| Junior Devin Gibson scored a team-high 15 points on Tuesday night. |
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Junior Devin Gibson scored 15 points, but Luke Drca poured in a game-high 19 to lead Utah past UTSA, 69-47, on Tuesday night at the Huntsman Center.
Drca was 8-of-11 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from behind the 3-point line, in leading the Utes (6-7) to a season-best 56.6-percent shooting performance (30-for-53) behind 42 points in the paint. Carlon Brown joined Drca in double figures with 10 points on the strength of a 4-for-5 night, while Kim Tillie and Marshall Henderson contributed nine apiece.
The Roadrunners (8-3) struggled from the field, shooting just 33.3 percent (16-for-48), including a season-low 14.3 percent (2-for-14) from downtown. Gibson was 4-of-7 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line in leading UTSA in scoring for the fifth time this season. Senior Omar Johnson added a dozen points and both he and Gibson grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
The Utes were red hot from the floor in the first half, shooting 58.6 percent (17-for-29) from the floor behind 22 points in the paint. Drca led the way by draining his first five shot attempts, including a pair of 3-pointers, en route to 12 points.
The two teams traded the lead four times through the first 10 minutes. Senior Morris Smith IV connected on a pair of treys to give the Roadrunners an early 6-2 lead. A running jumper by Gibson, who was 4-for-4 in the half, made it 17-16 in favor of Utah with 10:45 on the clock, but the Utes heated up during a 14-4 run over the next four minutes. A pair of dunks by Jay Watkins helped Utah close out the half with a 9-4 stretch and take a 40-24 advantage into the locker room.
UTSA cut into the Utah lead early in the second half, as a jumper by Johnson pulled the Roadrunners to within 10 at 44-34 with 14:44 to play. However, the Utes responded with a 17-3 run and never looked back in the 22-point victory.
The Roadrunners return home to host Houston at 1 p.m. on New Year's Day and McMurry at 6 p.m. on Sunday.