| Junior Omar Johnson scored a team-high 17 points on Monday night. |
IOWA CITY, Iowa ? Junior Omar Johnson led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points, but Iowa got 18 from Cyrus Tate and made its final 14 free throws to hold off UTSA, 73-67, on Monday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Roadrunners (0-2) trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half, but Johnson’s 13 second-half points helped UTSA mount a furious rally and gain as large as a three-point lead in the final eight minutes.
An Anthony Tucker three from left wing with 1:48 to play gave Iowa (2-0) a 67-62 edge, but Johnson answered with his third trey with 33 seconds remaining to make it a one-possession game.
On the next possession, sophomore Devin Gibson, the defending NCAA steals champion, appeared to come up with his sixth theft of the evening, but he was whistled for a foul near midcourt, putting Matt Gatens on the line to increase the Hawkeyes' lead to four. The Roadrunners had two more chances in the final 15 ticks to pull within two, but Iowa held on for the dramatic six-point victory.
Johnson was 5-for-8 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point line, and he was a perfect 4-of-4 on free throws. He added five assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Gabbidon joined Johnson in double figures with a dozen points, while five other Roadrunners scored six or more, including senior Joey Shank, who drained a trio of 3-pointers for nine points.
Tucker posted 15 points for Iowa, while Jermain Davis and Matt Gatens added 10 apiece. Davis was the star at the charity stripe for the Hawkeyes, converting all 10 of his attempts on the night.
Iowa was 20-of-22 (90.9 percent) from the line and shot 57.1 percent from the field behind 38 points in the paint.
UTSA converted 10-of-12 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe and shot 44.4 percent (24-of-54) from the floor, including nine 3-pointers. The Roadrunners tallied 16 fast break points and 27 off 19 Iowa turnovers.
Iowa scored the first bucket of the second half ? a Tate layup just 35 seconds in ? but UTSA cut the deficit to single digits with an 8-0 run over the next three minutes capped by a 3-pointer from the right corner from Johnson. Another Johnson trey with just under 15 minutes to play pulled the Roadrunners to within 44-41.
The Hawkeyes pulled back in front with an 8-2 stretch, but a Shank trey from the corner rattled home to make it 52-all with 9:40 remaining. Junior Demarco Stepter then converted from the low post to give UTSA its first lead, 54-52, since the first minute of the game.
Shank drained another long-range jumper to give the Roadrunners a 57-54 advantage with 7:49 remaining, but Iowa went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to regain the lead, 62-57.
Junior Morris Smith IV had the hot hand early for the Roadrunners, as he drained his first two 3-point attempts to help UTSA get out to an 8-7 lead through the first 3:22. The Hawkeyes reeled off 10 unanswered points over the next 2:30 to build a nine-point advantage, but the Roadrunners would pull back to within 17-13 with 11:45 to play in the half.
A steal and layup by junior Terry Fields at the 3:44 mark made it 29-25 in favor of Iowa, but the Hawkeyes, who shot 65.2 percent in the half, closed the first on an 11-3 run for a 40-28 lead at the break.
UTSA opens its home slate against East Central (Okla.) University on Saturday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.