SAN ANTONIO – Led by a game-high 20 points from freshman guard Jhivvan Jackson and 15 points from freshman big man Adrian Rodriguez, UTSA defeated Southeastern Oklahoma State 79-67 in an exhibition game Tuesday evening at the Convocation Center.
Jackson scored 11 of his 20 in the second half and finished the night shooting 7 of 16 from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers. He also collected three boards and three assists. Rodriguez was 5 of 8 from the field and 5 of 6 at the free-throw line, while also corralling a team-high seven rebounds. Joining the duo in double-figures were sophomores Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
?? "We have on opportunity to learn from this game."
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) November 8, 2017
-- @CoachHensonUTSA pic.twitter.com/PyCgWH3prV
UTSA closed the game shooting 43.3 percent (29 of 67), outscored the Savage Storm 40-22 in the paint and 19-11 off turnovers.
Ryan Scott-McGuire led Southeastern with 16 points as A'Torey Everett added 12 and James Donelan 10. The Savage Storm connected on 42.9% of their attempts and won the battle on the boards 40-39.
UTSA kept its 12-point halftime margin through the first three minutes of the second half, but a 7-0 Savage Storm run cut the Roadrunner advantage to 44-39 at the 16:50 mark. However, a 10-4 run punctuated by a pair of Jackson 3-pointers restored the UTSA lead to double-digits at 60-48 moments before the under-12 media timeout.
Southeastern Oklahoma State trimmed the Birds' lead down to seven on two occasions over the next four minutes with the last coming on a A'Torey Everett bucket at the 7:00 mark. However, UTSA answered with 10 of the games next 12 points to put the game out of reach.
Propelled by a trio of 7-0 runs, UTSA led 39-27 at the intermission. Jackson was the high point man in the half with nine on 4 of 9 from the field with two triples. The Roadrunners shot 40.0 percent (14 of 35) in the stanza and turned the Savage Storm over 10 times for eight points.
Up next
UTSA officially opens the 2017-18 campaign Sunday, Nov. 12 against East Central. Tipoff from the Convocation Center is set for 3 p.m.
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