RUSTON, La. — Jeff Beverly scored a career-high 27 points and Giovanni De Nicolao helped UTSA erase a 14-point second-half deficit with a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute to give the Roadrunners a 69-68 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night at Thomas Assembly Center.
Beverly went 11-of-21 from the floor and he pulled down eight rebounds to pace the Roadrunners (7-9, 2-1 C-USA) who snapped a 13-game Conference USA road losing streak. Gino Littles added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, while De Nicolao chipped in with 11 points as UTSA handed the Bulldogs (10-6, 2-1 C-USA) just their fourth loss in their last 77 home games.
The Roadrunners owned the paint with a 38-24 advantage and outrebounded Louisiana Tech 46-34. UTSA also earned its first win in Ruston and snapped a five-game skid to the Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, Erik McCree paced the Bulldogs with 23 points and Jacobi Boykins had 15.
A McCree 3-pointer with 17:01 to play gave Louisiana Tech its largest lead of the game at 47-33. However, the Roadrunners chipped away at the deficit and made their move with seven minutes to play, trailing 61-51.
From there, the visitors would outscore the Bulldogs 18-7, including a 12-2 run that set the stage for a tense final few minutes.
Littles started the 12-2 run with a layup before Beverly's three-point play and two more free throws by Littles. Derric Jean slowed the momentum with a 3-pointer, but Beverly scored inside and Littles buried a triple to cut the deficit to just 64-63 with 2:52 to play.
McCree provided some breathing room for the Bulldogs with a long jumper at the 1:15 mark. However, De Nicolao found Lucas O'Brien for a wide-open triple that the big man drained to knot the score at 66 with 55 ticks left.
A pair of Joniah White free throws gave Louisiana Tech a slim 68-66 advantage, but it would prove to be its final lead of the night.
On the Roadrunners' next possession, Littles delivered a perfect pass to De Nicolao, who came off a screen and found nothing but net on a 3-pointer that gave UTSA its first lead since the 6:49 mark of the first half.
The UTSA defense came up with a stop and after a missed free throw with four seconds left, the Bulldogs were unable to get a shot off as the final buzzer sounded on the 69-68 triumph.
The Bulldogs scored the first two baskets of the contest, but UTSA would follow with an 8-0 run to take an early advantage. Beverly led the charge early with six of the team's first 10 points on his way to 14 in the half.
Nick Allen converted a free throw after a technical foul before he drained a corner trey to knot the score at 14. De Nicolao then put in a running jumper to regain the lead for the Roadrunners and record one of 12 lead changes in the opening 20 minutes.
Neither team held more than a four-point lead through the game's first 18 minutes and an Austin Karrer free throw pulled the visitors within a point, 25-24, before Louisiana Tech rattled off a 10-0 run to take the lead for good.
Beverly put an end to the run with an old-fashioned three-point play, but the Bulldogs took a 37-27 advantage to intermission.
UTSA will return to the Convocation Center for a 7 p.m. matchup on Thursday, Jan. 12 against Florida Atlantic (5-9, 1-2 C-USA).
