- Jhivvan Jackson, nation's No. 2 scorer, goes for 37 points, 11 rebounds in loss.
- Jackson has 12 games in 2019-20 with 30 or more points, 27 with 20+.
- UTSA is the 10th seed for the 2020 C-USA Championships in Frisco.
SAN ANTONIO – Jhivvan Jackson had 37 points and 11 rebounds but Marshall's hot-shooting first half fueled an 82-77 win for the Thundering Herd over UTSA men's basketball, on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (13-18, 7-11 Conference USA) couldn't overcome a hot start from Marshall (16-15, 10-8 C-USA) as the Thundering Herd shot 50 percent in the first half, en route to a 52-40 lead at halftime.
The Roadrunners rallied late in the half, cutting the lead to four with a 1:49 left in regulation. After Marshall took a six-point lead, Jackson drilled a corner triple with 16 seconds left. UTSA secured a defensive stop and had a chance to tie the game at 80 with seven seconds left but a turnover thwarted a comeback bid.
Jackson, a native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, earned his fifth double-double of the year and the sixth of his career. He had 37 points and 11 rebounds, connecting on 12 of 28 from the field and 8 of 18 from 3-point range. He has 12 games in 2019-20 with 30 or more points and has scored 20 or more in 27 of 31 outings. The nation's No. 2 leading scorer, Jackson averages 27.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, only shy of Marquette's Markus Howard (27.8).
Keaton Wallace, a product of Dallas' Richardson High School, chipped in 13 points and two rebounds. Freshman center Jacob Germany reached double figures for the second consecutive game and the fifth time in 2019-20, with 10 points and six rebounds.
Senior forward Byron Frohnen made his 131st consecutive start – program records for starts and games played. Frohnen, a native of Las Vegas, had five points, five rebounds and four assists.
Marshall was led by junior forward Mikel Beyers who had 20 points and five rebounds.
The Roadrunners shot 35.3 percent in the game and 41.4 percent from distance (12 of 29), while Marshall shot 43.1 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from 3-point range. Marshall owned a 48-40 margin in rebounding and a 32-18 lead in points in the paint. After the Herd shot 50 percent in the first half, UTSA held Marshall to 34.5 percent in the second stanza. After Marshall outscored UTSA 52-40 in the first half, UTSA held a 37-30 margin in the second.
UTSA will return to action with the first round of the Air Force Reserve C-USA Championship on Wednesday at The Star in Frisco.
After Jackson opened the scoring with five quick points, UTSA stretched the lead to 8-2 after a Wallace triple. The Herd rallied to cut the lead to 12-11 at the first media timeout and took a 18-12 lead after a 10-0 run.
Wallace's triple snapped the 10-0 run but the Herd scored eight straight to build a 26-15 lead with just over nine minutes left. The lead ballooned to 14 before UTSA went on a 7-2 run, getting a corner jumper from Jacob Germany to cut the lead to 35-26.
Jackson's steal and transition triple cut the lead to 35-29 and after a Mikel Beyers triple, Jackson's and-one cut the lead to 38-32 with 3:58 left in the first. The Herd stretched the lead to 43-33 with 2:41 left after an alley-oop from Taevion Kinsey. Marshall took a 52-40 lead into halftime, shooting 50 percent from the field and owning a 24-18 margin in rebounds.
The Marshall lead stretched to 19 in the opening minutes of the half as the Herd distanced themselves from the Roadrunners. Marshall's defense shined, as the Roadrunners were held to three points in the first nine minutes of the final stanza, with the Herd extending their lead to 19 in the opening ticks.
UTSA's rally saw the Roadrunners cut the lead to single digits with 5:33 left in regulation, 70-62, as Wallace drilled a pair of threes to fuel the comeback bid. Jackson's free throws with 3:23 left narrowed the lead to 72-66.
Jackson then caught fire, cutting the lead to six with 2:46 left. His triple with 2:30 left narrowed the lead to 75-71 but Marshall answered with an and-1 to take the lead to 78-71.
Jackson kept fighting, drilling his sixth triple to cut the lead to 78-74 with 1:49 left. After a Marshall slam from Kinsey on a run-out, Jackson drilled a corner triple to cut the lead to 80-77. UTSA forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play but its inbounds pass sailed out of bounds, allowing Marshall to escape with the win.
- UTSA -