· Box score
CORPUS CHRISTI — Junior Melvin Smith led three Roadrunners in double figures with 14 points, but Chris Daniels scored 16 to lead Texas A&M-Corpus Christi past UTSA, 75-59, on Saturday afternoon in Southland Conference action at the American Bank Center.
Smith reached double figures for the 22nd time this season, while juniors Andrew Francis and Isaiah Allen pitched in 13 points apiece. Francis pulled down a team-high six rebounds and senior Kurt Attaway dished out a game-high six assists for the Roadrunners (6-21, 2-12 SLC).
Daniels added eight boards to lead all players, while Kevin Menifee and Taurean Mitchell added 14 and 10 points, respectively. The Islanders (21-6, 12-2 SLC) shot 58 percent (29-of-50) from the floor and used 10 steals to help force 18 Roadrunner turnovers.
A Francis layup erased an early six-point deficit and made it 12-11 Islanders at the 14:14 mark. TAMU-CC used a 13-0 run to help build a 16-point lead with 7:41 to play in the half.
UTSA cut into the deficit with a 9-0 run, capped by a pair of Ryan Williams free throws at the 2:21 mark. Smith then tied the game at 35-35 on a leaning 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:41 left, but Daniels drained a turn-around jumper in the lane to put the Islanders up 37-35, at the half.
Both teams shot well in the half with UTSA making 13-of-25 (52 percent) from the field and the Islanders draining 59.3 percent (16-of-27).
TAMU-CC charged out to a big lead midway through the second half, using a 157 run to build a 10-point lead with just under 14 minutes remaining. The lead grew to 64-44 on a Josh Washington trey at the 7:58 mark.
A Smith jumper made it a 12-point game with just over two minutes left, capping a 5-0 run by UTSA. The Islanders responded, holding UTSA to just one free throw down the stretch in the 16-point win.
The Roadrunners return home to host Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 1.
