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? San Antonio Express-News slideshow
| Senior Travis Gabbidon scored 17 points and grabbed eight boards on Saturday (photo by Delcia Lopez/San Antonio Express-News). |
SAN ANTONIO ? Senior Travis Gabbidon scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds and UTSA extended its winning streak to six games with a 58-49 victory against McNeese State in the Southland Conference opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners moved to 9-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 at home in extending the longest active winning streak in the league. The Cowboys fell to 6-8 on the season.
Gabbidon, the reigning SLC Player of the Week, poured in 14 of his 17 points in the second half to help UTSA break open a tight game. Junior Omar Johnson added 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor, while junior Morris Smith IV scored nine. Sophomore Devin Gibson tallied seven points, five steals and four rebounds.
UTSA shot just 32.7 percent (18-55) from the field, including 7-for-28 (25%) from downtown but converted 15-of-20 from the free throw line and forced 25 turnovers (14 steals).
The Roadrunners had struggled to overcome a tough night shooting the ball, but a 9-2 run midway through second half capped by a Johnson fast-break trey from right wing gave UTSA a 47-36 lead.
The Cowboys answered with three straight buckets to make it 47-42 with just under seven minutes remaining. McNeese could get no closer than five points over the next four minutes but were within 52-46 with 2:38 to play.
Gabbidon made a pair of free throws with 1:38 on the clock and senior Joey Shank’s layup with 50 ticks left pushed the Roadrunners’ lead to 10.
C.J. Collins connected on a long three to make it 56-49 with 12 seconds to go, but Johnson was good on a pair of freebies to help seal UTSA’s 13th SLC home-opening victory in 18 seasons.
Both teams found baskets tough to come by in the first half, as UTSA shot 22.2 percent (6-27) to McNeese’s 28 percent (7-25) in a 23-21 halftime advantage.
UTSA made four of its first six from downtown, including a pair from Smith IV, in building a 16-6 lead through the first eight minutes.
The Cowboys responded with seven unanswered points to pull within 16-13, as the Roadrunners went through an eight-minute, 47-second scoreless drought before Gibson drained a pair of free throws at the 3:31 mark.
John Pichon led the Cowboys with 10 points, while P.J. Alawoya registered a game-high 11 rebounds. McNeese shot just 35.1 percent for the game and were just 2-for-9 from behind the arc.
The Roadrunners travel to Thibodaux, La., to face Nicholls at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14.