SAN ANTONIO – Winners of five straight home game and coming off a school-record shooting performance on Thursday, UTSA men's basketball will return to action on Saturday, playing host to Southern Miss at 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
The game will be televised live on ESPN+ and locally on CW35, with Lincoln Rose (play-by-play) and Jimm Haller (analyst) calling the action. The game 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 Convo. 3 p.m. Saturday.
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) January 11, 2020
Be there. #BirdsUp 🤙 | #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/ICUt1Src3X
UTSA (7-9, 1-2 Conference USA) is coming off a 16-point win over league front runner Louisiana Tech on Thursday, with the Roadrunners pouring in a program record 18 3-pointers in the win. UTSA got a 37-point outing from junior guard Jhivvan Jackson, the nation's No. 2 scorer, and a career-best 16 points from junior Luka Barisic. UTSA scored a season-best 53 points in the first half, owning a 29-point lead in the opening minutes of the first half.
In the win over LA Tech, UTSA finished with an 18 of 32 mark (56.3 percent) from 3-point range, eclipsing the school record for 3-pointers made in a game. It ranks second in C-USA history, behind only 19 made 3-pointers from Louisville in 2002 and Marshall in 2017.
The Roadrunners have been led by junior guard Jhivvan Jackson, who ranks second in the nation with 26.0 points per game, adding 5.6 rebounds per outing. Jackson has six games in 2019-20 with at least 30 points and has scored in double figures in 15 of 16 games. He is joined in the backcourt by freshman point guard Erik Czumbel and junior guard Keaton Wallace. Wallace has combined with Jackson to form the NCAA's highest scoring duo, averaging 42.7 points per game as the only pair over 40 or points. Czumbel, who has helped UTSA to a 7-4 record in the starting lineup, averages 4.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Senior forward Bryon Frohnen averages a team-leading 7.1 rebounds per game and has made all 116 starts in his four-year career. He owns the second-most rebounds in program history, grabbing 803 boards in his career. Junior guard Knox Hellums averages 6.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, while senior forward Atem Bior averages 4.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
The Roadrunners lead C-USA in rebounds, averaging 40.6 rebounds per game to top the conference. UTSA averages 77.9 points per game, holding foes to 75.6 points. UTSA is shooting 42.1 percent as a team and 34.6 percent from range, with opponents shooting 44.4 percent and 33.1 percent from 3-point distance. UTSA is averaging 14.1 assists, 13.8 turnovers, 6.6 steals and 3.2 blocks per game.
Southern Miss (4-12, 0-3 C-USA) comes into the game having dropped three straight games, including a 76-64 loss at UTEP on Thursday night. The Golden Eagles have wins over Delta State, William Carey, Southern Illinois and Tougaloo, with marquee losses at Iowa State, Gonzaga, Seton Hall and Alabama.
The Golden Eagles are led by sophomore 6-foot-2 guard Gabe Watson, who averages 13.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Tyler Stevenson, a 6-7 sophomore, averages 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Leonard Harper-Baker – a 6-5 senior who averaged 9.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last year – averages 8.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Southern Miss is averaging 66.5 points per game, shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 29.9 percent from 3-point range. Opponents are averaging 74.4 points per game, shooting 44.9 percent and 34.8 percent from range.
The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with UTSA, 7-4 but UTSA is a perfect 4-0 in games played vs. Southern Miss in San Antonio. USM is 7-0 all-time in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Golden Eagles have won two straight meetings in the series, both road wins in 2018-19.
In the last two meetings in 2018-19, Southern Miss posted wins in Hattiesburg, including a most recent 81-48 rout of the Roadrunners on March 9, 2019, UTSA's last regular-season game of the season. The Roadrunners shot 28.8 percent in the game and Southern Miss finished 47.7 percent from the field, including a 16 of 34 mark behind the arc. Giovanni De Nicolao led the Roadrunners with 18 points and five rebounds, with Jhivvan Jackson limited to a 2 of 15 shooting outing with five points and two boards. Keaton Wallace was 2 of 14 from the field – and 1 of 10 – with seven points, five rebounds and five assists.
- UTSA -