SAN ANTONIO — Jeromie Hill scored a season-high 24 points, but Louisiana Tech shot 64.3 percent in the second half to claim an 84-72 win over UTSA on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
Hill went 10-of-22 from the field, including a 3-of-6 effort behind the arc, to go along with seven rebounds for the Roadrunners (7-7, 2-2 C-USA). Kaj-Björn Sherman just missed out on a double-double with 15 points and nine boards, while Keon Lewis added 13 points and tied a career high with seven assists.
UTSA shot 40 percent, scored 32 points in the paint and held a 35-29 edge on the glass.
Meanwhile, Raheem Appleby hit five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points to pace the Bulldogs (12-4, 3-0 C-USA), while Alex Hamilton and Erik McCree each added 16 points.
Louisiana Tech shot 54.7 percent for the contest and went 12-of-22 from behind the arc.
The Roadrunners quickly saw their one-point halftime lead evaporate as the Bulldogs hit five of their first six shots of the second half to gain a 42-38 lead. Hill cut into the deficit with a 3-pointer, but the Bulldogs connected on six consecutive shots during a 13-3 run for a 55-44 cushion.
Hill’s second triple of the half came with 11:16 to go and trimmed the Bulldogs’ lead to seven, 60-53, but the Roadrunners could get no closer.
Appleby stopped the last run for UTSA with a shot-clock beating trey and Louisiana Tech hit three free throws in the final minute to seal its fourth straight win.
A back-and-forth first half featured five ties, nine lead changes and neither team had a lead larger than five points.
Appleby scored the first seven points for Louisiana Tech, but back-to-back baskets from Phillip Jones gave the Roadrunners a 10-7 advantage in the early minutes.
UTSA had success in the paint, where it scored its first 12 points. Christian Wilson’s layup with 13:12 on the clock handed the home squad its largest lead of the stanza, 12-8, before Ryan Bowie’s 3-pointer served as the team’s first outside basket.
The teams continued to trade baskets until the Bulldogs rattled off a 10-2 run near the end of the half for a 31-26 lead.
However, UTSA hit five free throws down the stretch and Austin Karrer’s 3-pointer with five seconds to play in the half gave the Roadrunners a 34-33 lead at intermission.
UTSA will be back in action at 7 p.m. on Monday when it travels to Texas-Pan American (6-9).