UTSA Takes Down No. 1 Seed McNeese State to Reach NCAAs
By Brandon C. Williams
Southland.org
KATY, Texas - A week ago, UTSA was uncertain if even a trip to the Southland Conference tournament was in the offing.
One week later, coach Brooks Thompson's squad sits atop the conference, and a trip to the NCAA tournament to boot.
Conference freshman of the year Jeromie Hill scored 25 points to go along with Devin Gibson's inspirational performance to give seventh-seeded UTSA (19-13) a thrilling 75-72 win over top-seed McNeese State on Saturday to give the Roadrunners their first conference crown since 2004 and the school's third overall.
UTSA defeated the tourney's top three seeds - McNeese, Northwestern State and Sam Houston State - in order to reach the field of 68.
"I didn't think it would be this quick, but it shows the character of these guys," said Thompson, who suited six freshmen and just one senior in Gibson, who overcame an early injury to finish with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists en route to earning tournament most valuable player honors.
The character of UTSA was tested in the final 81 seconds as McNeese mounted a furious comeback from a nine-point deficit and nearly forced overtime before all-conference standout Patrick Richard's game-tying attempt from the right corner glanced off the rim just as the horn sounded.
Trailing 69-60, the Cowboys, who were 4 for 23 from beyond the arc in the first 38:39 of the contest, hit four straight treys to whittle the lead down to 74-72. The regular season champions actually had a chance to take the lead, but C.J. Collins stepped out of bounds after grabbing his own rebound from what would have been the go-ahead 3-pointer.
After Melvin Johnson III missed the second of two free throws with six seconds, Richard pulled down the rebound and pushed the ball toward the corner. He got his shot off, but Stephen Franklin stuck his hand in Richard's face just long enough to alter a shot that would have provided one of the wildest finishes in the history of the Southland tournament.
"It felt good... it looked good," said Richard, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds. "It just didn't go down."
Having won the regular season title, the Cowboys will play in the National Invitational Tournament and will find out their first round opponent on Sunday night. The loss denied McNeese State a chance to become the first team in conference annals to have both their men's and women's teams win both the regular season and tournament crowns in the same season.
McNeese struggled from the field until the closing flurry, as UTSA's zone defense kept the Cowboys' perimeter offense off balance. After Diego Kaplan's 3-pointer cut the margin to 32-31 with 18:26 remaining, McNeese did not hit another triple until Kapelan (20 points) found the mark with 3:44 left.
"We just didn't have our 'A' game from the perimeter," said Cowboys coach Dave Simmons.
Hill, however, did.
The freshman from Australia picked up the slack when Gibson was hit in the face just 2:06 into the game. Gibson stayed on the floor briefly before moving to the bench. He returned a couple of minutes later, but struggled for the bulk of the first half.
Meanwhile, Hill scored 13 points in the first half, including a dunk and an ensuing free throw with 4:30 left that brought UTSA within 26-25. He then followed with a layup that gave the Roadrunners the lead for good with 3:26 remaining.
Hill's scoring outburst continued after intermission, where he nailed consecutive 3-pointers that helped keep McNeese at bay.
"I got confident," he said. "I knew that if I could see daylight, I knew they'd keep falling in."
For Gibson, Saturday marked the climax to a vision that began in the living room of his home in Houston four years ago. It was there where Thompson convinced the young man to come up help re-establish a program that had won just seven games the previous season.
Four years and 70 wins later, Gibson's goal of a Southland Conference championship ring was realized, a moment that finally struck him as he began to cut down the nets.
"I was like, 'wow, it's really happening,'" said Gibson, who was joined on the all-tournament team by Hill, Richard, Kapelan and Sam Houston State's Gilberto Clavell.
The Roadrunners will learn their first round fate when the NCAA tournament bracket is unveiled on Sunday evening. Having experienced the excitement of two trips to the tournament while playing at Oklahoma State, Thompson knows his team will be in for a thrill ride, however long it lasts.
"It's going to be the greatest experience of their basketball lives....so far," he said. "I can't wait to go through that with them."
2011 All-Tournament Team:
Devin Gibson, UTSA (Most Valuable Player)
Jeromie Hill, UTSA
Diego Kapelan, McNeese State
Gilberto Clavell, Sam Houston State
Patrick Richard, McNeese State
UTSA Quotes
Coach Brooks Thompson
Opening Statement: "Very proud to be sitting up here, there's no doubt about it. It was a tremendous basketball game and very hard fought on both sides obviously. It was interesting in the end from not only with our lack of effort but the will of the McNeese State seniors to never give up. They deserve a lot of credit. They won the regular season and came in as the number one seed. It took everything we had just to get this opportunity to win. About the game, I can't say enough about the two guys up here seated next to me - Jeromie and Devin, Devin especially in the second half and Jeromie getting rebounds and making some big shots. This is really about our players. I can't sit here and tell you how proud I am of these guys for what they've done all year long. I think they're so deserving of it. They're just wonderful student-athletes. What they've done in the last two weeks, especially the win at UT Arlington, we wouldn't be sitting here today."
Devin Gibson
On cutting down the net: "To be honest, there were so many thoughts going through my head. I thank Jesus, I thank my grandmother, who is no longer with us but I know she was up there helping me. But looking back on the last four years, I'm just like, wow, it finally happened."
On late part of season, staying alive for the tournament: "I don't think it was just the last week. I think the second part of conference we got together, had our player meetings and talked about what we wanted to do. We talked about what each other could do, helping the team instead of hurting the team. To be honest, it really showed up on the court today."
On Jeromie Hill: "Jeromie did what he always did, make shots. He's a very talented player and a very good scorer. I think the stats speak for themselves."
Jeromie Hill
On NCAA tournament: "The last two years at home in Australia, I'd be at home, watching ESPN, all the college games, the NCAA tournament, I knew I could get there, I just needed to take care of my grades. I'm very thankful and humbled to be going."
McNeese State Quotes
Dave Simmons
Opening Statement: "I'm disappointed for my seniors. They fought hard and they got us here. Their leadership gave us the opportunity to play for the NCAA tournament, but it didn't happen, we fell just short. I thought UTSA played well. They hit their shots when they needed to and they made some big threes. The biggest thing is that we are a perimeter oriented team. We got here by shooting the basketball, getting to the line, and that's the thing we didn't do tonight. We didn't have our a-game from the perimeter, but we got it going late. I'm proud of our guys, they didn't quit."
On team's character, NIT appearance: "That's the thing we felt we had done all year. They had faith and believed in it. We thought we were going to get it done and we had opportunities but it just wasn't meant to fall. Those kids have done that all year long. We didn't leave anything on the court tonight. It hurts right now, but the biggest thing is we have to put this behind us. We all know what the picture is, we don't go the NCAA, we're going to the NIT. But the important thing is our team and especially our seniors have an opportunity to continue to play. There are a lot of teams who will not be playing next week. But we are one of the teams who will be playing."
Diego Kapelan
On today's game and upcoming NIT: "We will use this to fuel the fire. Whoever we play next, we will take this feeling and use to step up our game. It's just the worst feeling in the world right now. Watching your dreams shatter, but we'll take the NIT and go into playing hard."
P.J. Alawoya
On final shot: "C.J. had a great look. We've never doubted C.J. shooting three's. But it just came up short. The only thing I knew to do was get the rebound and try again. Unfortunately, C.J. stepped out of bounds. But we still fought back."
Patrick Richard
On final shot: "When they missed their free throw we wanted to get a three-point shot to tie the game. Felt good and looked good, but it just didn't go in for us. We played our hearts out. Their 2-3 zone messed up our rhythm. It slowed us down and kept us out of transition."