HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Keaton Wallace scored a career-high 45 points and Jhivvan Jackson added 30 to lift UTSA to a 116-106 overtime victory over Marshall in Conference USA action on Saturday night at the Cam Henderson Center.
In a game that saw seven ties and 22 lead changes, the Roadrunners — playing in consecutive overtime contests for the first time since 2004 — improved to 13-10 overall and remain in a tie atop the league standings at 7-3. The 116 points marked the most for UTSA in a C-USA contest and its highest point total since scoring 125 against Ottawa on Nov. 30, 2017.
Just two days after Jackson poured in 46 points in an overtime loss at WKU, Wallace jumped into the No. 3 spot on the C-USA single-game scoring list and the sophomore guard now ranks fourth on UTSA's all-time chart. Wallace made 15-of-24 field goals — including 4-for-9 from behind the three-point line — and knocked down 11-of-12 free throws in surpassing 30 points for the third time this season. The Dallas native added seven rebounds and three steals in 39 minutes.
Meanwhile, Jackson notched his second straight and sixth career 30-point game on the strength of a 5-of-11 shooting night from long distance, and the sophomore also pulled down nine rebounds to go along with two steals and a pair of assists. It also marked the 16th time the Puerto Rico native has topped 20 points in the last 18 games and the 30th time in 49 career games.
LET'S GO! #BirdsUp🤙 pic.twitter.com/XaYsobQBqY
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) February 3, 2019
The Roadrunners had a four-point lead with less than five seconds to play in regulation, but Marshall guard Jon Elmore, who tallied 29 points, was fouled while making a 3-pointer from the left wing. He knocked down the free throw to knot the score at 92-all with 4.4 seconds left to play.
UTSA then turned the ball over in the backcourt, handing the ball back to the Thundering Herd (13-10, 6-4) with 3.1 seconds remaining, but Rondale Watson's shot just before the buzzer was no good, sending the game to overtime.
The lead changed hands six times before UTSA used a 7-0 run to take the lead for good. The stretch began with a Wallace layup that made it 99-98 with 3:20 left and ended with a pair of free throws by Byron Frohnen at the 2:11 mark.
After C.J. Burks , who scored 31 to lead Marshall, drained a jumper to make it 104-100, Wallace converted a pair at the line and then hit a trey from the right wing to put him over 40 points on the night and push the UTSA advantage to seven.
From there, the Roadrunners made 7-of-8 at the charity stripe to seal the program's second straight win against the defending C-USA Tournament champions.
UTSA shot 54 percent (39-72) from the floor, made 10-of-23 (43 percent) from beyond the arc and converted 28-of-35 (80 percent) at the line and also posted a 49-35 edge on the glass.
Nick Allen and Atem Bior joined the Roadrunners' sophomore backcourt duo in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Bior pulled down a season high-tying 12 rebounds.
With the shot clock winding down, Jackson knocked down a long trey to make it 90-86 with 1:08 remaining in regulation.
Marshall misfired on a three at the other end but turned up the defensive pressure and came away with steals on back-to-back possessions. The first theft led to a dunk by Watson, who scored 19, but the second resulted in a missed free throw by Jarrod West with 27.4 ticks left.
Giovanni De Nicolao, who posted eight points and a UTSA-high six assists, then was fouled and made 1-of-2 at the line to put the visitors up by three with 17.8 seconds on the clock.
West had an open look from the corner, but it rimmed out. De Nicolao secured the rebound and was fouled with 9.2 seconds left. The junior point guard made 1-of-2 at the line to make it 92-88 and set up the wild final seconds of regulation.
Marshall shot 51 percent (42-83) for the game, made 13-of-37 (35 percent) from downtown and converted at a 60-percent (9-of-15) clip at the free-throw line. The Herd forced 17 turnovers (10 steals) that led to 21 points, but
The Roadrunners will return home to host FIU (14-9, 5-5) on Thursday, Feb. 7. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center and the game will air on ESPN+ and Ticket 760 AM.
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