SAN ANTONIO — Jeromie Hill led five players in double figures with 16 points and UTSA closed the game on a 17-3 run to rally for an 80-67 victory against I-35 rival Texas State on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
After trailing by 16 points in the first half, it was the largest comeback win for the Roadrunners (2-1) under ninth-year head coach Brooks Thompson.
Hill scored 11 of his points in the second half, including nine in the first three minutes of the stanza, as UTSA shot 64 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes. The Cairns, Australia, native added 11 rebounds for his 12th career double-double and his second in three games this season.
Keon Lewis scored 15 points, while freshman Christian Wilson matched that total off the bench in his collegiate debut. Ryan Bowie just missed out on a double-double of his own with 14 points and nine boards and Larry Lewis Jr. rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13.
D.J. Brown paced the Bobcats (2-1) with 16 points with Emani Gant chipping in with 13, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Texas State started hot from the field and, with a slim 11-9 lead, took control of the contest with a 16-2 run.
The Roadrunners, who bounced back to shoot 51 percent in the contest, went cold and hit just 1-of-12 shots during the Bobcats' spurt. Gant opened the run with a layup and capped it with a tip-in for a 27-11 lead, which would be the visitors’ largest advanatge of the day.
However, UTSA began to chip away at the deficit and outscored Texas State 22-13 over the final eight-and-a-half minutes of the half.
Bowie and Lewis helped put an end to the Bobcats run with four consecutive free throws, but Texas State held a 37-23 cushion on JaMarcus Weatherspoon’s jumper with 2:57 to play in the half.
The home squad then buried its next four shots for a quick 8-0 spurt to close the gap to six, 37-31.
Hill found Lewis for an inside basket to start the rally before James Ringholt caused a jump ball on the defensive end and then connected on a 3-pointer. Wilson’s jumper and free throw closed the spurt, but the Bobcats took a 40-33 lead to halftime.
UTSA turned up the pressure defensively to help fuel its offense to start the second half. The Roadrunners opened the final 20 minutes by outscoring Texas State, who shot just 35.7 percent in the period, 19-8 for a 52-48 lead, which was their first of the day.
Hill spearheaded the charge with nine quick points and Lewis came away with a steal that led to a fast break layup by Bowie for a 49-48 advantage with 15:51 to play. UTSA hit six of its first seven shots in the period, while the Bobcats went just 3-of-10 during that time.
However, Texas State did not go away and reclaimed the upper hand minutes later after back-to-back buckets from Wes Davis.
The score remained close and the Bobcats took a 64-63 lead on Kendell Ramlal’s dunk with 6:18 to play, but the Roadrunners closed the game with their 17-3 run to turn the close game into a double-digit victory.
Bowie knocked in a jumper on UTSA’s next possession and the home squad would not trail again. Larry Lewis Jr. kept the momentum with the Roadrunners with a steal and layup before Keon Lewis fed Hill for a dunk. Wilson brought the crowd to its feet with a fast break dunk that led to a three-point play for a 76-64 lead before Cameron Naylor tried to stop the run with a basket.
However, Lewis hit a pair of free throws and Wilson capped the scoring with a jumper that sealed the 13-point victory.
The Roadrunners will return to the Convocation Center floor for a 7 p.m. contest on Tuesday, Nov. 25 against Loyola-Chicago (2-1).