SAN ANTONIO -- UTSA got double-figure scoring games from senior Byron Frohnen and juniors Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace to spur an 89-60 win over Texas A&M International in UTSA's lone exhibition game of the 2019-20 preseason, on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners cruised to the exhibition win, leading wire-to-wire after starting the scoring with nine unanswered. UTSA was led by Jackson, the Conference USA preseason player of the year by Blue Ribbon Yearbook, who had 15 points in just 18 minutes. Jackson, a native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, led C-USA in scoring as a sophomore with 22.9 points per game.
Wallace – a unanimous preseason All-C-USA selection – added 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 25 minutes. The native of Dallas, Texas, averaged 20.2 points per game last year, teaming with Jackson to form the nation's highest scoring backcourt.
Making buckets & causing ruckus!
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) October 31, 2019
Final from The Historic Convo.#BirdsUp🤙 pic.twitter.com/bZGH2SEI7z
Frohnen, who has made 100 straight starts to open his collegiate career and ranks fifth in program history in rebounds, added 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.
UTSA's defensive effort shined, forcing 28 turnovers from the Dustdevils. Offensively, UTSA finished the game shooting 43 percent from the field on 29 of 67 shooting. TAMIU was held to just 36 percent on 21 of 58 shooting. UTSA owned advantages in second chance points (12-5), points in the paint (40-24), steals (13-4) and assists (17-9).
A total of 13 of UTSA's 14 players scored, with newcomers Erik Czumbel, Luka Barisic, Knox Hellums, Makani Whiteside, Phoenix Ford and Jacob Germany each logging valuable minutes in their unofficial UTSA debuts. Barisic finished with nine points and five rebounds, with Germany adding eight points and five boards. Hellums, who sat out last year after transferring from Pepperdine, had nine points and five rebounds. Czumbel finished with seven points, with Whiteside chipping in four.
We just started the bucket-getting process tonight. Work to be done before Tuesday in Norman!#BirdsUp 🤙 #RunWithUs
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) October 31, 2019
🔗 https://t.co/QxagK3u6Bf pic.twitter.com/DIQAed1RN1
The exhibition game will not count towards the 2019-20 season and is the lone exhibition game for the Roadrunners, who will open the season officially at 7p.m. on Nov. 5 at Oklahoma. The game will be broadcast live on SoonerSports.TV and can also be heard live on the Roadrunners Sports Network, with the Voice of UTSA, Andy Everett, calling the action.
The Roadrunners came out hot, taking a quick 9-0 lead, including consecutive buckets in transition from Bior at the rim. The Dustdevils rallied, spurting on a 15-6 run, courtesy of three made 3-pointers, to cut the lead to 16-13 with just over 13 minutes left.
Barisic drilled his first 3-pointers to give UTSA a 26-17 lead with just over nine minutes left, sparking a 12-2 run that expanded the lead to 28-17. The run stretched to 21-13, including 3-pointers from Jackson and Czumbel, taking the lead to 49-30 at halftime. UTSA shot 42.4 percent (14-33) from the field in the first, including 6 of 16 from 3-point land. The Dustdevils were held to 34.4 percent from the field in the first half.
UTSA opened the second half with five buckets in its first eight shots, including a tree from Iyaye, with the Roadrunners stretching the lead to 60-37 after the first media break of the second stanza. UTSA's post players shined over the next five minutes, with Germany and Frohnen earning buckets in the paint, opening the lead up to 28 with just under 11 minutes left.
The lead ballooned to 30 in the final minutes, as UTSA took an 84-54 lead into the final media timeout.
- UTSA -