SAN ANTONIO — Freshman Tyler Wood led three Roadrunners in double figures with 14 points and UTSA overcame a sluggish first half to cruise past Oklahoma Panhandle State, 71-50, on Monday night at the Convocation Center.
Wood drained a season-high four 3-pointers in reaching double figures for the second consecutive game and was 5-for-6 from the field overall. Freshman Jeromie Hill posted 13 points, five rebounds and three steals, while sophomore Melvin Johnson III added 10 points, as the Roadrunners improved to 10-8 on the season with the victory in the first-ever meeting with the Aggies (4-15), an NCAA Division II member of the Heartland Conference located in Goodwell, Okla.
Both teams struggled shooting in the first half, as UTSA shot 23.5 percent (8-34) overall, 1-for-11 from downtown and 5-of-12 at the free-throw line, while OPSU managed 27.6 percent (8-29) and only 2-of-13 from beyond the arc.
UTSA got out to an 11-2 lead through the first eight minutes of the first half, holding OPSU to just 1-of-11 from the floor in that stretch.
The Aggies got to within two points after a 3-pointer and layup by Trayvon Williams made it 18-6 with 4:25 to play in the half. Two minutes later and after a Gibson free throw, Steve Miller drained a 3-pointer from the wing to knot the score at 19-all.
The Roadrunners broke the game open with a 19-4 run, including a 13-0 stretch, to start the second half. Hill had six points and junior Larry Wilkins contributed five, including a slam dunk created by a Hill steal, during the seven-minute span.
Back-to-back threes by junior Sei Paye, who had a team-high six rebounds, and Wood pushed the lead to 56-32 with less than seven minutes to play. Wood, who scored 12 of his points after the break, connected twice more from downtown over the next three minutes to help create a 64-35 advantage, the largest of the game.
Senior Devin Gibson added six points, seven assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals in playing only 21 minutes and notched another school record on his belt with his 95th career start.
UTSA shot 60.7 percent (17-for-28) in the second half to finish with a 40.3-percent night from the field. The Roadrunners also committed a season-low-tying eight turnovers, which helped overcome an uncharacteristic poor night at the free-throw line (43.3 percent).
Kevin Geofroy scored 11 points and Bill Lee added 10 to lead the Aggies, who shot just 34.5 percent for the game, including 5-for-23 from long distance.
The Roadrunners return to the court on Saturday when they travel to Huntsville to face Sam Houston State (9-9, 2-3 SLC). Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.
