SAN ANTONIO – Attending a UTSA women’s basketball game may just be the coolest thing to do in San Antonio right now.
“For sure – 1,000 percent,” said standout sophomore post player Idara Udo. “What else are you doing?”
San Antonio sports legend Becky Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star, former longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant coach and current head coach of the two-time WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces, was sitting courtside in the Convocation Center a few weeks ago to watch the Roadrunners. She’s perhaps the most famous of a host of dignitaries who have been on hand to witness the team’s historic start to the 2024-25 season.
Following Wednesday’s 64-53 win against Tulsa that gave the Roadrunners their 10th consecutive victory and improved their record to 17-2 overall and 8-0 in the American Athletic Conference, the team and staff joined sorority members - who were in attendance for Greek Night - in a celebratory line dance at half court.
“If you can get Coach [Karen Aston] to dance, that’s how you know you’re doing something, for real,” Udo said.
Wednesday’s game featured a raucous crowd of 1,345 fans, marking the second consecutive home game for UTSA that featured more than 1,300 spectators in attendance. The electric environment in the Convocation Center ignited a 15-2 third-quarter run by the Roadrunners that helped them separate themselves from the Golden Hurricane.
“I thought it was huge,” UTSA head coach Karen Aston said. “Our team was kind of looking to make a run, we jumped in our press and got our blood flowing, and then the crowd got excited. That one run was really the difference in the game.”
Keeping the energy level consistently high throughout the season has been central to the Roadrunners’ success.
“I think energy is everything,” said Udo, who finished Wednesday’s game with 16 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals. “It’s one of the things I use most when I play. My teammates’ energy, my energy and then the energy from the crowd, it just got me going and helped with my play today.”
Energy is contagious and it’s not just the players on the court or the fans in the stands who are providing the spark. It permeates throughout everyone in the building, including the players on the bench.
“Sometimes it’s hard when you don’t play,” said point guard Nina De Leon Negron, who concluded Wednesday’s contest two assists shy of a triple-double. “Our bench does a really good job every time we get subbed out, high fiving us and saying ‘good job.’ In practice, they’re always encouraging. They deserve a lot of credit.”
UTSA has won 11 consecutive games at home in the Convocation Center, tying a stretch from January 9, 2002 through November 28, 2003 for the program record. Despite the success the Roadrunners have had, the team is far from satisfied as it seeks its first AAC Championship.
“Every single time that we talk, even when we’re off the court and we’re all together, we’re always talking about the end goal,” De Leon Negron said. “We’re 8-0 right now? Cool. That’s not our ultimate goal. We always talk about winning here, defending our home court and the ultimate goal.”
Having every person associated with the program focused on the same destination has been a driving force in propelling UTSA closer to its ultimate goal with each game.
“We’ve surrounded this program with people that are excellent,” said Aston, who was recently named to the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award Watch List. “Period.
“Our staff is excellent at what they do. They demand excellence from the players and our players have common goals, so it’s been a fun experience for sure.”
Next Up
UTSA returns to action on Wednesday, traveling to Tampa, where it will face AAC preseason favorite USF at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
The Roadrunners are back in the Convocation Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 1 vs. Temple. UTSA will look to set the school record for most consecutive home wins at 12.