SAN ANTONIO -- Jacob Germany had a career-high 26 points and 11 rebounds but Western Kentucky used a hot-shooting start and a late-game run to outlast UTSA men's basketball 71-65 on Saturday evening at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (8-18, 1-12 Conference USA) saw Western Kentucky (12-11, 4-6 C-USA) make 11 of its first 14 efforts and sink six of its first seven 3-pointers to build an early 12-point lead in the opening 10 minutes. The Roadrunners rallied with a stiff defensive effort over the final 10 minutes, forcing misses on nine of 12 WKU shots, while cutting the lead to 37-35 at the half.
Four times, the Roadrunners cut the lead to one in the first 10 minutes of second half and took their first advantage of the second half at 55-54, part of a 7-0 run to earn their first lead since 10-9. The Toppers answered with a 7-0 run of their own to regain the lead only to see UTSA rally to take a lead with under four minutes left.
UTSA fought back to take a 63-62 lead with three minutes left but the Hilltoppers used a quick 6-0 run, all from point guard Dayvion McKnight, to build a 68-63 lead with 89 seconds remaining, a lead that would not be relinquished in the final minute.
A junior center, Germany finished with his career-high seventh double-double of the year and the 13th of his career, going for 26 points and 11 rebounds, adding two assists on 11 of 19 from the field. It marked his 20thdouble-figure scoring effort of the year in 26 games and the 38th of his career. He has scored 20+ points in seven games on the year and eight in his career.
Junior guard Erik Czumbel scored UTSA's first eight points and finished with 14 points, including a career high four 3-pointers.
Josh Farmer finished with six points and five rebounds. Darius McNeill had a career-high six assists, adding six points and five rebounds.
The Roadrunners shot 42.6 percent, while WKU finished with a 47.2 shooting percentage. The battle of the boards was won by WKU, 36-33, with UTSA owning an 18-12 margin in assists.
WKU was led by three in double figures, including Maryland transfer Jairus Hamilton and fifth-year senior guard Josh Anderson. Hamilton had 18 points and seven rebounds, while Anderson chipped in 18 points and six boards.
UTSA will return to action on Thursday, traveling to face Southern Miss at 7 p.m.
Czumbel answered a single free throw with a 3-pointer from the wing and after Luke Frampton drilled his own trey, Czumbel sank one from the same spot for a 6-4 lead. He added two free throws on the next trip to outscore WKU 8-4 to open the game. Frampton and Germany traded baseline jumpers and after a single WKU free throw, McKnight got on the board with a free-throw line jumper to narrow UTSA's early lead to 10-9 at the first media timeout.
WKU's run continued to nine straight, including a person 9-2 run from Camron Justice that featured three triples to build a 18-12 lead on a 12-2 stretch. Farmer cleaned up the offensive glass and McNeill had a swipe and run-out to cut the lead to 18-16. Hamilton finished a strong dunk to take the lead to 20-16 at the second media break.
The 3-pointers continued to rain as Josh Anderson and Frampton each drilled triples for the first 10-point lead of the game. Germany bounced an elbow hook shot off the glass and in to snap the stretch. Anderson's slam push the lead to 30-18 as WKU made 11 of its first 14 shots and promoted a timeout from Coach Steve Henson.
Germany sparked a 6-0 UTSA run, including a basket from Lachlan Bofinger and a McNeill steal and score to narrow the lead to 30-24. Hamilton snapped the streak to build a 32-24 lead at the under-eight minute media timeout. Germany found McNeill's fifth assist good for his 10th point but Anderson answered on the other end for a 34-28 lead.
Germany sank a baseline jumper and after a WKU basket, Christian Tucker drilled a deep 3-pointer and Isaiah Addo-Ankrah cut the lead to 37-35 at halftime with a basket on the block. UTSA shot 44 percent in the first half while WKU shot 54 percent, opening the game 11 of 14 and finishing 3 of 12. WKU held a 16-14 lead in rebounds and a 9-7 margin in assists.
Hamilton opened the scoring with a post-move bucket and Addo-Ankrah narrowed the lead to one with a wing 3-pointer. Jamarion Sharp got his first basket from the field to build a three-point lead and after the two teams traded one-point trips to the free-throw line, Germany cut the lead back to one. Anderson sank a corner 3-pointer for a four-point lead that saw Germany respond with an elbow jumper to cut the lead to 45-43 with 15:19 left.
Justice and an and-1 from Anderson took the WKU lead to seven before Dhieu Deing sank a wing 3-pointer. After a free throw from Justice, Farmer sank a jumper and Germany cut the lead to 51-50 with a transition dunk. McKnight pushed the lead to four with his 10th 3-pointer of the year, which was immediately answered by a 3-pointer from Czumbel.
UTSA drew up a play for Germany out of the timeout, and he sank the basket to give UTSA a 55-54 lead with 10 minutes left, part of seven straight in an 11-4 run.
Hamilton drilled a corner 3-pointer to even the game at 57 out of the under-eight minute media timeout and regained the lead for the Toppers with two at the line with 7:05 left. Sharp finished an alley-oop for a 61-57 WKU lead with 6:38 left, prompting a Henson timeout.
Czumbel sank his fourth 3-pointer of the game with five minutes left to cut the lead to 61-60. WKU hit one at the line and on the other end, Germany was fouled, hitting one to narrow it to 62-61.
UTSA then employed the tactic of putting the 7-foot-5 Sharp – who entered the game shooting 46.3 percent in free throws – on the line on the offensive end, as Germany committed a foul and Sharp missed the front-end of the 1-and-1. UTSA regained the ball and saw Germany fouled on the offensive end, hitting both for a 63-62 lead with 3:54 left.
McKnight gave WKU a 64-63 lead with three minutes left with a drive and lay-in off the glass. After WKU got a defensive stop, McKnight was fouled on a drive to the rim with 2:20 left, hitting both for a 66-63 lead.
Out of a WKU timeout, McKnight completed an and-1 post move to take a 68-63 lead with 1:33 left.
Germany hit an elbow jumper to cut the WKU lead to 68-65 with 59.7 left. Hamilton sank a baseline jumper for a 70-65 lead with 26.6 left.
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