· Box score
SAN ANTONIO — Junior Melvin Smith paced three Roadrunners in double figures with 18 points, but Chris Daniels scored 18 to lead Texas A&M-Corpus Christi past UTSA, 78-63, Saturday night in front of 1,571 fans at the Convocation Center.
Smith reached double digits for the 14th time in the last 15 games to lead UTSA (5-14, 1-5 SLC) in scoring for the ninth time this season. Juniors Isaiah Allen and Andrew Francis pitched in 17 apiece, marking the fifth straight game with three players in double figures. Francis, who played all 40 minutes, and Smith pulled down a team-high six rebounds apiece.
Cedric Smith and Scooby Johnson joined Daniels in double digits for the Islanders (15-4, 6-0 SLC), scoring 17 and 14, respectively, while Smith also grabbed a game-high nine boards.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shot 52 percent from the floor for the game, making 26-of-52 field goals, highlighted by a 6-for-7 night from Smith. The Islanders also went to the free throw line 31 times, converting 24 for 77.4 percent.
UTSA had its best free throw performance of the season, draining 17-of-21 — including 8-of-8 from Allen — for a season-high 81 percent.
The Islanders controlled most of an up-tempo first half. UTSA erased a 10-2 deficit out of the blocks, using an 11-4 run to pull within 14-13 at the 11:39 mark. TAMU-CC pushed the lead back to 22-15, but a 7-4 stretch capped by an Attaway jumper made it a four-point game with just over five minutes left in the half. The Islanders answered with an 8-1 run to close the half and take a 34-23 lead into the locker room.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shot 52 percent in the half and were 7-for-9 from the free throw line, meanwhile holding the Roadrunners to just 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) from the field.
Allen drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Smith nailed a mid-range jumper to pull UTSA to within 35-28 at the 18:24 mark of the second half. A dunk by Francis — one of 11 by both teams — made it a seven-point game with 16:31 left, but that was as close as UTSA would get.
A Johnson dunk and a Brandon Roberson trey from the left wing pushed the Islanders lead to 15 midway through the half. The Islanders' lead grew to as much as 17 on a Cedric Smith dunk with three minutes to play.
UTSA made one last run late in the game, cutting the lead to 11 on a 3-point play by Smith with 1:18 to play, but the Islanders hit 5-of-6 free throws and got another dunk from Daniels in the final minute to seal it.
The Roadrunners return to action on Thursday, Feb. 1, at Sam Houston State. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.
