SAN ANTONIO -- Winners of three consecutive games and four of the last five outings, UTSA men's basketball will travel to face Oregon State, with tipoff on Wednesday at Houston's Toyota Center slated for 4:30 p.m.
The game will be televised live on ESPN3 with Robert Ford and Lance Blanks on the call, and will be broadcast live on the Roadrunners Sports Network, with the Voice of UTSA, Andy Everett, calling the action. Fans in San Antonio can hear the game live on the The Bull 93.3/92.5 FM and online at goUTSA.com.
The Roadrunners (4-6) have won three straight games and four of the last five games after opening the year 0-5, including losses at Oklahoma and No. 17/19 Utah State. UTSA rebounded to win its home opener and have earned wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UT Permian Basin and Texas State in consecutive outings.
On Sunday, UTSA used a 28-point, 14-rebound effort from junior Jhivvan Jackson to post the win over UTPB. The Roadrunners earned a 43-point win over the Falcons, using a 25-2 run in the second half to put the game away. Keaton Wallace had 18 points on five 3-pointers, with freshman Jacob Germany adding 10 points and sophomore guard Adokiye Iyaye charting a season-best 11 points.
UTSA is led by the NCAA's top scorer, Jackson, who leads the nation in points per game (25.2), while adding 5.7 rebounds per outing. Jackson has scored at least 20 points in eight of 10 UTSA games with 30 or more in four games. Jackson averaged 18.3 points per game as the Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2017-18 and won the C-USA scoring crown with 22.9 points per game as a sophomore. He entered the year as the preseason pick to win C-USA Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon Yearbook, and is a member of the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List, given annually to the nation's best player.
Jackson is joined in the backcourt by junior Keaton Wallace, a member of the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award Watch List. Wallace, who averaged 20.2 points per game as a sophomore, is averaging 15.6 points as a junior, with 4.5 rebounds and a team-leading 4.1 assists per game.
Freshman point guard Erik Czumbel has made five consecutive starts – with UTSA going 4-1 in those game. Czumbel has averaged 5.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Freshman center Jacob Germany averages 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, swatting 13 shots. Senior forward Byron Frohnen has made 110 straight starts and averages 2.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Junior forward Luka Barisic averages 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, making nine of 10 starts. Junior Knox Hellums averages 5.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, with senior Atem Bior averaging 4.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
As a team, UTSA is averaging 74.4 points per game, shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from 3-point range. The Roadrunners are holding opponents to 45.6 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from range. UTSA averages 38.4 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 12.9 turnovers, 7.4 steals and 2.9 blocks per game.
Oregon State won the lone meeting in the series, 72-64 in the second game of the 2016-17 season, the first under UTSA Coach Steve Henson. UTSA owned a 37-29 lead at halftime but the Beavers outscored the Roadrunners by 16 in the second half to secure the eight-point win. The Roadrunners shot just 33.3 percent from the field and were 6 of 19 from 3-point range, while OSU shot 42.3 percent. UTSA was led by a 12-point outing from Jeff Beverly, with Lucas O'Brien owning 10 points and six rebounds. Tres Tinkle starred for the Beavers, going for 26 points and 12 rebounds in 38 minutes, with four assists, two blocks and two steals. Tinkle was 7 of 18 from the field and 11 of 16 from the charity stripe. Drew Eubanks had 13 points and five rebounds, with JaQuori McLaughlin owning 13 points.
Oregon State (8-1) is averaging 80.1 points per game, shooting an eye-popping 50.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from 3-point land. OSU is averaging 36 rebounds, 17.1 assists, 11.7 turnovers, 7.8 steals and 6.9 blocks per game. The Beavers rank third in the NCAA in blocks per game and ninth in field-goal percentage.
Tres Tinkle, the preseason Pac 12 Player of the Year, is averaging 21.9 points (13th in the NCAA), 8.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game as a senior. Ethan Thompson averages 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, while Kylor Kelley has been a shot-blocking machine with 10.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and a NCAA-leading 4.3 blocks per game.
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