BOCA RATON, Fla. -- A blistering start lifted FAU to a 79-64 win over UTSA men's basketball in the Conference USA opener for both teams, on Thursday night at RoofClaim.com Arena.
UTSA (6-8, 0-1 C-USA) couldn't overcome a hot-shooting start for FAU (9-5, 1-0 C-USA), who made 15 of their first 23 shots in the game and were able to keep UTSA at arm's length in the second half.
After UTSA rallied to cut a 19-point lead to 11 at the half, UTSA missed 15 straight shots out of the break as FAU built a 22-point margin UTSA couldn't overcome. FAU held UTSA without a point for over eight minutes in the opening stages of the second half, with UTSA missing its first 14 3-point efforts in the final stanza.
Junior guard Jhivvan Jackson, who entered the game leading the nation in scoring with 26.2 points per game, was handcuffed throughout the game by the stingy FAU defense, going for eight points. Jackson added five rebounds and a team-leading five assists, with one steal. It snapped Jackson's streak of 15 straight games – including 14 in 2019-20 – with double-figure scoring. It marked just the second time in the last 36 games he hasn't reached double figures. Jackson had scored 20 or more points in 11 of 15 games.
Junior guard Keaton Wallace had a game-high 27 points, adding four rebounds, one assist and one steal. Knox Hellums chipped in 13 points, with two rebounds. Senior Atem Bior had a team-leading nine rebounds with three points.
The Roadrunners were able to overcome a 1 of 15 start to the second half to finish with a 34.7 percent clip from the field. FAU finished the game shooting 44.1 percent from the field.
UTSA will return to action on Saturday, traveling to face one of the nation's fastest paced teams, FIU (9-4, 1-0 C-USA) in Miami. The game will tipoff at 6 p.m. CT and will be televised live on ESPN+. The game will also air live on Ticket 760 AM and goUTSA.com, with the Voice of the Roadrunners, Andy Everett calling the action.
Jackson got the scoring started after the teams traded defensive stops, sinking a transition three from the logo. Wallace answered a FAU bucket with his first triple for a 6-2 lead but the Owls scored 11 of the next 15 points to take a 13-10 lead into the break, with UTSA getting within three after a Barisic triple.
An 11-0 run for FAU – including a four-point play – out of the timeout took the Owls lead to 24-10 and forced a timeout from UTSA Coach Steve Henson. UTSA got buckets from Barisic and Hellums at the rim and a 3-pointer from Wallace to cut the lead to 29-17.
FAU scored the next five points before Hellums got to the rim and after a FAU basket, Hellums drilled his first triple of the game. A nifty find of Adrian Rodriguez cut the lead to 38-24 and forced a timeout from the Owls. UTSA got a Jackson basket at the rim before Wallace drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cut the lead to 42-28 at the half. After FAU opened the game with makes in 15 of its first 23 shots, UTSA's zone defense forced FAU into 17 percent shooting over the final stages of the first half.
FAU scored six of the first eight points to build a lead out of halftime, with UTSA's bucket coming from Frohnen on a floater in the paint. UTSA then went on to miss its next 15 shots as FAU went on an 12-0 run over a seven-minute stretch to build a 22-point lead, its largest of the game, with UTSA going over eight minutes without a point.
Barisic, and two baskets from Wallace snapped the drought and cut the lead to 18 with just under 10 minutes left, but a pair of FAU 3-pointers on consecutive trips thwarted UTSA's chance at a late, second-half comeback.
Jackson's second trey snapped a streak of 14 straight misses from range and Wallace added a trey on the next possession to cut the lead to 70-57 with just under two minutes left.
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