UTSA Tops 100 in Win over East Central
UTSA 103, East Central 80
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Junior Devin Gibson and freshman Melvin Johnson III combined for 43 points and UTSA used a 62-point second-half outburst to run past East Central, 103-80, on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
Gibson drained four 3-pointers and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line en route to scoring a game-high 24 points, while Johnson III connected five times from behind the arc in tallying 19 to help the Roadrunners run their record to 2-0 on the season.
UTSA had five players in double figures for the second straight game, as senior Terry Fields was 6-for-8 from the floor in scoring 13, while seniors Omar Johnson and Morris Smith IV posted 11 points apiece.
The Roadrunners dominated the glass, outrebounding the Tigers, 52-25, including 20 offensive boards. Senior Demarco Stepter pulled down a game-best nine rebounds to go along with eight points, while Fields and Smith grabbed eight and seven, respectively.
UTSA used a 21-10 run at the start of the second half to break the game open. Senior Josh Bonney and Gibson, whose four treys matched his career high set in the 2009 Southland Tournament Championship loss to Stephen F. Austin, accounted for five points each in the stretch that increased the Roadrunners' lead from 41-34 at the break to 62-44 at the 15:17 mark.
East Central cut into a 69-50 deficit with a 12-3 run capped by a pair of free throws from Bobby McAdoo that made it 72-62 at the midway point of the half.
UTSA responded and rolled from there, building the lead to 23 in the final minutes in topping 100 points for the second straight game against the Tigers and 43rd time overall (37-6 record).
The Roadrunners shot 54.5 percent in the second half and 48.5 percent (33-68) for the game, including 42.9 percent (12-28) from downtown.
Eric Allen and Denarius Darby scored 17 apiece to lead East Central, which counted the game as an exhibition. Wes Badley added 16 and Wayne Andrews tallied 12 for the Tigers, who shot 48.4 percent (30-62) from the floor.
The Roadrunners built a 10-point lead midway through the first half after Gibson drained a long three from the left wing at the 11:45 mark to make it 27-17.
The Tigers clawed back to make things interesting, eventually tying the score at 30-all on a Badley jumper with just under six minutes left in the half. UTSA closed the stanza on an 11-4 run and took a seven-point advantage into the locker room.
The Roadrunners hit the road again next week for the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Richmond (Ky.) Subregional. UTSA will face UC Irvine Monday at 7 p.m., Central, Fairleigh Dickinson Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Eastern Kentucky Wednesday at 5 p.m.
North Texas 101, UT Arlington 99 (2 OT)
ARLINGTON, Texas - At times it seemed like UT Arlington and North Texas would play until the wee hours of the morning.
It had to end eventually and somebody had to lose. Unfortunately it was the Mavericks, 101-99 in double overtime to the Mean Green.
UTA only scored five points in the second overtime, as fatigue set in on senior guard Marquez Haynes and the rest of the Mavericks.
"I felt like when we came down we got good looks each time," Haynes said. "Sometimes that's just how it goes. You prepare for those situations."
Haynes ended the night with 29 points, leading the Mavericks. His jump shot wasn't falling, he was 1-for-5 on three pointers, but he went to the line 11 times.
Haynes got into the paint at will in the first overtime, as he slashed his way to seven points to keep the game within reach for senior guard Brandon Long.
Long had one of his best games of his career, scoring 28 points and grabbing eight rebounds. He went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. But his one miss came with 3.3 seconds left in the first overtime with the game tied at 94.
"It was a long game, we were playing hard so I guess our legs got to us a little bit," Long said. "Maybe should of knocked it down anyway."
The game was largely decided on the charity stripe. The teams combined to shoot 87 free throws, with UNT shooting 47. Junior guard Josh White of the Mean Green reaped the benefits of the blown whistles.
White scored a game high 35 while going 15-for-18 from the free throw line.
"He's a great player. He had attack on his mind the whole time," UTA coach Scott Cross said. "He's a veteran point guard and a great player. Hats off to him,"
It looked like the Mavericks weren't even going to have to fight it out in any overtimes towards the end of the second half. Long and junior forward Tommy Moffitt hit back to back three's to put the Mavs up 76-79 with five minutes left in the game.
North Texas battled back, thanks to White, and Long and Haynes just ran out of time and shots.
"Just as many times we've missed tonight, we've made those same looks," Haynes said. "All you can do is next time is knock it down."
Mental errors are what Cross described as the reason for the large amount of free throws shot by North Texas. But Cross wanted to let it be known that his team didn't lose because of a lack of effort. His team will be back with its head up.
"I felt like it was just mental breakdowns, its early in the season," Cross said. "I feel really good about our team. I feel like we're going to have a great season if we continue to play hard like we're playing right now.
"I think great things are going to be in the near future for us."