Jan. 26, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907
Demons overcome 12-point deficit for 70-59 victory over UTSA
Box Score
NATCHITOCHES, La. – Senior Andre Owens scored a game-high 17 points, but Jermaine Wallace poured in 10 of his team-high 12 points in the second half to help lead Northwestern State from 12 down to a 70-59 victory over UTSA Thursday night at Prather Coliseum.
The Roadrunners (7-10, 2-4 SLC) played a solid first half and held a 37-27 lead at the break, but the first-place Demons (12-6, 5-1 SLC) used a 16-0 run in the second half en route to the 11-point victory.
Owens led UTSA in scoring for the 10th time this season and contributed a team-best six rebounds and six assists to go along with two steals and a block. Sophomore Roderick Rodgers added 11 points and five assists, while freshman Eric Young pitched in 10 points and three steals.
Wallace drained three 3-pointers in the second half to help lead the NSU comeback. Luke Rogers also tallied 12 points, while Clifton Lee and Kerwin Forges scored 11 and 10, respectively.
Both teams shot well from the field with UTSA hitting at a 50 percent clip (24-48) and NSU firing at 48 percent (24-50). Thirteen second-half turnovers by the Roadrunners helped the Demons get back into the game as they forced 25 total compared to 19 of their own.
“I told our guys we played well enough to win in the first half but not in the second half and that basically was the difference in the game,” head coach Tim Carter said. “Northwestern State is a veteran ballclub and we knew they would make a run after being down like that at the half. We did a nice job stopping their bread-and-butter play in the first half, but they adjusted and started knocking down some outside shots in the second half. That opened up the inside and we just did not play well at all down the stretch.”
UTSA got off to the hot start, building a 6-0 lead behind a pair of Young lay-ups and a fastbreak slam dunk from Owens. The Roadrunners pushed the lead out to 18-8 on a 3-point play by Owens at the 14:33 mark.
The Demons cut into the deficit on a Keenan Jones jumper and a 3-pointer from Forges that made it 18-13 but UTSA went on an 11-4 run over the next 5:25 capped by a fastbreak dunk from junior Kurt Attaway that gave the Roadrunners their largest lead of the game, 29-17, with 7:22 until the half. NSU cut it to six at 33-27 but a jumper from sophomore Abe Donlon and a long 2-pointer from Eric Young at the buzzer gave UTSA a 37-27 halftime advantage.
NSU came out firing in the second half, pulling to within 43-41 on a Wallace 3-pointer at the 12:54 mark. A Wallace free throw and a Rogers lay-up at the 12:05 mark gave the Demons their first lead of the game, 44-43, one they would never relinquish.
Another Wallace trey and a jumper by Colby Bargeman quickly extended the lead to nine, 52-43, before an Owens free throw stopped the game-changing 16-0 run. UTSA was able to trim it to four at 55-51 on a Donlon freebie, but NSU held off any more charges, closing the game on a 10-4 run over the final 4:32 for the win.
The Roadrunners travel to Monroe, La., on Saturday for a 2 p.m. game at Louisiana-Monroe.