SAN ANTONIO – Dhieu Deing had a career-high 20 and Cedrick Alley Jr. grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds, leading UTSA men's basketball to a furious 60-57 comeback win that saw UTSA score the final nine points of the game, on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (3-2) faced a 54-44 hole with 6:44 left in regulation before ripping off a 16-3 run to close the game, including scoring the final nine points to post a 60-57 win. The Roadrunners used seven points from Deing during the run and a pair of free throws from Alley to clinch the win. Deing scored 11 points over the 16-3 run to win the game, with Alley chipping in five points. UTSA's defense held IUPUI without a point for the final 2:49.
Deing had a career-high 20 points on 7 of 17 shooting, with five rebounds and three steals.
A native of Houston, Texas, Alley had eight points and a career-high 14 rebounds, handing out two assists with a steal in 30 minutes.
Junior center Jacob Germany had 15 points and four rebounds with a block and two assists in 25 minutes.
Jordan Ivy-Curry, a night after a 27-point outburst, had nine points and four assists.
The win improves UTSA to 2-0 in the three-game multi-team event, including a win over Denver on Tuesday night. UTSA will conclude the event on Sunday, hosting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the finale of the UTSA multi-team event at 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center, live on CUSA TV and Ticket 760 AM. The Islanders are also 2-0 in the mufti-team event so the Sunday matchup will determine the champions of the invitational tournament.
The Roadrunners shot 33 percent in the win, with assists on 11 of 21 buckets. UTSA outrebounded the Jaguars 21-18 in the final half, with Alley grabbing 10 boards in the final period. UTSA had 13 offensive rebounds in the second half.
IUPUI (0-5) shot 49 percent in the loss, owning a 37-33 margin in total rebounds. B.J. Maxwell led the Jags with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Deing netted UTSA's first four points as the Jags took a 6-4 lead into the first media timeout. After the lead grew to 8-4 after the timeout, Ivy-Curry splashed a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 8-7.
Germany's and-1 evened the game at 10 before the Jags nailed a 3-pointer. Phoenix Ford cleaned up the offensive glass to cut the lead to 13-12 with 11:20 left.
After the lead grew to 17-12, Ivy-Curry splashed a 3-pointer on a find from Germany, who found Alley for a triple on the next possession to cut the lead to 19-18. The IUPUI lead grew to a game-best six before Germany finished a tough basket at the rim.
IUPUI grew the lead to 26-20 before UTSA got a steal and run-out dunk from Deing and an and-1 from Germany. Ivy-Curry cut the lead to 28-26 after a technical foul was called on IUPUI's Dimitar Pandev, hitting a free throw and Lachlan Bofinger narrowed the lead to 30-28 with 72 seconds left in the first half, sinking a floater in the lane. A 3-pointer took the lead to 33-28 for the Jags at the half. IUPUI shot 50 percent in the game, with a 19-12 margin in rebounds, eight offensive rebounds and a 12-2 lead in second-chance points. UTSA shot 37 percent in the half.
Deing opened the scoring in the second half with a wing 3-pointer and after a basket from the Jags, Germany finished an and-1 and Ivy-Curry sank a floater on the baseline to cut the lead to 36-35. IUPUI grew the lead to 44-37 as UTSA went scoreless over a four-minute stretch and missed 12 straight shots. McNeill snapped the streak with a wing 3-pointer to narrow the lead to 44-40 but the Jags immediately answered with a triple.
Germany cut the lead to 47-42 but the Jags responded to take the led to 49-42 at the under-eight media timeout. Deing finished at the rim out of the timeout but IUPUI scored the next five points for a 10-point lead. Alley cut the lead to seven with a top-of-the-key 3-pointer and Deing narrowed it to a five-point lead with an offensive rebound and a reverse layup.
The run continued to 7-0 with a Germany flush before KJ Pruitt nailed a corner 3-pointer to take the lead to 57-51 with 2:33 left.
Deing answered with a 3-pointer out of a Coach Steve Henson timeout to cut the lead to 57-54. After a defensive stop, Deing was fouled on a 3-pointer with 1:33 left, hitting the first two at the line to narrow the lead to 57-56.
Deing secured the offensive rebound following a defensive stop and went coast-to-coast for a lay-in with 30.1 seconds left to give UTSA a 7-0 run and a 58-57 lead.
After a defensive stop, Alley was fouled with two seconds left, hitting both at the line to secure a 60-57 win and finish the game on a 9-0 and 16-3 run. UTSA held IUPUI without a bucket for the final 2:49.
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