, to snap UTSA’s 17-game homecourt winning streak

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

Jasmyn Lott, a UNLV redshirt senior from Frisco Memorial High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, led all scorers with 21 points on nine of 15 shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UNLV Lady Rebels came into San Antonio with a modest record, one game above .500 after seven games in the new season.

They left town after putting on a performance that was more in keeping with their dominance of the Mountain West Conference over the past four years.

UNLV held the UTSA Roadrunners to two points in the first quarter, built a lead as large as 34 in the fourth and then went on to record a 66-39 victory at the Convocation Center.

UNLV coach Lindy La Rocque. UTSA women's basketball lost to UNLV 66-39 on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UNLV coach Lindy La Rocque directed her team to its first road victory of the season and broke UTSA’s 17-game homecourt winning streak. – Photo by Joe Alexander

In snapping UTSA’s 17-game homecourt winning streak, the Lady Rebels out-rebounded the defending American Conference champions 50-33 and limited them to 28 percent shooting.

“We talked all week about being road tough, and I thought we did a great job coming out from the jump,” UNLV coach Lindy La Rocque said.

La Rocque praised her team for “playing with a purpose” and executing the game plan. Also, for playing with a physical style.

Two of the most physical players were forwards Meadow Roland and Shelbee Brown, who dominated down low defensively.

Roland finished with 14 rebounds and three blocked shots. Brown had 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.

UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe, the Roadrunners’ leading scorer, took only one shot attempt in the first quarter and misfired on it as UNLV ran off to a 20-2 lead.

The two points tied a six-year-old UTSA school record for fewest in a quarter.

Rowe finished with nine points on four of 14 shooting from the field. UTSA’s other inside scoring threat, Idara Udo, scored six while being pestered into a two-of-eight showing.

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

UNLV forward Meadow Roland contributed a game-high 14 rebounds and also three blocked shots. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s perimeter players also struggled.

Guard Jayda Holiman, who had scored in double figures her last two games, went scoreless. She finished zero for five from the field and zero for three from behind the arc.

As a team, UTSA hit only 17 of 61 afield and two of 17 from three.

“Give UNLV credit,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I thought they were really good tonight.”

After the initial push by the Rebels, the Roadrunners put up a good fight for awhile, staying within 17-20 points of the visitors until midway through the third quarter.

But after that, the game started to get out of hand. Lott nailed a jumper for the final points of the third period and added two threes to open the fourth.

A few minutes later, Rebels guard Aaliyah Alexander buried a three with 7:33 remaining, boosting UNLV into its largest lead of the game, 59-25.

Cheyenne Rowe is surrounded by UNLV's Jasmyn Lott (left) and Meadow Roland (32). UTSA women's basketball lost to UNLV 66-39 on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe finished with nine points and seven rebounds. She was held to four of 14 shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

It was a humbling experience for the Roadrunners, who have no time to waste as they prepare to play on the road Sunday against the 14th-ranked Baylor Bears.

“We’ve got a long way to go this season,” Aston said, “so we have to figure out how to take something away from this to get better, but also kind of flush it and start all over and say it was a rough night.”

Udo said the Roadrunners need to “play more together as a team” and to “be more together in fighting back.”

She said UNLV deserves credit, but she added, “I think a lot of the stuff that hurt us was a lack of effort.”

In the past four seasons, UNLV has emerged as one of the better mid-major programs in the nation.

From 2021-22 through the 2024-25 seasons, the Lady Rebels compiled a 113-21 record, with four regular-season, Mountain West titles and three trips to the NCAA tournament.

Though they fell short of an NCAA bid last year, they reached the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament en route to a 26-8 record.

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 had a long night as the Roadrunners failed to score 40 points for only the second time in her five seasons at the school. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Roadrunners also won a title last year in the American, reached the WBIT and lost in the first round to finish 26-5.

Records

UNLV 5-3
UTSA 3-4

Coming up

UTSA at Baylor, Sunday, 2 p.m.

Notable

UTSA’s two-points in the first quarter tied a school record for fewest in one period. The Roadrunners scored two at the University of Hawaii on Nov. 22, 2019 in a 62-50 loss.

As for the 39-point total, it ranks as the second fewest points by a Karen Aston-coached team at UTSA. On Jan. 15, 2022, in Aston’s first season, the Charlotte 49ers beat the Roadrunners 58-33 at the Convocation Center.

The school record for fewest all time is 30, which was done twice, the last time coming on March 5, 2020, in a 69-30 home loss to the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters.

First half

With a punishing defense, the UNLV Lady Rebels opened a 34-17 halftime lead.

They built the lead in the half to as large as 23-2 early in the second before UTSA started to find traction. For UTSA, Cheyenne Rowe, Damara Allen and Idara Udo each had four points by halftime.

But the points didn’t come easily as the Roadrunners shot a meager 22 percent for the half.

