| Freshman Devin Gibson scored a game-high 20 points on Saturday night. |
SAN ANTONIO ? Freshman Devin Gibson scored a game-high 20 points, including 14 in the second half, as UTSA ran away from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 65-51, on Saturday night before a season-high crowd of 3,050 at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners, 13-14 overall, moved into a three-way tie with McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana for fifth place in the league standings, as the teams all stand 7-7 in league play. The victory also snapped a six-game losing streak to the A&M-Corpus Christi dating back to the first-ever meeting on Nov. 27, 1999. The Islanders fell to 8-19 and 5-9. One more loss by A&M-Corpus Christi in its final two games next week with Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State secures an SLC Tournament berth for UTSA.
Gibson, who was UTSA’s leading scorer for the 14th time this season, was 6-of-8 from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers, and 6-for-6 from the free throw line in reaching 20 points for the sixth time. Junior Joey Shank drained three treys in the second half en route to 11 points, while senior Melvin Smith added 10.
UTSA broke open a close game at the half (27-25 lead) with a 9-2 run out of the gates behind five points from Gibson. The Islanders chipped away at the lead and fought back to within 42-39 on a 3-pointer by Antonio Topps at the 11:14 mark.
The Roadrunners responded with eight unanswered points behind 3-pointers from Shank and Gibson to make it 50-39 with just over nine minutes remaining. A&M-Corpus Christi made it a nine-point game on Filip Toncinic jumper, but that was as close as the Islanders would get the rest of the way as UTSA built as much as a 17-point lead down the stretch in running away with their fifth win in the past six games.
Justin Reynolds led the Islanders with 10 points, while Demond Watt posted eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.
UTSA forced 21 turnovers ? the 15th team with 20-plus this season ? converting those miscues into 23 points. The Roadrunners committed only nine turnovers and shot 46.8 percent for the game, including 51.9 percent in the second half. The Islanders shot 47.5 percent, but made just 3-of-15 from behind the arc.
The Roadrunners travel to Huntsville to face Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5.