MALIBU, Calif. — Senior Devin Gibson led three Roadrunners in double figures with 24 points and UTSA built a big lead and held on for an 86-81 victory against Pepperdine on Saturday night at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Roadrunners, who improved to 5-2 in scoring their first road victory of the season, built a double-digit lead but had to hold on in the final minutes in the first-ever meeting with the West Coast Conference Waves (3-6).
UTSA held a slim 82-79 lead approaching the final minute, but Keion Bell, who scored a game-high 31 points, sank a pair of free throws to make it 82-81 with 54.9 seconds remaining.
The Roadrunners got the ball back and, with the shot clock winding down, Gibson stopped and popped from the free-throw line to give the Roadrunners an 84-81 cushion with 17.4 ticks left.
Pepperdine’s Lorne Jackson got off a potential game-tying 3-point attempt from the corner, but it clanked off the rim and junior Sei Paye skied for the rebound. He was quickly fouled and drained the first free throw to secure the win.
“This was a great road win in a tough environment for our team,” head coach Brooks Thompson said. “The character of our team is something else. We got the big lead, but we knew Pepperdine would make a run. Our guys held strong and made the plays down the stretch to earn this win.”
Gibson posted his season-high point total behind a 7-for-10 night from the floor and a 10-for-13 effort at the free-throw line. The Houston native also added four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
Freshman Jeromie Hill tallied 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while sophomore Melvin Johnson III contributed a dozen points on the strength of three 3-pointers.
UTSA drained a season-best 11 threes, including 10 in the first half, and shot 48.3 percent from the field overall in posting a season-high 86 points.
The Roadrunners matched their previous season high with 10 first-half 3-pointers while building a 51-37 lead at the break. It marked the program’s first 50-point first half since putting up 51 against Texas Wesleyan on Jan. 5, 2009.
A long trey from the right wing by Johnson III gave UTSA a 22-15 lead with just over 11 minutes to play in the first half. Freshman Tyler Wood connected from the other wing on the next possession to push the lead to 10.
After Pepperdine pulled back to within six, Johnson III dialed up from long distance with two more long 3-pointers to give the Roadrunners a 31-19 advantage with 8:35 to play. Wood then answered a Waves basket with another trey to make it 34-21.
A long ball by Hill from the top of the key at the 2:55 mark gave UTSA its largest lead, 45-29, of the half.
UTSA was 10-for-18 (55.6%) from beyond the arc in the first and shot 48.6 percent (17-35) overall, all while committing just one turnover.
Pepperdine began its comeback near the midway point of the second half.
A pair of Dupré free throws cut the UTSA lead down to single digits with 11:34 on the clock. Bell pulled the Waves closer with a pair of free throws that made it 64-58 midway through the second.
Jackson drained a three from the left wing to pull Pepperdine to within 69-65 with just over eight minutes to play. Bell was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound and made 1-of-2 at the line to make it a three-point contest and set up the final minutes.
Bell’s 31 points came on the strength of four 3-pointers and a 13-for-18 performance at the charity stripe. Jackson poured in 22 and Moore added 10. Pepperdine out-rebounded the Roadrunners, 44-31, including 29 offensive boards that were converted into 22 second-chance points.
The Roadrunners return to action against Houston (5-3) on Saturday, Dec. 11. Tip is slated for 6 p.m. at Hofheinz Pavillion and the game will be televised by Comcast Sports Houston.
