SAN ANTONIO -- Jordan Ivy-Curry poured in a career-high 27 points to lead three in double figures and pace UTSA men's basketball to a 78-64 win over Denver, on Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (2-2) used a strong defensive effort and a career high night from Ivy-Curry to post the win on the second day of the UTSA multi-team event at the Convocation Center. UTSA used an 18-3 run late in the first half to build a seven-point lead and erase a seven-point Denver (2-2) advantage held with 11:48 left in the first stanza.
Ivy-Curry, a product of La Marque, Texas, set a new career high with 27 points on 10 of 18 shooting, including five 3-pointers, adding four rebounds. He had 17 in the first half and 10 in the second to fuel the best offensive game of the year for the sophomore, who had a previous career high of 19 in the season opener on Nov. 9.
A native of Kingston, Okla., Jacob Germany had 17 points and eight rebounds, with three assists.
Dhieu Deing, a 6-6 guard out of High Point, N.C., had 11 points and eight rebounds. Lachlan Bofinger had a season-high 11 rebounds, adding two points. Cedrick Alley Jr. had nine points and five rebounds.
UTSA shot 46 percent from the field and held Denver to just 22 made buckets and 37 percent shooting. The Roadrunners owned a 44-32 advantage in rebounds and a 36-20 margin in points in the paint.
The Roadrunners will return to action on Wednesday, hosting IUPUI at 4:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center, live on CUSA TV and Ticket 760 AM.
An Alley basket in the post was sandwiched by a pair of Denver 3-pointers with Deing cutting the lead to 6-4 with a midrange jumper. Germany answered a Pios basket with a floater in transition and after a third triple from Denver, he finished an and-1 to cut the lead to 11-9 at the first media timeout.
Deing hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 13-12 but was whistled for a technical foul with Denver taking its lead to 15-12. Christian Tucker sank a midrange jumper on the following possession but Denver opened up a six-point lead with a pair of baskets. McNeill cut the led to 20-16 with a drive and finish high off the glass before freshman Michael Henn nailed a 3-pointer to give the Pios a 23-16 lead at the second media timeout.
Germany sparked a 10-0 run with a pair at the line, before Ivy-Curry finished a basket off the glass and drilled a wing 3-pointer. Alley followed that with a wing triple and Ivy-Curry added a bucket to take the run to 12-0 and a 28-23 lead.
The Pios snapped the 12-point run with a triple but UTSA rebounded to score six straight, including baskets from Ivy-Curry and Bofinger and a McNeill take to the rim, giving the Roadrunners a 34-26 lead and an 18-3 run.
Ivy-Curry gave UTSA a six-point lead with just over two minutes left and he hit 3-pointers, sandwiched around a Denver trey, to give UTSA a 42-35 lead at halftime. Ivy-Curry led the way with 17 points at the half as UTSA shot 47 percent and held Denver to 41 percent. UTSA owned 20 points in the paint and a 22-16 rebounding margin at the break.
Germany opened the scoring with an offensive rebound and a putback for a nine-point lead before DU netted its seventh triple of the game. The Roadrunners then ripped off a 6-0 run with baskets from Alley – on a nifty Germany find – a baseline drive from Ivy-Curry and a Germany transition finger roll, owning a 50-38 lead with 16:42 left and forcing a Pios timeout with the largest lead of the game.
The Pioneers scored the next seven to cut the lead to 50-45 with 14 minutes left in regulation. Deing's and-1 snapped the 7-0 run and gave UTSA a 53-45 lead with 13:23 remaining. On the next possession he drilled his second triple of the game to push the lead to 56-45.
Ivy-Curry's step-back jumper gave UTSA a 58-45 lead – its largest of the game – before Coban Porter answered with a 3-pointer. Ivy-Curry wasted little time getting the three back, nailing a corner triple for a 61-48 lead out of the timeout.
Denver went on an 8-0 run to narrow the lead to 61-56 before Germany snapped the stretch by cleaning up the offensive glass for a 63-56. After Germany was whistled for a flagrant foul and DU sank a pair at the line, the lead was cut to 63-58 with just over six minutes left.
Germany nailed a jumper and Erik Czumbel finished a layup for a 67-58 lead at the final media timeout. Germany answered a basket from Denver with a pair at the charity stripe to regain a nine-point lead with two minutes left.
Ivy-Curry drilled a 3-pointer late in the shot clock to give UTSA a 72-60 lead. McNeill added on to the lead inside a minute left at the foul line, giving UTSA a 76-64 lead.
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