Joel "Jewlz" Morris
Sports Editor
Jags continue strong conference play with win over cross-town rival
The Texas A&M University–San Antonio women’s basketball team improved 7-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference with a 67-51 win over rival Our Lady of the Lake University on Jan. 3.
Junior forward Aniyah Lewis had a game-high with 22 points and was the key to the Jags’ offense, shooting an efficient 45% from the field goal throughout the game.
Lewis said she was confident in her ability to score at will because of the zone coverage OLLU typically plays and her overall feel for the game.
“I knew the three will be there, but the other shots, it was just me reading it and just seeing what they were giving me,” Lewis said.
Head coach Chris Minner anticipated Lewis commanding the game because her shooting strengths exploiting the OLLU’s zone.
“She’s a problem against a zone because she can hit the mid-range, but she can shoot the three,” Minner said. “She’s kind of a matchup nightmare.”
Though Lewis led the Jags in scoring, the overall team meshed together with 19 total assists, moving the ball around against the Saints’ zone defense..
“As soon as we reversed the ball, it was going to be open on the other side, so we just kept moving the ball a lot to get open shots,” Lewis said. “Our plays really set us up for most of the shots that we had.”
With the offense flowing, the Jags had their shortcomings in grabbing rebounds at both ends of the court.
OLLU outrebounded the Jags 41-24, giving the Saints extra possessions to score, but the disruptive defense by the Jags created 30 turnovers, leaving the Saints with little opportunity to gain offensive steam.
“We gave too many rebounds, but then we turn them over, kind of nullifies it,” Minner said.
The Jags continue to streak at four wins, while undefeated at home, securing second place in the RRAC.
The Jags play at home 5:30 p.m. Jan. 8 against Louisiana Christian University as they look to extend their winning streak and climb the standings.
Jags fall to Saints; swept by conference rivals
Men’s basketball head coach Chris Dial said the team remains focused on improvement after a 100-89 loss on Jan. 3 to the Our Lady of the Lake Saints, making it four consecutive conference defeats.
“We’re maintaining the course as far as trying to get better at things that we got to get better at,” Dial said.
The Jags let up 100 points, while junior guard Jaydin-Morin Bishop scored 24 points in the win for OLLU.
The Saints went on a 16-5 run in the first half following Bishop entering the game and converting on three 3-pointers to stretch the lead 31-14.
The Saints created a frantic pace with non-stop ball pressure on defense and the early action on offense, which created a challenge for the Jags to sustain comfortability.
“That team plays really hard,” Dial said.
While trying to claw back into the game, the Jags were led by senior guard Antwone Gonzales with 30 points, giving them a chance to come back.
“He’s a talented guy and he’s been good for us lately,” Dial said. “We’re just going to keep hoping he continues on that trend.”
Gonzales’ scoring ability often cut the lead to single digits in the second half, but his output was not enough against OLLU’s team.
This was the second meeting between the Jags and the Saints. OLLU completed the season sweep, winning both games.
Dial said the term rivalry is misleading, based on recent history of the Saints winning the matchups.
“I would like to call it an inner-city whooping,” Dial said. “They’re just doing a lot better job with a lot of the intangible things. It’s going to take a minute to get there.“
Playing their first game of 2026, Dial has a goal for his team to make strides for the rest of the season.
“I’d love to see these guys get uncomfortable day to day,” Dial said. “They’re pushing themselves in the weight room, they’re pushing themselves in the gym, they’re pushing themselves to be better with their attitudes, their responses, just in general deliberately and intentionally making themselves uncomfortable in the spirit of progression.”
Looking to snap their losing streak at 7:30 pm Jan. 8 at home, the Jags will face Louisiana Christian University.
