NACOGDOCHES — Sophomore Melvin Johnson III led three Roadrunners in double figures with 17 points, but Eddie Williams scored a game-high 19 and Stephen F. Austin survived a wild UTSA comeback in a 70-66 victory Saturday night at Johnson Coliseum.
Johnson III scored 12 of his 17 in the second half to help the Roadrunners twice rally from 14-point deficits to within two in the final minutes. The Dallas native was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in posting his 20th double-digit outing of the season. Meanwhile, senior Devin Gibson and freshman Jeromie Hill added 16 each for UTSA, which dropped to 12-11 overall and 5-5 in Southland Conference play.
Williams was 6-for-10 from the floor to lead a 53.5-percent shooting effort from the Lumberjacks (15-7, 6-4 SLC). Jordan Glynn added 15 points, while Jereal Scott, Darius Gardner and Dion Prewster pitched in with 10 apiece.
UTSA trailed by 14 at the half, but it used a 10-0 run early in the second half to get to within four.
Williams drained a mid-range jumper to put SFA up 45-31 with 17:22 to play, but the Roadrunners responded with 10 unanswered points over the next four minutes capped by a layup and two free throws on back-to-back possessions from freshman T.J. Williams.
The two teams traded layups before the Lumberjacks pulled back out in front by double digits with a 10-0 run of their own.
UTSA did not go away quietly, as Johnson III had an offensive put-back at the 4:31 mark to cap an 8-0 stretch and pull the Roadrunners to within a half dozen at 61-55. Gibson then answered a Gardner free throw with a three-point play to make it a four-point contest.
SFA made two more free throws, but a technical foul on Gardner put Johnson III at the line and he made both to cut the deficit to three (64-61) with less than three minutes to play. UTSA got a stop on the defensive end and Johnson III had a good look at a potential tying 3-pointer from the top of the key, but it rimmed out.
Gardner was fouled on a shot attempt and made both to push the lead back to five, but Hill drained a three from the wing to make it 66-64 with 1:09 remaining.
Williams got loose for an SFA layup, but Gibson was fouled at the other end driving into the lane. He made both freebies to keep it a two-point contest with 50 ticks left. Scott missed a short jumper and Hill came down with the rebound.
With a chance to tie or take the lead, UTSA lost the ball in the lane and Antonio Bostic found Amos Olatayo all alone on the other end for a slam dunk that gave SFA a 70-66 advantage with less than 10 seconds to go.
The Lumberjacks committed a foul near midcourt on the ensuing possession, which put the Roadrunners back at the line with 3.1 seconds on the clock. However, UTSA missed both shots and SFA held on for its seventh win in the last eight meetings in the series.
Neither team missed a free throw until Gardner at the 3:48 mark of the second half. Up until that point, UTSA was 14-of-14 and finished 20-for-22 for a season-high 90.9 percent. In the last two games, the Roadrunners are 41-for-46 (89.1 percent) at the charity stripe. Meanwhile, SFA made its first 15 attempts and finished 20-of-21 (95.2%) to help overcome 18 turnovers.
The Lumberjacks had the hot hand early, as they built an 11-point lead behind on-target shooting. A 3-pointer and layup by Dion Prewster gave SFA a 25-14 advantage with 8:29 on the clock.
The Roadrunners were able to cut the deficit to six when Johnson III found the bottom of the net from the corner to make it 29-23, but SFA responded with a 9-2 run over the next three minutes. Williams connected from long distance in the final minute to give the Lumberjacks a 41-27 lead at the break.
SFA shot 65.2 percent in the first half, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and it was perfect at the line (7-7).
UTSA also was perfect at the line (6-6) but only hit at a 37.5-percent clip and made just 3-of-11 3-pointers.
The Roadrunners will host McNeese State (14-8, 6-3 SLC) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16.
