SAN MARCOS — Ryan Bowie registered his seventh career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but Emani Gant led all scorers with 16 points to lead Texas State to a 76-53 win against UTSA on Wednesday night at Strahan Coliseum.
It marked the second consecutive double-double for Bowie, who came into the game as the leading scorer in Conference USA. J.R. Harris came off the bench to score 10 points for the Roadrunners (1-7) and the squad totaled 30 points in the paint.
Meanwhile, Gant led four players in double figures for the Bobcats (3-1). Kavin Gilder-Tilbury added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists for Texas State, which shot 44 percent and scored 29 points off 26 UTSA turnovers.
With the shot clock winding down on the game’s first possession, Lucas O’Brien drilled a 17-foot jumper to give UTSA the first basket of the night, but Texas State responded with an 8-0 run and the home squad did not trail the rest of the way.
Bowie slowed the Bobcats run with a 3-pointer, but Texas State slowly built its lead using a defensive effort that forced 14 first-half turnovers and the Bobcats turned those miscues into 21 points.
Nick Allen drove in for a layup to trim the Texas State lead to 29-21 with 5:17 to go in the half, however the Bobcats extended their lead to 39-21 at the intermission with a 10-0 run over the final 4:30.
Texas State started the second half with four quick baskets to push the run to 18-0 before Austin Karrer’s steal and dunk with 17:18 remaining that ignited a 10-0 spurt for the Roadrunners.
Gino Littles and George Matthews each scored inside, while Bowie capped the run with a step-back, baseline jumper and an offensive rebound and putback to trim the deficit to 47-31.
However, the Bobcats extended the advantage again and put the game out of reach with a 15-3 stretch of their own. Karrer’s hustle again helped end the run, this time with an assist on an O’Brien layup with blood running down his face.
The basket slowed Texas State’s momentum, but its lead would not dip below 20 the rest of the way.
UTSA will play its final road non-conference game at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Dec. 8, when it will take on Texas (3-3) at the Frank Erwin Center.