RELATED LINKSBox scorePhoto galleryGame replayPostgame wrapupUpdated 2011-12 season statisticsBox score (.pdf)Updated 2011-12 season statistics (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO — Sophomore Jeromie Hill scored a season-high 21 points, but Kareem Nitoto and Robert Smith combined for eight 3-pointers and 36 points to help UC Riverside hold off a late rally in a 70-65 victory on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
Trailing by as many as 14 points late in the contest, the Roadrunners (6-6) mounted a late rally to cut the deficit to four, but the Highlanders (6-7) held on for the second win in three all-time meetings.
After a pair of Nitoto free throws gave UCR a 55-41 lead with 8:26 to play, UTSA used a 3-pointer from junior Michael Hale III and a jumper from the right elbow by senior Sei Paye to cut the deficit to single digits. A bucket by senior Alex Vouyoukas and a pair of free throws from junior Kannon Burrage made it a 59-52 game with just over three minutes to play.
However, the Highlanders answered, as Nitoto found Phil Martin underneath the basket for an easy layup and he then knocked down a jumper of his own to push the UC Riverside advantage to 11 with 1:20 remaining.
Burrage converted two freebies and a Hill layup drained a 3-pointer from the left wing to bring the Roadrunners to within five (64-59) with 32 ticks left on the clock.
Forced to foul, UTSA sent Nitoto to the line, where he made both.
Junior Melvin Johnson III then rattled home a trey to make it a four-point contest with 25 seconds remaining.
Nitoto was hacked again and made both to put UCR up, 68-62.
The Roadrunners missed a three and Kevin Bradshaw made 1-of-2 to turn it into a three-possession game. Johnson III drained another basket from long distance with 2.1 seconds left, but Martin made 1-of-2 at the line to ice it.
Hill was 8-of-12 from the field, including 4-for-5 from downtown, to match his career high and it was his second 20-point game this month. He added a team-high-tying seven rebounds, while Burrage netted 15 points and equaled Hill with seven boards. Johnson III tallied 13 on the strength of three 3-pointers.
UTSA shot just 28 percent in the first half and 36.8 percent for the game and was 8-for-20 (40 percent) from long distance. The Roadrunners continued their impressive season at the free-throw line, making 15-of-18 to improve to 78.4 percent for the year.
Nitoto tallied 20 to lead the Highlanders, while Smith posted 16, as both guards made 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Elliott Berry added 11 points, while Bradshaw recorded a game-best 11 rebounds to go along with nine points. UCR shot 50 percent and was 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from behind the line.
The Roadrunners made just two of their first 11 shots, but were 7-for-8 from the line during the same stretch and cut a 14-7 deficit to one on a steal and layup by Hale III midway through the first. The Highlanders responded with five consecutive baskets to push the lead to 11.
UTSA used a 9-0 run capped by a Hill 3-pointer at the two-minute mark to close to within a pair, but Nitoto answered with a three of his own to give UC Riverside a five-point halftime advantage.
The Roadrunners made just 7-of-25 (28 percent) in the half, including only 1-of-10 from downtown.
Hill knocked down two threes early in the second half to help give UTSA a 32-30 advantage with 16:02 to play, its first lead since a 4-2 edge at the 16:07 mark of the first half.
The Highlanders reclaimed the lead by draining four consecutive shots from long range for a 42-37 advantage. Smith then struck from downtown for the third time in the half, this time from the top of the key to make it 49-41 with 10:41 on the clock. A baseline jumper by Berry and a pair of free throws by Nitoto created a 55-41 lead.
The Roadrunners continue their three-game home stand against Bowling Green (6-6) at 2 p.m. on New Year's Day.