SAN ANTONIO – Eric Parrish scored 20 points in his debut with UTSA men's basketball, helping lead the Roadrunners to a season-opening 97-71 win over UT Permian Basin, on Friday evening at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (1-0) used an explosive first half to fly past UT Permian Basin in the season opener for the Roadrunners. The Roadrunners outscored UTPB 57-29 at halftime and were able to hold off a strong start to the second half from the Falcons.
Parrish, a native of Cypress, Texas, who transferred to UTSA last year and had to sit out due to NCAA rules. Parrish finished with a game-best 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting, grabbing four rebounds with one assist and four steals.
Sophomore center Jacob Germany – who a year ago was the highest ranked recruit in UTSA history – earned his second career double-double. Germany, a native of Kingston, Okla., had 15 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and one assist.
The Roadrunners also got a double-figure scoring effort out of senior standout Keaton Wallace, who averaged 18.8 points last year and ranks among the top six in UTSA history in scoring. Wallace finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
All 10 players that saw action scored for UTSA, including several newcomers who made their Roadrunner debut. Junior Cedrick Alley Jr. – who transferred from Houston – had seven points, four rebounds and three assists. Senior forward Luka Barisic added nine points, with sophomore guard Erik Czumbel chipping in seven.
Freshmen Jordan Ivy-Curry and Lachlan Bofinger each had six points in their collegiate debuts.
The Roadrunners shot 49.3 percent as a team in the game, holding UTPB to just 36.4 percent from the field. UTSA also owned a margin in rebounds (51-41), swatting six shots and owning a 15-13 advantage in assists.
UTPB was led by Jordan Horn, who had 18 points and six rebounds.
UTSA will hit the road immediately following Friday's game, traveling to face UTRGV at 3 p.m. on the WAC Digital Network and The Bull 93.3/92.5 FM.
The Roadrunners used a quick 10-0 run to open the season, with corner threes from Parrish and Alley opening the scoring and Wallace slamming a pair home for an early lead.
Parrish was the first to reach double figures after a couple of transition dunks gave the Roadrunners a second 10-0 run in the opening minutes, good for a 25-9 lead, making nine of their first 12 shots.
UTSA's run continued on a 22-3 stretch over a five minute period, including the first collegiate buckets from Lachlan Bofinger and Jordan Ivy-Curry, paint buckets from Jacob Germany and Adrian Rodriguez and a steal and run-out dunk from Parrish for a 35-11 lead.
The Roadrunners continued to execute well offensively, taking a 50-20 lead on Phoenix Ford's basket as the clock ticked under the four-minute mark. The lead at halftime ballooned to 57-29, with Parrish leading all scorers with 19 points.
The Falcons opened the second half on a 17-5 run to cut into the lead, with Wallace's step-back jumper in the midrange giving UTSA a 64-46 lead with 11:35 left in regulation. The Roadrunners found their footing in the second half after a pair of Czumbel 3-pointers and buckets in the paint from Germany and Wallace for a 74-51 lead with just under nine minutes left.
- UTSA -
