Jackson’s 33 paces Roadrunners past Texas State in San MarcosJackson’s 33 paces Roadrunners past Texas State in San Marcos
Bobbie Modica
Men's Basketball

Jackson’s 33 paces Roadrunners past Texas State in San Marcos

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Jhivvan Jackson went for a season-high 33 points to lead UTSA men's basketball to a 77-71 win at rival Texas State, on Saturday evening at Strahan Arena.

UTSA (3-6) used the explosive scoring performance from Jackson, and a season-best defensive effort to post its third win over rival Texas State (6-4) in four years under Coach Steve Henson. 

"We haven't felt like we've played the way we're capable - not even for many halves this year - so for us to do it, in this environment, against this team, I am really proud of our guys and I think this can jump start us," Henson said. "I liked some of the things we did last game, certainly, a couple of guys got hot and we walked out of there with some guys feeling a little bit better about things. But coming in here, the way (Texas State) defends, they just don't give up any easy buckets, they make everything hard, they are a really a good defensive team. I didn't know if we were ready for that to be quite honest. So to come in there in the first half and establish that in the early on. Good activity defensively. It gives us something to build on."
 
The Roadrunners have now won two consecutive games and three of their last four outings after opening the year 0-5. The win marked the first home loss of the year, in six outings, for Texas State, who has gone 46-19 over the last five seasons at Strahan Arena. 

"Felt like we were competing defensively the way we needed to compete (in the win on Saturday)," Henson said. "Really, really working, active, playing hard. We did a good job on the boards in the first half. Offensively, we continued to try to have better possessions. My biggest concern in the game was that sometimes we're hot, sometimes we're not, but we're not a team right now that really grinds out and has good sustained, tough offensive possessions and this is the wrong team to try to do that against because they are so good defensively. The focus has been improving defensively - everything, rebounding, we have to hang our hat on something. A lot of talk about our effort and having better possessions on offense."

The Bobcats, built on a stingy and physical defensive style that forces slow-paced games, saw the Roadrunners shoot 47.5 percent from the field (28 of 59) – a season high for a Texas State opponent – and 44 percent (11 of 25) from 3-point range. UTSA owned a 38-30 advantage in rebounding in the win. 
 
UTSA owned three-point advantages in both periods, taking a 37-34 lead into halftime and owning a 40-37 margin in the second half. The Roadrunners, who owned the lead for all but 6:26 in the game, committed just seven turnovers. 
 
A native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Jackson had 33 points on 13-of-26 shooting, including 5 of 10 3-pointers. He had a team-leading seven rebounds, with three steals in 37 minutes. Jackson, a member of the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List, given annually to the nation's top player, had four games with at least 30 points in 2019-20 and 10 in his three-year career. 

"I'm really not worried about my stats this year, I just want to win," Jackson, the preseason Blue Ribbon Yearbook Conference USA Player of the Year, said. "If it means scoring 10 points, scoring 30, it doesn't matter, all I want to do is win. We were just really focusing on defense all week. We came out here and played really great defense." 

UTSA junior guard Keaton Wallace added 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal. Freshman center Jacob Germany had a strong outing, despite not scoring a point, owning four rebounds and one blocked shot in 21 minutes, sporting a team-leading plus/minus of +20. Freshman point guard Erik Czumbel, a native of Verona, Italy, had 11 points, two rebounds and one assist, including three 3-pointers. Senior Byron Frohnen had four points and four rebounds, while senior Atem Bior added five points and six boards. Junior Knox Hellums, who had a plus/minus of +17, had three points and two rebounds in 20 minutes. 
 
Texas State was led by sophomore guard Mason Harrell (19 points) sophomore guard Caleb Asberry (18 points) and senior guard Nijal Peason (15 points). 
 
UTSA will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 14, hosting UT Permian Basin at 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The game will be broadcast live on CUSA TV and will also be available on the Ticket 760 AM and goUTSA.com, with the Voice of the Roadrunners, Andy Everett calling the action. 

The game opened with a pair of defensive stops from the Roadrunners before Texas State got on the board with a 3-pointer from Caleb Asberry. Luka Barisic answered with a runner in the paint and after a TXST basket, Jackson splashed his first bucket with an aggressive take to the rim in the paint. After a Pearson basket, Jackson got into the paint for a consecutive trip down the floor, drilling a floater to take the TXST lead to 10-6 with 15:42 left. 
 
A deep step-back jumper from Jackson cut the lead to 10-8 and Jackson answered a Bobcat basket with a jumper and then hit his first 3-pointer of the night, giving UTSA its first lead, 13-12. Wallace joined the scoring party with a spinning post-move basket for a 15-13 lead and Jackson splashed his second trey of the night for a 18-13 lead. A steal by Wallace led to a dunk from the junior guard, who the next time down the floor, drilled a 3-pointer for a 23-17 lead. UTSA took the lead to 26-17 after Knox Hellums sank a corner 3-pointer.
 
The Bobcats spurted out of the timeout on a 4-0 run to force the first timeout of the game from Henson. Wallace drilled a step back jumper with his foot on the line to take the lead to 28-21 and after a Pearson bucket in the lane, Jackson picked up an offensive rebound and drilled a corner jumper to take the lead to 30-23 for the final media timeout of the first half. 
 
Texas State's quick 4-0 run cut the lead to 30-27 before Jackson sank his third 3-pointer of the game for a 33-27 lead. Byron Frohnen got a pair of points back for the Roadrunners with his first bucket in the paint and Jackson took the lead to 37-21 after a deep jumper. TXST's Mason Harrell took the margin to 37-34 at halftime after drilling a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Jackson led all scorers with 21 in the first half, as UTSA shot 48.5 percent from the field, including 5 of 13 from range. Texas State was held to 41-percent from the field and was 3 of 7 from 3-point land. 
 
Asberry opened the scoring in the second with a jumper and Frohnen answered with a basket on the other end, courtesy of a nifty bounce pass from Barisic. UTSA took the lead to 45-42 with 15:31 left after a pair of Erik Czumbel 3-pointers in the corner. A 9-0 run from the Bobcats saw Texas State take a 48-45 lead before Jackson sank a contested jumper from the corner. 
 
The Jackson jumper sparked an 8-0 run as the Roadrunners regained the lead, getting a fourth 3-pointer in the game from Jackson and a 3-pointer from Atem Bior at the top of the key. Jackson and Pearson traded baskets and Bior put back a missed 3-pointer from Hellums for a 57-50 lead with 7:49 left.

UTSA stretched the run to 14-2 after a pair of free throws from Jackson. Wallace answered a pair of charity-stripe points from Texas State with two of his own for a 61-52 lead. Wallace took the lead back to double figures with a step-back jumper, for a 63-53 lead. After a Bobcats three, Jackson answered with his fifth trey. Czumebl hit his third 3-pointer for a 13-point lead and Wallace answered a Harrell jumper with one of his own for a 71-58 lead with 2:53 left in regulation.  
 
After TXST cut the lead to 71-61, Wallace hit a pair of free throws to stretch the led back to 12 with 80 seconds left. The Bobcats answered with a 3-pointer from Asberry. Czumbel was fouled on the next possession, with the Italian point guard sinking both for a 75-64 lead with 58.1 seconds left. Asberry followed with a 3-pointer in the corner to cut the lead to 75-67 with 38 seconds left and Barisic was fouled on the offensive end. Barisic, a native of Osijek, Croatia, hit both free throws to fend off the charge and a 77-67 lead. 
 
- UTSA -