NASSAU, The Bahamas – UTSA received season-high point productions from Jhivvan Jackson and Nick Allen and the Roadrunners shot a season-best 54 percent from the field to defeat James Madison 90-77 Sunday morning to close the Island of the Bahamas Showcase with a win.
Jackson, who has now scored in double-figures in each of his first five collegiate games, led all scorers with 22 points. The Bayamon, Puerto Rico native, was 4 of 8 with two 3-pointers and also knocked down 12 of 14 free throws to go along with five assists. Allen scored 15 points with three of his five field goals coming on put-backs and the other two from beyond the arc.
Austin Karrer and Deon Lyle also recorded season-highs with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Karrer was a perfect 4 of 4 from the field and Lyle 3 of 5. Both sank a pair of threes. Lyle also led the Roadrunners on the boards with eight.
Darius Banks led four Dukes (1-4) in double-figures with 15 points. Joey McLean scored 14, Stuckey Mosley 13 and DeVelle Phillips 12.
Overall, the Roadrunners (3-2) connected on 28 of 52 attempts, 9 of 20 3-pointers (45.0 percent) and 25 of 31 free throws (80.6 percent). Moreover, 23 of UTSA's 28 makes were assisted. JMU shot 46 percent (28 of 61) for the game and outrebounded UTSA 33-31.
Out of the intermission UTSA expanded its six-point lead to 15 at the 11:47 mark after a 10-2 run that was ignited by a Karrer 3-pointer and capped with a George Willborn III free throw, leaving the Roadrunners up 66-51. The Roadrunners did not make a field goal over the ensuing seven minutes, but managed to grow its lead to a game-high 18 points (77-59) at the six-minute mark thanks to 11 free throws.
James Madison got no closer than 12 the rest of the way as UTSA closed the contest with six points from Wallace, five from Lyle and four from Jackson.
JMU jumped out to a quick 10-3 as the Dukes made their first five shots; however, the lead would be short lived as the Roadrunners answered with a 15-4 run to take a four-point advantage seven minutes into the game. UTSA stretched its lead to 34-25 on a Jackson three at the 5:35 mark. Minutes later JMU trimmed the UTSA advantage to three with a 10-4 run that was capped by free throws from Mosley. The Roadrunners responded with seven of the half's final 11 points, including a thunderous dunk by Kendell Ramlal in the waning moments, to take a 45-39 lead in the locker room.
Both squads shot the ball well in the first half as UTSA connected on 56 percent of its attempts and JMU 52 percent.
UTSA ended the Island of the Bahamas Showcase with a 1-2 record and is officially the seventh-place finisher.
Up next
UTSA returns to the Alamo City Friday, Nov. 24 as hosts to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Tipoff from the Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m.
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