PULLMAN, Wash. — DaVonté Lacy scored 31 points and fueled a 29-10 run midway through the first half to help Washington State defeat visiting UTSA 91-71 on Saturday afternoon at Beasley Coliseum.
Ryan Bowie finished with 22 points to lead the Roadrunners (3-4) with a 6-of-10 effort from the floor including four 3-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 mark at the free-throw line. Jeromie Hill neared a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Seattle native Keon Lewis added 11 points.
UTSA shot 41.8 percent for the contest and forced a season-high 20 turnovers in the loss.
Meanwhile, Lacy scored 21 of his game-high total in the first half for the Cougars (4-4), who hit 18 3-pointers. Ike Iroegbu hit four triples en route to 14 points, while Dexter Kernich-Drew chipped in 12 points.
Washington State scored the game’s first four points for an early lead and after a pair of UTSA misses, the Roadrunners offense began to heat up. The visitors hit six of their next eight shots, but could not slow down the Cougars.
A Bowie triple and a three-point play from Lewis each pulled UTSA to within a point only to see Lacy stop the momentum with a basket.
Christian Wilson scored five points in the early going and a free throw from the freshman trimmed the Washington State advantage to 17-15 before it went on the game-deciding run.
Kernich-Drew ignited the spurt with a jumper and Lacy followed with 11 consecutive points. The Roadrunners got a 3-pointer from James Ringholt, who has hit one in six of the squad’s seven games, and a dunk by Sherman to try and stop the run, but the Cougars answered each bucket with a trey of their own.
UTSA tried to trim the deficit before halftime, but missed nine of its final 10 attempts and trailed 52-26 at intermission.
The Roadrunners turned up the defensive pressure in the second half and the Cougars miscues helped UTSA chip away at the deficit.
The Cougars committed 13 turnovers in the final 20 minutes that led to 23 points for UTSA, which rattled off a 10-0 run near the beginning of the stanza before another 3-pointer from Lacy.
UTSA pulled to within 15 four times in the second half, including an 80-65 deficit with 4:23 to play, but it could not get any closer.
The Roadrunners will be back in action for a 7:30 p.m. tilt on Monday, Dec. 15 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-4).