UTSA newcomer Jayda Holiman: ‘Let’s get rolling’

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

UTSA’s Jayda Holiman reached double figures in scoring twice last week leading into tonight’s test at home against the UNLV Lady Rebels. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA junior Jayda Holiman has emerged as a dangerous three-point shooting threat going into the second month of the season.

Along with Damara Allen, the 5-foot-7 newcomer is a player that the UTSA women are counting on to loosen up zone defenses and take pressure off forwards Cheyenne Rowe and Idara Udo.

As a transfer from UT Rio Grande Valley who initially struggled with the transition to a new program, Holiman is catching on fast.

Last week, she scored in double figures in both games at the Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Challenge in Frisco.

She had 14 points off the bench in a loss to Auburn and 12 in a stirring, one-point victory over Grand Canyon (Ariz.)

In the two games, she hit five of 12 from beyond the arc, including a three that sparked UTSA’s rally to a 65-64 victory over the Lopes.

Her inspired play has come to the forefront at just the right time as the Roadrunners prepare for two challenges this week.

The first is a home game tonight against the UNLV Lady Rebels, followed by a road test Sunday at 14th-ranked Baylor

Fifth-year UTSA coach Karen Aston said she has always admired Holiman’s work ethic.

“You’re talking about a transfer that’s on a fast track,” the coach said. “You know, she only has a couple of years left (in college).

“Her buy in has been really important because she came here learning a new system and a new way of doing things and, quite honestly, was frustrated in the beginning because it was hard, and it was something different for her.

“She just rolled her sleeves up. She’s gone to work. She daily has gotten better and better, and she’s being rewarded right now for that.”

In the victory over Grand Canyon, Holiman started for the first time as a Roadrunner and had 12 points and eight rebounds.

She knocked down four threes, including one that started the late rally. Also during the late stretch, the 5-7 guard had a steal and an offensive rebound.

Holiman acknowledged Tuesday that it was a big moment for her.

“It was wanting to win and having that effort and wanting to see a success,” she said. “You know, we came back from a loss to Auburn, and we wanted to win that game.

“It was more like, (I) did it for the team and … like, ‘Let’s get rolling. It’s time to win.’ ”

Aston said Holiman’s best is yet to come.

“I think there’s a lot that’s in front of her now,” the coach said. “We talk about it all the time, how you just have to keep buying into the process and, she may not really see the light until next year. But I like where she is right now and I’m really proud of her progress.”

Records

UNLV 4-3
UTSA 3-3

Coming up

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

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.

South Alabama romps to an 82-58 victory over the UTSA men

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South Alabama coach Richie Riley. UTSA men's basketball lost to South Alabama 82-58 on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Richie Riley on Sunday came into San Antonio and led the South Alabama Jaguars to a lopsided win against his one-time assistant coach, UTSA’s Austin Claunch. Both worked together for two seasons at Nicholls State from 2016-18. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The zone-defense oriented South Alabama Jaguars kept antagonizing the UTSA men with their unorthodox style.

They stayed with it all day until the Roadrunners completely broke down.

After turning a close game into a 13-point intermission lead, the defending regular-season champions in the Sun Belt Conference sank their first eight shots from the field in the second half en route to an easy 82-58 victory at the Convocation Center.

“Obviously that was a tough one for us today, at home,” UTSA coach Austin Claunch said. “You know, you got to credit South Alabama. They obviously play a really unique style (and) they’re really well-coached.”

Austin Claunch. UTSA men's basketball lost to South Alabama 82-58 on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Austin Claunch’s UTSA Roadrunners play their next three games on the road against high-major programs, at Alabama, Colorado and USC. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Adam Olsen led the Richie Riley-coached Jaguars to their seventh win in eight games with 20 points. Olsen made five three-pointers on the day. Guards Chaze Harris scored 16 and Jayden Cooper 11.

For the Roadrunners, who suffered their most lopsided loss of the season and fell to 4-4, Jamir Simpson scored 17 and Dorian Hayes 15.

UTSA had trouble all day against the South Alabama zone. Facing a defense that cut off the driving lanes, the Roadrunners were tempted to shoot from the 3-point arc. Mostly, they misfired on those attempts, and the game slowly slipped away.

At one point early on, it appeared that a crowd announced at 960 might see a competitive game.

Winners in three of their last four coming in, UTSA drew within two points with 6:15 left in the half when Hayes hit a three from the top of the arc.

From there, the Jaguars went on 45-18 romp over the next 16 minutes.

At the end of that remarkable spree, Cooper hit a three, and South Alabama was up by 29 points. It was 72-43 with 10:31 remaining in the game.

“Sometimes when a team plays … a zone or whatever the case may be, a unique defense, it kind of makes every shot heavier than the last,” Claunch said. “I think that’s what happened a little bit. You could see it snowball like that.”

The Roadrunners shot a meager 27 percent from the field and 25 percent from the three-point line. All told, UTSA hit 14 of 56 shots from beyond the arc. They also got beat on the boards, with the Jaguars owning a 53-39 advantage.

