BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Reggie Upshaw Jr. led five players in double-figures with 21 points and No. 25 and top-seeded Middle Tennessee shot 58.9 percent to defeat No. 9 seed UTSA, 86-70, on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament presented by metroPCS.
Jeff Beverly, Giovanni De Nicolao and Austin Karrer each scored 10 points for the Roadrunners (14-19), who saw a successful season under first-year head coach Steve Henson come to an end. UTSA nearly tripled its win total from a season ago and matched its best C-USA record (8-10) in Henson's inaugural campaign.
In Thursday's quarterfinal, the Roadrunners held a 39-28 advantage on the glass, including 21 offensive boards that led to 20 second-chance points.
Meanwhile, Upshaw went 9-of-14 from the floor and C-USA Player of the Year JaCorey Williams nearly had a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds to lead the top-seeded Blue Raiders (28-4), who advanced to face either No. 4 seed UTEP or fifth-seeded Rice in Friday's semifinals.
Middle Tennessee also got 14 points from Giddy Potts and it scored 34 points in the paint.
The opening minutes of the contest saw a back-and-forth start that featured six lead changes. Lucas O'Brien hit a pair of 3-pointers and De Nicolao drained another to help the team start 3-of-4 from behind the arc for slim leads before the Blue Raiders defense clamped down.
After De Nicolao's triple with 15:08 on the clock, Middle Tennessee held UTSA without a field goal for seven minutes and went on an 11-2 run to build a 24-13 advantage.
The Blue Raiders also caught fire from the field by hitting nine-straight shots and 11-of-12 at one point, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Edward Simpson for their largest cushion of the half, 41-24.
However, UTSA held Middle Tennessee scoreless over the final two minutes of the half and went on a 7-0 run that included a triple by Beverly to trim the deficit to 41-31 at intermission.
In all, the Blue Raiders shot 63 percent (17-of-27) in the half, but the Roadrunners stayed in the game at the free-throw line, where they hit 10-of-12 attempts, and with a 22-10 rebounding edge. UTSA's 12 offensive rebounds led to eight second-chance points in the period.
Middle Tennessee outscored UTSA 16-9 in the opening minutes of the second half to push its lead back to 17 with 11:38 to play.
Midway through the half, the Roadrunners had a stretch in which it went 9-of-11 from the field, with eight of those nine baskets coming in the paint. However, Simpson, Potts and Xavier Habersham each hit 3-pointers and the Blue Raiders stayed hot from the floor to extend the lead to as much as 20 with four minutes to play.
Karrer had five of his career-high 10 points in the final two minutes with a trey and a drive to the basket, but the Roadrunners could not get closer than 14 down the stretch.
