SAN ANTONIO -- Coming off a 22-point win on Tuesday night, UTSA men's basketball will hit the road for a rivalry clash on Saturday at 4 p.m., facing off with the Texas State Bobcats at Strahan Arena.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with Brant Freeman (play-by-play) and Suzanne Fox (color) calling the action. The game will also be live on the Roadrunners Sports Network, with Andy Everett (play-by-play) and Tim Carter (color) voicing the contest. Fans can hear the game live on Ticket 760 AM and online at goUTSA.com.
UTSA (2-6) will face Texas State (6-3) in an annual rivalry matchup on Saturday, with each of the last two meetings in the series determined by just one point. The Roadrunners enter the game coming off an 89-67 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday, while Texas State is fresh off a 68-60 loss at Houston on Wednesday night.
The Roadrunners opened up the year with five consecutive losses away from home, including setbacks at Oklahoma and No. 17/19 Utah State, before posting a 2-1 mark during a three-game homestand. UTSA earned a 90-68 win over Wiley College in the home opener on Nov. 22, before falling to defending South West Athletics Conference Champion Prairie View A&M on Nov. 30, 79-72 after the Panthers went on a 19-0 run in the opening minutes.
UTSA's offense has been spurred by junior guard Jhivvan Jackson, who leads Conference USA with 23.9 points per game. Jackson is a preseason pick to win C-USA Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon Yearbook and on Thursday was tabbed one of 46 players on the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List, given annually to the nation's top collegiate player. Jackson, who won the C-USA scoring title in 2018-19 with 22.9 points per game, has averaged 21.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in his career.
In the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Roadrunners were led by a 31-point outing from junior guard Keaton Wallace. A native of Dallas, Texas, Wallace went 8 of 12 from the field and 15 of 15 from the free-throw line, a program record for the most makes without a miss in a single game. Wallace, a member of the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award Watch List, averages 15.1 points per game as a junior, after averaging 20.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
The Roadrunners have seen freshman center Jacob Germany, who as a four-star prospect was the highest ranked signee in program history, average 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He went for a career-high 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday. Junior forward Luka Barisic has made seven starts in the post, averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, while freshman point guard Erik Czumbel owns three consecutive starts. Czumbel, a native of Verona, Italy, averages 5.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Junior guard Knox Hellums, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Pepperdine, had 12 points on four 3-pointers on Tuesday and averages 4.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
Senior forward Atem Bior has made six starts in 2019-20 and averages 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Senior forward Byron Frohnen, who ranks third in the nation with a stretch of 108 consecutive starts, averages a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game.
As a team, UTSA is averaging 71.1 points per game, shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 29.1 percent from 3-point land. UTSA's opponents are shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from range, scoring 77.4 points per game. UTSA is averaging 36.6 rebounds, 13.1 assists and 8.0 stelas per game.
The game will mark the 61st all-time meeting between the two schools, with UTSA owning a 35-25 margin in the series, including a 16-11 lead in games played in San Marcos. The series has been tightly contested the last two seasons, with a point deciding each contest. UTSA Coach Steve Henson is 2-1 in his career vs. Texas State.
Last year, Texas State used a pair of free throws with under a second remaining in regulation to escape San Antonio with a 69-68 win at the Convocation Center. After the Bobcats took a 28-27 lead into halftime, the teams each scored 41 in the second stanza. UTSA was led by a 22-point outing from Jhivvan Jackson, with Keaton Wallace adding 19 points and Giovanni De Nicolao sporting 13 points and four boards. Byron Frohnen had four points and 12 rebounds. Nijal Pearson had 26 points and seven rebounds to lead the Bobcats. UTSA shot 36.4 percent in the game, with TXST shooting 40.6 percent, including an 8 of 23 mark from 3-point land. TXST owned a 44-31 advantage in rebounding.
In the last meeting in San Marcos, UTSA held a 34-32 lead at halftime and held on in the second half post a 78-78 win in front of 3,224 at Stahan Arena. UTSA got 17 points and four rebounds from De Nicolao, with Jackson owning 15 and Wallace sporting 11 points. Frohnen finished with six points and 10 rebounds. Tyler Blount had a game-best 22 points for the Bobcats, with Nedeljko Prijovic owning seven points and 14 rebounds.
Texas State (6-3) had its four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night in Houston, as the Cougars posted a 68-60 win over the Bobcats. TXST has opened the year with wins over Texas Lutheran, Prairie View A&M, Jackson State, UNLV, Abilene Christian and Hartford, with setbacks at Air Force, Baylor and Houston.
As a team, TXST is averaging 71 points per game, shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point land. The Bobcats are holding opponents to just 59.7 points per game, with foes shooting 35.3 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from 3-point range. TXST is averaging 35.9 rebounds, 12.6 assists and 7.1 steals per game, swatting four shots an outing.
The Bobcats are led in scoring by standout guard Nijal Pearson, who averages 18.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Pearson, who averages 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in his career, is a 43.8 percent shooter from the field and shooting 36.2 percent from 3-point range. Mason Harrell averages 10.2 points per game, while Isiah Small leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game, adding 6.9 points an outing.
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