San Antonio, Tx,—-UTSA men’s basketball remains in search of its first American Athletic Conference victory, but confidence within the program has not wavered despite the results.
The Roadrunners fell 74–58 to Charlotte on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center, extending their losing streak to eight games. The loss spoiled UTSA’s conference home opener while giving the 49ers their first road win of the season.
Despite the setback, UTSA maintains a long-term perspective on the season.
“We’ve played some good teams,” head coach Austin Claunch said. “We’ve just got to keep pounding the rock, keep chipping away. I believe that wholeheartedly. It’ll turn — tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now.”
Charlotte (8–8, 2–1 AAC) entered the contest as the least-winning opponent UTSA (4–11, 0–3 AAC) has faced this season, but that proved misleading. From the opening tip, the 49ers dictated the tempo and outworked the Roadrunners across the board, most notably on the glass. Charlotte dominated the rebounding battle 47–29, creating extra possessions and controlling the physicality of the game.
That challenge, Claunch believes, is part of a larger plan. UTSA intentionally scheduled difficult nonconference opponents to prepare for AAC play and beyond. While the losses have piled up, the coaching staff and players remain committed to the process, confident that the experience gained now will pay dividends later.
The game itself was played at a frenetic pace, marked by high energy and several scoring droughts on both sides. Freshman guard Dorian Hayes helped keep UTSA within reach late in the first half, tying his career high with 15 points and drilling a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to cut Charlotte’s lead to 34–26.
Charlotte seized control after the break, turning up its defensive pressure and crashing the boards to generate second-chance points and fast-break opportunities. Ben Bradford led all scorers with 18 points, five rebounds, and three steals, including seven points during a decisive 10–0 run that pushed the 49ers’ lead to 61–40 with 9:44 remaining.
Major Freeman added a three-pointer to give Charlotte its largest lead of the night, 67–45, with 3:56 left. He finished with 10 points.
UTSA continued to compete until the final buzzer. Sophomore forward Baboucarr Nije provided a spark off the bench late, scoring six of his points in the final three minutes as part of a brief Roadrunner push. Austin Nunez led UTSA with 16 points, seven of which came in the final seven minutes.
Nunez, a redshirt junior who previously played at Ole Miss and Arizona State, is adjusting to a larger role in his first season at the mid-major level. After spending much of his early college career in limited roles, he is now one of UTSA’s primary options on a young roster that includes three freshmen.
He acknowledged the growing pains that come with inexperience, noting the importance of responding before games swing out of reach.
“It’s about having urgency before teams go on those runs,” Nunez said. “That’s something that comes with time and exposure.”
Claunch echoed that sentiment after the game, expressing frustration but also belief in his group.
“We’re frustrated — I’m obviously very frustrated,” Claunch said. “It’s my job to figure something out to help these guys. They’re willing, they’re able, and they care about winning. They care about each other. We’ll come out here and play better on Saturday.”
UTSA will continue its homestand Saturday against Tulane at 4 p.m. CST, the second of three consecutive home games for the Roadrunners. Charlotte will travel to face Rice on Sunday.
