- Jhivvan Jackson (32) and Keaton Wallace (22) lead UTSA in scoring.
- C.J. Jones and Eli Lawrence combine for 54 points.
- Senior Byron Frohnen breaks games started record.
- UTSA travels to face ODU on Thursday.
SAN ANTONIO – C.J. Jones sank a trio of free throws with 2.8 seconds left to lead Middle Tennessee to an 83-80 win over UTSA men's basketball, on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (10-13, 4-6 Conference USA) couldn't overcome a pair of 15-point holes in each half – including a 15-point margin with 10:50 left – as Middle Tennessee (6-17, 2-8 C-USA) outlasted the Roadrunners despite a furious comeback attempt in the second half.
With the game tied at 80, Jones was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 2.8 seconds left, sinking all three, and UTSA's last-ditch effort to get a shot off failed, pushing the Blue Raiders to the 83-80 win.
The Roadrunners were led by junior guard Jhivvan Jackson, who had 32 points and seven rebounds, with junior guard Keaton Wallace adding 22 points and three rebounds.
Senior forward Byron Frohnen broke the career record for games started after making his 123rd consecutive start to open his career, passing UTSA great Jeromie Hill (2010-15). Frohnen had four points and six rebounds.
Middle Tennessee got 27 points from Eli Lawrence, who came off the bench, and 27 points from Jones to fuel the win over the Roadrunners. The Blue Raiders drilled 14 3-pointers and shot 43 percent from the field, with UTSA shooting 50 percent.
UTSA will return to action on Thursday, traveling to face Old Dominion at 6 p.m. CT. The game will 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.
The Roadrunners scored 11 of the first 13 points in the game, starting with a designed play for freshman center Jacob Germany – making his first career start – out of the tip, an alley-oop slam. Wallace sank a corner three and laid in a bucket at the rim to give UTSA an early 7-0 lead before Middle Tennessee got on the board.
Middle Tennessee answered with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 11-8 and the Blue Raiders took an 18-16 lead behind a 3-pointer from Eli Lawrence. The teams traded buckets until a technical foul was called on UTSA Coach Steve Henson to take the Middle Tennessee lead to 34-28.
The Blue Raiders stretched its lead to 15 after a triple from C.J. Jones with 64 seconds left in the first with the lead at 12 at halftime.
The lead went to 11 before the Roadrunners spurted off on a 9-0 run, including a pair of treys from Jackson and an and-one from Wallace, to cut the lead to 55-53 with 15:01 left in regulation. The Blue Raiders answered with a 13-0 run to take a 15-point lead with just under 12 minutes left.
UTSA used an 8-0 run to even the game with 1:33 left, using an and-one from Jackson to cut the lead to one and a free throw from Frohnen to even it at 78.
UTSA had a chance with 70 seconds left to take its first lead since 11:55 left in the first but missed a corner triple.
Donovan Sims was fouled on the rebound and made the second free throw to give Middle Tennessee a 79-78 lead with 1:06 left.
The Roadrunners had a look from Wallace for the lead with just under 50 seconds left but the attempt misfired and the Blue Raiders grabbed the rebound, calling timeout on its end of the floor with 47.1 seconds left.
Middle owned an 80-78 lead until Jackson drilled a spinning floater to even the game at 80 with 13.9 seconds left in regulation.
The Blue Raiders raced the ball up the floor and called timeout with 12.1 seconds left.
Middle Tennessee was able to maintain possession after a jump ball with 5.7 seconds left. On the play, Jones drew a foul on a 3-point shot, sinking the game-winning points from the charity stripe.
- UTSA -