Dynamic Duo paces Roadrunners past Southern MissDynamic Duo paces Roadrunners past Southern Miss
Bobbie Modica
Men's Basketball

Dynamic Duo paces Roadrunners past Southern Miss

SAN ANTONIO -- Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace combined for 39 points to lead UTSA men's basketball to an 80-70 win over Southern Miss – extending its home winning streak to six games – on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center. 
 
UTSA (8-9, 2-2 Conference USA) used a strong performance from the nation's highest scoring duo – Jackson and Wallace – to outlast Southern Miss (4-13, 0-4 C-USA) and extend the home winning streak to six games. UTSA owns a 7-1 record at the Convocation Center in 2019-20 and under fourth-year head coach Steve Henson, the Roadrunners are 41-12 at home. 
 
A native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Jackson entered the game ranked as the nation's No. 2 scorer. He finished with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes. 
 
Wallace, a product of Richardson High School in Dallas, turned in a strong outing, adding 16 points, three rebounds and four assists. Combined in 2019-20, Jackson and Wallace have formed the NCAA's highest scoring duo in the nation, a year after leading all of the nation's backcourts in scoring. 

The Roadrunners also got nine points and eight rebounds from senior Byron Frohnen, who made his 116th consecutive start. Junior Luka Barisic had eight points and four rebounds, while freshman Erik Czumbel chipped in nine points and four assists. 
 
UTSA finished the game shooting 48.1 percent (26 of 54) and were 15 of 27 from 3-point range a game after setting a program record with an 18-of-32 shooting performance from range in a win over Louisiana Tech. Southern Miss shot 47.2 percent from the field but were limited to 3 of 14 from 3-point range. 

The Roadrunners will return to action on Wednesday, traveling to face UTEP with tipoff slated for 8 p.m. CT at the Don Haskins Center. The game will be televised live on ESPN+ and will also be live on the Roadrunners Sports Network on Ticket 760-AM and goUTSA.com, with the Voice of the Roadrunners, Andy Everett (play-by-play), calling the action, along with Jim Goodman (analyst). 
 
The Golden Eagles opened the scoring with a triple but UTSA answered with a quick 11-0 run, getting a midrange jumper from Wallace, a free throw from Frohnen and a pair of triples from Wallace. Jackson's contested jumper took the lead to 11-3 but USM added a pair of baskets before the first media timeout. 
 
USM answered with an 8-0 run to even the game at 11 before Jackson splashed his first triple of the game to take the lead to 14-11 at the under 12-minute timeout. After the break, Wallace drilled a 3-pointer off the dribble on the wing to give UTSA a 17-11 lead. 
 
Southern Miss used a pair of buckets to cut the lead to 17-15 before Erik Czumbel drilled a 3-pointer. After a USM bucket, Barisic sank a corner three off an in-bounds pass, Frohnen found a layup in transition and Jackson hit his second 3-pointer of the game for a 28-17 lead. Jackson's leaner in the paint gave UTSA its first double-figure lead, 30-19 but the Golden Eagles hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 30-22 with 5:49 left. Wallace answered the USM triple with his fourth 3-pointer but the Golden Eagles added a pair of baskets to cut the lead to 33-26 with 2:40 left in the first. 
 
USM's run continued to 9-0, with the Golden Eagles cutting the lead to 33-31 with just over a minute left in the first before Jackson's step-back teardrop jumper snapped the stretch and gave UTSA a 35-31 lead at halftime. UTSA shot 13 of 26 from the field in the first half, with eight made 3-pointers. Wallace had 14 in the first half, with Jackson right behind with 12 points. 
 
Czumbel got the Roadrunner started with a triple to open the second half and Barisic hit a pair of free throws to take the lead to 40-31. After a pair of USM baskets, Frohnen found space for a layup and a 42-35 lead, prompting the Golden Eagles to call timeout. Out of the timeout, Barisic found space behind the arc to give UTSA a 45-35 lead. 
 
The lead got down to eight before Jackson splashed his third 3-pointer – and first of the second half – to give UTSA a 48-37 lead. Jacob Germany's slam snapped a 4-0 USM run and after a basket from the Golden Eagles, Jackson's jumper took the lead to 52-43. Bior's layup answered a pair of baskets from USM for a 54-47 lead. 
 
With the lead down to five, Hellums rose up with his first 3-pointer of the game, and after a free throw from USM, Makani Whiteside found space for a clean look in the corner for a 60-50 lead. 
 
Whiteside found space again for a corner 3-pointer to give UTSA a 63-52 lead with just over 10 minutes left in regulation. A run of fouls, called on UTSA, led to an 8-0 run from the Golden Eagles and cut the lead to 63-60 with just over nine minutes left. 
 
Frohnen sank a pair of free throws – just UTSA's fifth and sixth attempts – to snap the USM run and lift UTSA to a 65-60 lead. USM got the lead down to three at the under eight-minute media timeout but Atem Bior was found under the basket by Czumbel for a 67-62 lead. 
 
UTSA took the lead to 71-64 at the final media timeout, getting a pair of free throws from Jackson and an offensive rebound putback from Frohnen. Jackson scored his next four from the free-throw line for a nine-point lead, which was cut to 75-69 with 2:43 left before a USM timeout. 
 
UTSA boosted the lead to double figures in the closing minutes, getting a pair of free throws from Wallace and a corner 3-pointer from Czumbel. 
 
- UTSA -