SAN ANTONIO — James Kinney 19 of his 22 of his points in the second half and San Jose State shot 66.7 percent after intermission to down UTSA, 80-67, on Monday afternoon in Western Athletic Conference action at the Convocation Center.
Junior Jeromie Hill matched Kinney with 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting and he also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to lead the Roadrunners (4-8, 0-2 WAC). Junior Jordan Sims (12) and seniors Kannon Burrage (11) and Michael Hale III (11) joined Hill in double figures.
Kinney was just 1-for-5 from the floor in the first 20 minutes, but he caught fire in the second by going 8-of-11, including 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point line, and he dished out seven assists to lead the Spartans (7-5, 2-0 WAC). The visitors scored 32 points in the paint and were 28-of-50 (56 percent) from the field overall, making 14-of-21 in the second half.
Chris Cunningham posted 11 of his 19 points after halftime and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to help San Jose State tally a 35-29 edge on the glass. LaVanne Pennington added 16 points on the strength of a 4-for-7 effort from downtown.
The lead exchanged hands six times in the first half, but the Spartans used a pair of late 3-pointers from Pennington, including a buzzer-beater, to claim a 36-30 halftime advantage.
UTSA rallied from a 38-32 deficit early in the second to knot the score at 42-42 on a three-point play by Hill at the 16:56 mark.
San Jose State answered by reeling off the next seven points and eventually took a 55-45 lead on another Pennington three with 13:27 remaining.
The Roadrunners knifed into the Spartans’ lead, as a Sims trey made it 62-58 midway through the half. However, San Jose State scored eight unanswered points and UTSA got no closer than 10 the remainder of the game in dropping their second consecutive outing.
UTSA shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) for the game and made 11-of-29 from beyond the arc and 12-of-20 at the charity stripe. The Roadrunners also dished out 17 assists on their 22 field goals and committed just nine turnovers.
The Roadrunners hit the road to face New Mexico State (6-7, 0-1 WAC) at 8 p.m. (CT) on Thursday.