| Sophomore Devin Gibson scored 14 points and had five steals on Tuesday. |
SAN ANTONIO ? Sophomore Devin Gibson led four Roadrunners in double figures with 14 points and UTSA blasted Texas Wesleyan, 98-67, to extend its winning streak to five games on Monday night at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners improved to 8-4 on the season and 3-0 all-time against the Rams, whose record of 10-1 did not change, as the game counted as an exhibition.
UTSA now has turned in the longest winning streak since the 2003-04 squad won seven straight and the eight non-conference victories is tied with the 1989-90 and 1990-91 teams for the most in school history since joining a conference in 1986-87. UTSA also moved its record to a perfect 5-0 at home and is 14-3 in non-conference contests at the Convo under third-year head coach Brooks Thompson.
"It was nice to see us come out and take a big lead early," Thompson said. "It's tough to keep your focus the entire game with that big of a lead, but our guys did a good job of not letting Texas Wesleyan back into the game. It was nice to see all 13 guys get a good amount of playing time and our bench did a phenomenal job overall."
Gibson scored all 14 of his points in the first half and added six rebounds and five steals. Senior Joey Shank drained a pair of 3-pointers en route to 12 points, while senior Travis Gabbidon and junior Morris Smith IV contributed 11 and 10, respectively.
All 13 Roadrunners scored and UTSA got 51 points from its bench, including junior Richie Frohlich’s near double-double of nine points and team-best eight rebounds. Junior Chris Allen tacked on eight points, as UTSA shot a season-high 55.4 percent (31-of-56) from the floor. The Roadrunners made 10 threes, the 11th game this season with at least seven, and shot 70.3 percent (26-of-37) from the free throw line.
Gibson’s five steals helped UTSA post 16 thefts and force 23 Texas Wesleyan turnovers.
The Roadrunners opened the game on a 13-2 run behind seven points from Gibson through the first four minutes and never looked back. UTSA eventually opened up a 25-point advantage at the half (51-26) behind 58.1-percent shooting in the frame.
The lead grew to as many as 35 late in the second half when Frohlich connected in the paint with 5:22 to play.
Terrell Henry led Texas Wesleyan with 17 points, while Ryan Barnes pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. The Rams shot just 38.3 percent, including 4-of-11 (36.4%) from behind the arc.
UTSA opens Southland Conference play on Saturday when it hosts McNeese State at 4 p.m.