- UTSA rallies from down nine with 4:53 left to post comeback win
- Jhivvan Jackson, nation's No. 2 scorer, goes for 28 points, including 16 over final five minutes.
- Keaton Wallace adds 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists.
- UTSA travels to face Old Dominion on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN3.
SAN ANTONIO – Jhivvan Jackson scored 28 points, including 16 during a 20-2 run to close the game, leading UTSA men's basketball to a comeback win over UAB, on Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
Held to just 12 points with 4:53 minutes left in the game and his team down by nine, Jackson exploded for 14 points during a 16-0 run over a three-minute stretch, fueling a UTSA (13-16, 7-9 C-USA) comeback. The Roadrunners closed the game on a 20-2 run.
Jackson, a junior out of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, had 28 points, five rebounds and two assists in the game. The UTSA program record holder for career and single-season points, Jackson averages 27.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 2019-20.
Jackson entered Sunday ranked second in the nation in points per game, with Marquette senior Markus Howard, averaging 27.6 points per game. Over his last 15 games, Jackson is averaging 29.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and averages 28.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in league play.
After the teams went to the half tied at just 23, UAB was able to score seven of the first 10 points of the half to build a margin. UTSA used a scoring spurt from Keaton Wallace to regain the lead but UAB capitalized on a technical foul called on Jackson for a four-point trip down the floor, part of a 9-0 run.
UTSA's run then started with a pair of Jackson 3-pointers to cut the lead to 55-52 with 3:54 left. Jackson found Byron Frohnen on a drive and dish to cut the lead to one with 3:28 left. Jackson's steal on the defensive end led to a foul, with the six-foot guard sinking both to give UTSA a 56-55 lead.
Jackson drilled 3-pointers on UTSA's next two trips down the floor, giving UTSA a 62-55 lead with 2:07 left. His driving layup gave UTSA a seven-point lead with 63 seconds left, clinching the win for the Roadrunners.
Wallace, a product of Dallas' Richardson High School, finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Senior forward Byron Frohnen tied the UTSA career record for games played, starting his 129th consecutive game to open his career. Frohnen, a native of Las Vegas, equaled UTSA great Nick Allen for first in UTSA history in games played. Frohnen chipped in seven rebounds and five assists.
UTSA got a strong outing from junior Luka Barisic, who grabbed a career-high tying seven rebounds and added four points.
UAB was led by an 18-point outing from Tyreek Scott-Grayson.
The Roadrunners won the battle of the boards, 42-40, a significant number after UAB outrebounded UTSA in the first meeting by 22 on Jan. 30. UTSA shot 36.5 percent from the field, shooting 45.5 percent in the second half, including a 7 of 12 mark from distance. UAB was held to a 36.1 percent clip from the field.
UTSA returns to action on Wednesday at Old Dominion, with tipoff slated for 6 p.m. CT at Chartway Arena. The game will be televised live on ESPN3 and will be broadcast live on the Roadrunners Sports Network, with the Voice of UTSA, Andy Everett, calling the action. Fans can hear the game live on Ticket 760 AM and on goUTSA.com.
UAB scored nine of the first 12 points to open the game, with UTSA getting a midrange jumper from Jackson to get on the board from the field. The Roadrunners answered with the next 14 points to take a 17-9 lead and force a pair of UAB timeouts. UTSA got a triple from Erik Czumbel, a pair of tough buckets in the lane from Wallace, two buckets from Jackson and a transition lay-in from Adrian Rodriguez, making his first career start, to build the 14-0 run.
UAB rallied to tie the game at 21 at the final media timeout in the first and took its first lead with a jumper from Jalen Benjamin with 1:35 left. Jacob Germany's dunk evened the game at 23 at the half. The two teams combined to miss 43 shots in the first half, with UTSA held to 27 percent from the field – including a 1 of 10 mark from deep – and UAB shooting 30 percent.
The Blazers scored seven of the first 10 points out of the break to take a 32-26 lead. UTSA answered with an 8-0 run to take a 39-37 lead, getting a 15-foot jumper from Barisic, and a corner trey and an and-one from Wallace.
After a Wallace floater on the glass gave UTSA a 41-39 lead, UAB used a 9-0 run – including a four-point possession after a technical foul – to build a 48-41 lead with 8:30 left. The Blazers clinched the game with a 7-0 run late in the half, taking a 55-46 lead, its largest of the game with 4:53 left.
UTSA rallied back with an 8-0 run over a 78 second period, getting two straight 3-pointers from Jackson and a drive and kick from Jackson that found Frohnen at the rim, cutting the lead to 55-54 with 3:14 left.
The run continued to 16-0 as Jackson splashed two more 3-pointers during the stretch, giving UTSA a 62-55 lead with 1:56 left in regulation, forcing a UAB timeout. UTSA closed the game on a 20-2 run, getting 16 from Jackson during the stretch.
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