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In simply their second season, Texas A&M College–San Antonio’s males’s and girls’s basketball packages are persevering with to determine their identities within the Pink River Athletic Convention (RRAC), with the ladies’s crew rising as one of many league’s high contenders and the lads steadily constructing in direction of long-term success. The Nationwide Affiliation of Intercollegiate Athletics-affiliated RRAC has 13 member establishments situated in Louisiana, New Mexico and Texas.
The ladies’s program has shortly develop into a convention pressure. Ranked No. 2 within the RRAC standings, the Jaguars maintain a 12–4 total report and a 9–1 mark in convention play, together with a six-game successful streak. The crew can also be unbeaten at dwelling this season, posting a 7–0 report on the College Recreation Middle.
The success follows a powerful inaugural marketing campaign within the 2024-25 season during which A&M-San Antonio reached the RRAC Event and produced main particular person honors, together with All-Convention recognition for Evelyn Lorenzo and Participant of the Yr honors for Natalia Trevino. That robust basis has carried into 12 months two, because the Jaguars proceed to mix skilled management with constant manufacturing throughout the roster.
“In simply two years, our males’s and girls’s basketball packages have made exceptional strides, establishing a basis constructed on effort, integrity, and resilience,” mentioned A&M-San Antonio Athletic Director Darnell Smith. “We’re deliberately constructing a championship mindset and a tradition of excellence that develops leaders, unites our group and units the usual for Jaguar Basketball.”
A latest 93–58 win over Louisiana Christian showcased the ladies’s crew’s depth and defensive strain. Lorenzo, a senior, leads the crew with a mean of 14.1 factors per recreation, whereas junior Aniyah Lewis averages 10.4 factors and Kierra Sanderlin contributes 9.0 factors per recreation.
“The vitality at our video games is palpable and actually motivates our gamers. We go on the market as a crew and provides it our all each time and I couldn’t be prouder of the trouble our girls give every recreation,” mentioned Chris Minner, head coach for the ladies’s crew.
Whereas the ladies have surged to the highest of the standings, the lads’s program continues to take steps ahead in its personal second season. After debuting final 12 months, the Jaguars returned with a mixture of veteran gamers and newcomers, specializing in improvement and establishing consistency in convention play.
Highlights embody a latest 85–76 victory towards LSU-Alexandria, showcasing the crew’s capability to carry out in shut, late-game conditions. A number of video games have been determined within the closing minutes, together with a 78–76 loss to Louisiana Christian that got here on a last-second 3-pointer. By way of January, the lads maintain a 4–12 total report and a 3–7 mark in RRAC motion.
“Our males put within the work day by day, and as a program, we stay course of oriented. They’re leaders throughout the campus and are constructing a powerful basis for sustained success,” mentioned Chris Dial, males’s basketball head coach.
Senior guard Paul Minjoth has supplied management on and off the courtroom, whereas sophomore Antwone Gonzales leads the crew in scoring at 14.5 factors per recreation. Junior guard Dezmon Dudley is averaging 10.6 factors per recreation, serving to anchor the Jaguars’ backcourt as they navigate a demanding convention schedule.
Each groups will return dwelling later this month for a stretch of convention matchups on the College Recreation Middle. A&M-San Antonio will host Jarvis Christian on Thursday, Jan. 29; Texas School on Saturday, Jan. 31; and Xavier College of Louisiana on Thursday, Feb. 5. The total schedule is posted and tickets may be bought on the Jaguar Athletics web site.
The Jaguars may also participate in a marquee matchup on February 21 towards Texas A&M-Texarkana, which can function A&M-San Antonio’s official Homecoming recreation. The occasion is predicted to attract college students, alumni, school and group members to campus because the College celebrates its traditions whereas showcasing its latest athletic packages.
Because the packages progress by way of their second seasons, the Jaguars are targeted on greater than instant outcomes. For the ladies, the objective is to maintain championship-level play and make one other postseason run. For the lads, it’s about laying the groundwork for future success by way of expertise and regular development.
Collectively, the groups characterize a younger however quickly growing chapter in A&M-San Antonio Athletics — one outlined by resilience, aggressive spirit and a rising presence within the Pink River Athletic Convention.
