UTSA opens season with road loss to San Jose State

UTSA men’s basketball already faced an uphill battle going into the season. 

Coming off a 4-25 record in 2025, the Roadrunners were picked last in the American Conference. Then, head coach Austin Claunch was suspended after being arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. 

It was a disastrous start before the actual start of the season.

Still, the team looked semi-competitive in its season opener against San Jose State. There were spurts where you could see the Roadrunners playing Claunch’s fast-paced style of basketball — even with assistant coach Nick Bowman serving as the acting head coach — but they weren’t able to sustain it due to poor shooting and interior defense struggles.

San Jose State guards Mekhi Mason and Joey Chammaa combined for 53 points in the Spartans’ 95-74 win over the Roadrunners Monday at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. 

Oklahoma State transfer guard Isaiah Coleman emerged in the opening half as UTSA kept San Jose State within striking distance. Coleman cooled a Spartans’ 8-0 run with a three and a smooth euro-step finish, cutting San Jose State’s lead to two with 12:54 left in the opening half. 

As the half dragged on, UTSA couldn’t match the pace of Mason and Chammaa. The Spartans dominated the Roadrunners on the glass and got their guard duo more opportunities to score. And more often than not, they capitalized. San Jose State closed out the opening half on a 17-2 run, with UTSA shooting just 10-of-34 overall and 4-of-18 from beyond the arc. 

The Roadrunners came out of the break with some juice, though. Eastern Illinois transfer Peyton Turner knocked down a pair of threes and Murray State transfer KJ Tenner added five points, helping UTSA to an 11-3 run in the opening minutes of the second half. 

South Dakota transfer guard Shey Eberwein flashed with 12 second-half points, but it wasn’t enough for the Roadrunners to dig themselves out of the 27-point hole they faced early in the second. 

Eberwein and Turner tied for the team lead in points (15), but Eberwein needed 10 fewer shots than Turner to do so. Eberwein finished 5-of-5 from the field, 2-of-2 from deep and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Turner led the team in rebounds (4) while Tenner led in assists (6). As a team, the Roadrunners shot 42.9% from the floor, 35.3% from three and 61.5% from the free-throw line. UTSA’s lone returning player, guard Dorian Hayes, played the fewest minutes on the team (6). 

UTSA will host the Virginia Military Institute for its home opener at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.