“It was all about our defense today — and it always is,” Riley said in comments posted to the South Alabama website. “That’s how we win and what we hang our hat on. Defense is the culture of our team and our identity.”

Vasean Allette. UTSA basketball Rowdy Jam on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Austin Claunch said Sunday that he hopes to be able to play guard Vasean Allette “sometime before Christmas.” Allette, a transfer from TCU, participated in front of fans in the preseason but has yet to play in the regular season. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Through the first 26 minutes, the Jaguars also were good on the other end of the floor, as well, hitting at a 58-percent clip from the field with 14:19 remaining in the game.

“I also thought we did some really good things offensively,” Riley said. “We did a great job attacking and getting consistent paint touches. Forty points in the paint is a great number, and 16 assists are even better.”

South Alabama shot 44 percent for the game, its accuracy tailing off at the end when the score reached blowout proportions.

“We got really good contributions from a lot of people, and that’s always encouraging when you win,” he said. “Our guys did a great job executing and playing with a ton of force and passion.”

The Roadrunners will have a week to practice before playing at the University of Alabama on Dec. 7.

It’s the first of a three-game, road odyssey against high-major programs, including stops at Colorado and USC.

“It’s the best non-conference schedule we’ve played in a long time,” Claunch said. “We played a team that won a championship last year in South Alabama, and they showed some championship fiber.

“Now we’ve got three really good teams in Alabama, Colorado and USC. Then we’ve got Seattle coming in, who’s really good. So it’s not getting any easier. (We) can’t sit here and feel sorry for ourselves.

“This is what we want. This is the kind of challenge we signed up for.”

Another challenge for the Roadrunners is getting talented guard Vasean Allette into a game.

Allette, considered the team’s top pickup out of the transfer portal, hasn’t played yet.

Claunch said he hopes the TCU transfer can play sometime before Christmas.

Dorian Hayes. UTSA men's basketball lost to South Alabama 82-58 on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Dorian Hayes, a UTSA freshman from Houston, kept his team in the game early by scoring all of his 15 points in the first half. – Photo by Joe Alexander


“Vasean is continuing to work through things, you know, personally, and we’re with him 100 percent,” Claunch said. “He’ll be at practice this week.

“You know, he can help,” the coach said. “Obviously, he’s a really good player that can pass. He’s a true point (guard). Continuing to get him back is going to be a major plus.”

Records

South Alabama 7-1
UTSA 4-4

Coming up

UTSA at Alabama, Dec. 7, 1 p.m.

First half

South Alabama raced to a 44-31 lead at intermission after hitting UTSA with a 17-6 run in the final six minutes.

During the late streak, the Jaguars flummoxed the Roadrunners with a tricky zone defense that forced them to shoot over the top for any chance to score.

UTSA couldn’t hit those shots, misfiring on six of eight from beyond the arc down the stretch.

The Jaguars also produced some easy baskets, making two steals and converting them into field goals in the last two minutes.

Jayden Cooper did the honors just inside the two-minute mark, swiping a Macaleab Rich inbounds and hitting a layup.

At the end of the half, forward Adam Olsen pressured UTSA’s Austin Nunez into a turnover near midcourt, leading to a driving dunk by Harris.

Notable

UTSA guard Jamir Simpson scored eight points in the first half and nine after intermission. For the game, the team’s leading scorer went six of 16 from the floor and five of 12 from three.

Guard Dorian Hayes scored all of his 15 points before intermission. He also passed for six assists. Freshman forward Matheo Coffi pulled down 10 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.

UTSA set the school record for three-point attempts at 56. Hayes set the school’s individual record for attempts at 20. He finished five of 20 from behind the arc.

Matheo Coffi. UTSA men's basketball lost to South Alabama 82-58 on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Matheo Coffi, a 6-8 freshman from Strasbourg, France, produced 10 rebounds, two blocked shots and two points against the South Alabama Jaguars. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Men’s basketball: UTSA hosts defending Sun Belt champion South Alabama

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The defending Sun Belt Conference champion South Alabama Jaguars will challenge the UTSA Roadrunners today at 1 p.m. in the Convocation Center.

South Alabama won its first conference title in 17 years under Coach Richie Riley.

The Jaguars are off to a fast start this season at 6-1. They opened 6-0 and then lost for the first time on Nov. 21 at UAB.

The Roadrunners are 4-3 after splitting two games last week at the Jacksonville Classic.

After losing to Abilene Christian 61-50 on Nov. 24, they bounced back the next day by rallying to beat Georgia Southern 77-64.

Records

South Alabama 6-1
UTSA 4-3

Coming up

UTSA at Alabama, Dec. 7, 1 p.m.

Notable

South Alabama coach Richie Riley and UTSA coach Austin Claunch worked together for two years at Nicholls State University, with Riley as a head coach and Claunch as an assistant from 2016-18. Claunch took over as the Nicholls head coach when Riley took the South Alabama job.