MIAMI, Fla. — Keon Lewis scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as UTSA went on a 20-4 run in the final period en route to a 74-63 win over FIU on Thursday night at FIU Arena.
Lewis went 5-of-7 from the floor, including three consecutive 3-pointers, to go along with six free throws in the second half to lead the rally for the Roadrunners (11-10, 5-5 C-USA) after they faced a nine-point halftime deficit.
Fellow senior Jeromie Hill picked up his third consecutive double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Kaj-Björn Sherman and Ryan Bowie finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
UTSA shot 53.3 percent in the second half after just a 25 percent clip in the opening 20 minutes. The visitors scored 30 points off turnovers and registered 17 assists on their 24 baskets.
Meanwhile, Adrian Diaz paced the Panthers (11-11, 4-5 C-USA) with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds and Dennis Mavin added 15 points.
FIU shot 51.9 percent for the contest and outscored UTSA 42-22 in the paint, but committed a season-high 26 turnovers, including 14 in the second half.
The Panthers led 43-33 on Diaz’s jumper with 14:28 to play, but the Roadrunners turned up the offense in their 20-4 run to reclaim the lead for good.
Washington natives Lewis and Sherman combined to score the first seven points of the run, including a three-point play from the 7-footer. Gino Littles, who also tied a season best with six assists, tipped in a missed shot to pull within 43-42 before Lewis got hot from behind the arc.
The senior’s first 3-pointer gave UTSA a 45-43 lead and it would not trail again. Lewis would hit two more and Bowie closed the stretch with a layup to push the advantage to 53-47 with nine minutes to play.
Lewis kept the offense rolling at the free throw line until Hill and Bowie each drained a 3-pointer as part of a 10-2 run that stretched the lead to 69-58 with three minutes left.
The advantage grew to as much as 13 on Hill’s dunk in the final minute that put an exclamation point on the Roadrunners’ fifth road win of the campaign.
UTSA started the game with a pair of free throws as FIU was assessed a technical foul for dunking during warm-up time. Lewis converted one of the two attempts and the Roadrunners followed with three baskets for a quick 7-0 lead.
Sherman, Bowie and Lewis all hit jumpers during the stretch before Diaz connected inside for the first of 20 Panthers points in the paint during the first half.
A pair of free throws from Larry Lewis Jr. gave the Roadrunners a 15-11 lead, but Ray Rodriguez hit back-to-back treys to spark a 22-5 run.
UTSA went ice cold during the FIU spurt and was held without a field goal for 7:20. The drought ended on Sherman’s 15-foot jumper, but Mavin’s basket with three minutes to go before intermission gave the home squad its largest lead of the period, 33-20.
Hill drained a pair of triples in the final minutes of the stanza, but the Panthers took a 35-26 advantage to halftime.
UTSA will return to the court for a 7 p.m. matchup on Saturday at Florida Atlantic (8-12, 1-8 C-USA).