| Junior Morris Smith IV scored a game-high 23 points on Saturday. |
BEAUMONT ? Junior Morris Smith IV poured in a game-high 23 points and senior Travis Gabbidon’s tip-in at the buzzer lifted UTSA to a 67-66 win over Lamar on Saturday night at the Montagne Center.
Trailing 66-65 with under 10 seconds to play, Smith IV got a good look at a three that rimmed out. Junior Josh Bonney grabbed his team-high fifth rebound on the left side of the lane, but his follow missed. Gabbidon found himself all alone on the right side of the basket and tipped the ball in just before the buzzer to give the Roadrunners the dramatic win.
Smith IV fired in a season-high seven 3-pointers en route to his 23 points, also a season-high. The St. Louis native was 7-of-13 from downtown, as UTSA connected from behind the arc 14 times, the second-highest total of the season (school-record 17, vs. East Central).
“We know Mo is a very good shooter and capable of having a night like he did tonight,” head coach Brooks Thompson said. “He was tough to stop and he had a great look on the final sequence. Josh and Travis did an outstanding job of keeping the ball alive and it paid off for us. This kind of win on the road against a very good team feels great.”
UTSA improved to 13-6 overall, matching last season’s win total, and 4-2 in Southland Conference play. in snapping a six-game losing streak to Lamar that traced back to the first round of the 2004 SLC Tournament. The Cardinals fell to 11-9 and 2-5.
Junior Omar Johnson added 17 points, seven assists, four rebounds and a season-high five steals, while Bonney and Gabbidon, who matched Bonney's five boards, added eight and seven points, respectively.
Trailing by six with five minutes remaining, Johnson drained a pair of 3-pointers over the next three minutes to knot the score at 63-all. The Philadelphia native then picked Kenny Dawkins near mid-court with his fifth steal of the evening, which he converted into an easy layup to gave the Roadrunners a two-point advantage with just two minutes to play.
Lamar grabbed the lead back behind a McThay free throw and a Charlie Harper bucket with 30 ticks left to set up the thrilling final seconds.
Dawkins led Lamar with 21 points on the strength of four 3-pointers, while Ashton Hall added 18. Jay Brown tallied 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
UTSA used an 18-4 run over the last three minutes of the first half and first 3:39 of the second to erase a six-point deficit and build a 42-34 lead.
Lamar would respond, using a 16-6 run capped by a Dawkins layup to grab the lead back, 50-48, with 9:17 remaining.
Smith IV drained four 3-pointers and fellow junior Chris Allen added a pair, as UTSA hit nine long balls in the first half, already the most in a game since 10 against UT Arlington on Jan. 17.
The Roadrunners trailed, 30-24, with just over three minutes to play in the first, but Smith, who finished just one trey shy of the Montagne Center opponent record, nailed two from behind the arc to key an 8-0 run that eventually led to a 32-31 lead at the break.
The Roadrunners return home to host Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4.