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SAN ANTONIO — Junior Melvin Johnson III posted his fourth 20-point game in the last 16 days and UTSA used a big second half to rout Nicholls, 91-50, in the Southland Conference opener for both teams on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
Johnson III scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to help the Roadrunners (8-6, 1-0 SLC) outscore the Colonels, 56-27, after intermission. The Dallas native connected on 6-of-7 from beyond the arc en route to a career-high seven treys on 10 attempts and he also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
The 41-point win marked the Roadrunners’ largest margin of victory in a Southland game in program history and it was their 15th victory against the Colonels (4-9, 0-1 SLC) in the last 17 meetings. The previous best was a 37-point margin in an 89-52 win against UT Arlington on Feb. 10, 1992, and it is the largest victory overall since the school-record 136-68 shellacking of East Central on Nov. 22, 2008.
Sophomore Jeromie Hill (16), senior Sei Paye (11), junior Kannon Burrage (11) and senior Stephen Franklin (10) joined Johnson III in double figures. Hill was 7-for-12 from the floor and grabbed six boards, while Paye was 3-for-5 from downtown and added five rebounds and a career-high four steals. Franklin shot 4-for-6 and posted five rebounds and Burrage was 5-for-6 at the free-throw line.
The Roadrunners shot 55.6 percent (20-of-36) in the second half, including 11-of-22 from long distance, on their way to 47.2 and 41.2 percent for the game. UTSA made 9-of-11 at the charity stripe, out-rebounded the Colonels, 42-38, and forced 20 turnovers, 14 on steals, one shy of the season high posted in the UTEP victory.
UTSA broke open a close contest with a 26-4 run spanning halftime.
Bryan Hammond knocked down a jumper at the 6:52 mark to give Nicholls a 20-19 lead, but the Roadrunners responded with the game's key stretch.
Johnson III kick-started a 16-3 run with a trey from the left wing and Paye drained a 3-ball and had a steal and layup with just under three minutes on the clock to give UTSA a 32-22 lead. Hill converted a three-point play before Trevon Lewis made 1-of-2 at the line for the 35-23 halftime score.
The run continued into the second half, as the Birds opened with a 10-1 stretch capped by an acrobatic three-point play by Burrage that gave UTSA a commanding 45-24 lead with 16:21 to play.
The Roadrunners put the game out of reach before the midway point of the second.
Paye, Johnson III and sophomore Tyler Wood connected from long distance to help push the lead to 61-33 with 10:11 to play. Johnson III struck five more times from behind the line over the next five minutes to give UTSA a comfortable 83-38 cushion and the Birds cruised to their seventh consecutive home conference win.
Lewis led Nicholls with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Hammond and Lachlan Prest added 13 and 10 points, respectively. The Colonels shot just 33.3 percent, including 4-of-22 from beyond the arc, and they made just 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) at the charity stripe.
UTSA returns to the hardwood on Sunday when it travels to Sam Houston State (6-8, 0-0 SLC) for a 1 p.m. contest at Johnson Coliseum.