Bior’s career night helps Roadrunners past UTEP on Saturday at The ConvoBior’s career night helps Roadrunners past UTEP on Saturday at The Convo
Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics
Men's Basketball

Bior’s career night helps Roadrunners past UTEP on Saturday at The Convo

SAN ANTONIO -- Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace combined for 44 points, and Atem Bior added a career-high 13 off the bench, leading UTSA men's basketball to an 86-70 win over UTEP, on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.  
 
UTSA (9-10, 4-3 Conference USA) was able to avenge a loss on Wednesday at UTEP (11-8, 2-4 C-USA), where the Miners rallied from down 24 points with just over 14 minutes left in regulation to force overtime, where they were able to post an 80-77 win. 
 
With UTSA leading by 23 points in the opening minutes of the second half on Saturday, UTEP mounted a 17-2 run to cut the lead to six with 7:25 left in regulation. UTSA responded with an 8-0 run of its own to secure the win and improve to 8-1 at the Convocation Center in 2019-20 and 42-12 under fourth-year head coach Steve Henson. 

It marked the sixth win over UTEP in the last seven tries, with the Roadrunners owning nine all-time wins over the Miners in school history, with seven coming under the direction of Henson. 
 
Jackson, the nation's No. 2 leading scorer, had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes. He connected on just five field goals but was a perfect 12 of 12 from the charity stripe. Jackson – who went 12 of 12 from the line in a 37-point outing vs. Illinois State earlier in the year, is one of 10 players in program history to make at least 10 free throws without a miss. Wallace owns the top mark after going 15 of 15 in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 3, 2019. 
 
Jackson is averaging 25.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game to rank just behind Marquette senior guard Markus Howard, who averages a NCAA-leading 28.2 points per game. He is tied for the nation's lead in rebounds per game among players six-foot and under, equaling Canisius 5-foot-10 guard Malik Johnson, who also averages 6.1 per game. 

A native of Dallas, Wallace had 21 points with eight rebounds and three assists. The 6-foot-3 product of Richardson High School had 26 points at UTEP on Wednesday. Wallace is averaging 17.4 points per game and combined with Jackson, the duo average a nation-leading 43.2 points per game. 
 
Bior, a senior forward, had a career-high 13 points with seven rebounds, adding an assist on 6-of-8 shooting. UTSA also got seven rebounds from senior Byron Frohnen, who made his 119th consecutive start and ranks second in program history in rebounds. 
 
Freshman center Jacob Germany turned in nine points and two rebounds, with Luka Barisic adding nine points and two boards. 
 
UTEP was led by Bryson Williams, who had 21 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes. Williams had 34 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's win over UTSA in El Paso.
 
The Roadrunners held UTEP to 35.7 percent from the field and 6 of 32 from 3-point range. UTSA shot 48.3 percent from the field and was 6 of 20 from distance, owning a 47-32 advantage in rebounds per game. 
 
UTSA will return to action on Thursday, traveling to face red-hot North Texas at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Stadium on Facebook 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). 
 
After UTSA opened the scoring with baskets at the rim from Wallace and Barisic, Eric Vila sank a drive and kick 3-pointer to get UTEP on the board. 
 
After a free throw evened the game at four, Wallace broke loose for a fastbreak layup and Jackson sank a free-throw line jumper for an 8-4 lead. Atem Bior continued the run to 10-4 with a fastbreak layup but Williams answered with a paint bucket. 
 
Bior sank a midrange jumper from the corner for a 12-6 lead but UTEP's Souley Boum drilled a 3-pointer in the corner. Nigel Hawkins kept a UTEP run going with a basket at the rim to cut the lead to one. Wallace helped UTSA spurt off for a 6-0 run with his first triple and a 16-11 lead, which was extended to 18-13 after a free-throw line jumper from Bior. 
 
After the under 12-minute media break, Knox Hellums sank a pair of free throws after drawing a foul on a drive to the rim. Williams answered on the other end with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 20-16 but Barisic found space for a jumper and a 22-16 lead as the clock ticked near 10 minutes. Wallace got to the rim for a paint basket to stretch the lead to 24-16. 
 
Jackson's floater gave UTSA a 26-16 lead behind a 6-0 run but Daryl Edwards' transition 3-pointer cut the lead to 26-19 with 7:43 left in the first. UTEP scored seven straight points to cut the lead to 26-24, including an offensive rebound putback from Williams. Bior followed with a wing 3-pointer and Jacob Germany's basket gave UTSA a 31-24 lead. 
 
Williams cut the lead to 32-26 but Jackson answered with a jumper, Bior got one in the paint and Wallace sank his second triple for a 39-26 lead with 2:47 left in the first. UTEP got a basket to cut the lead to 11 before UTSA found Germany for an alley-oop slam and a 41-28 lead, forcing a timeout from the Miners. 
 
Jackson found space for a driving layup and Wallace sank his third triple for a 46-30 lead. After a UTEP made free throw, Hellums was fouled in the corner with 3.9 seconds left in the first, hitting both free throws to give UTSA a 48-31 halftime lead. UTSA shot 63 percent in the first half, making 19 of 30 shots, including 4 of 8 from distance. 
 
UTSA got the scoring started in the second half on a Wallace drive and dish to Barisic, who lid it in for a 50-31 lead. Jackson answered a 4-0 burst from Williams with a pair from the free-throw line to give UTSA a 52-35 lead. The lead ballooned to 19 after a Frohnen basket in the paint after a nice Barisic drive and bounce pass. 
 
UTEP got buckets from Hawkins and a tip-in dunk from Williams to cut the lead to 54-39 at the first media timeout of the second stanza. UTSA went on a 6-0 run behind a pair of baskets from Germany at the rim, including a second alley-oop, and a Wallace spinning, fade-away jumper in the post. 
 
After Bior's driving layup, UTEP went on a 7-0 run to force a timeout from Coach Steve Henson with the Roadrunners leading 62-46 with 10:43 left. The run stretched to 11-0 to cut the lead to 62-50, including four straight from the charity stripe, before Jackson sank a pair from the free-throw line on the other end for a 64-50 led with nine minutes remaining in regulation. 
 
The lead was cut to 64-58 after an 8-0 run from UTEP with 7:25 left in the half, part of a 17-2 run over a five-minute period. Barisic's and-one and a pair of free throws from Jackson lifted UTSA back to a 69-58 lead with 5:37 remaining. 
 
After a layup from Williams, Makani Whiteside drilled a corner three and Wallace added a deep two for a 74-60 lead with just over three minutes left. After a defensive stop, Jackson rose up for his first 3-pointer of the game, giving UTSA a 77-62 lead with 2:10 left after a UTEP basket and timeout. 
 
Whiteside was fouled on a drive to the rim, with UTSA owning a 79-64 lead with 2:04 left. A defensive stop from the Roadrunners led to a Jackson rebound and a foul, with the Bayamon, Puerto Rico, native sinking two free throws for an 81-64 lead with 1:54 left. Jackson was fouled after a made UTEP three and made both free throws for an 83-67 lead but Kaden Archie nailed a corner 3-pointer to get the lead to 83-70. Jackson hit a pair of free throws for an 85-70 lead. 
 
- UTSA -