Addo-Ankrah leads overtime explosion in win at Southern MissAddo-Ankrah leads overtime explosion in win at Southern Miss
Jamal Cooley/UTSA Athletics
Men's Basketball

Addo-Ankrah leads overtime explosion in win at Southern Miss

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Isaiah Addo-Ankrah had a career-high 21 points, Dhieu Deing had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Erik Czumbel had 16 points and dished out a career-high 11 assists, as UTSA men's basketball outscored Southern Miss 22-3 in overtime to post a 98-79 win on Thursday night at Reed Green Coliseum. 
 
The two teams squared off in a back-and-forth battle that saw the majority of the game played in a single-possession contest. The game saw 15 lead changes and the contest tied 14 times as the Roadrunners won their first overtime contest of the year and snapped a seven-game streak of Golden Eagles wins in Hattiesburg. 
 
UTSA (9-19, 2-12 Conference USA) rallied to take a two-point lead with 1:08 left in regulation only to see Southern Miss (6-18, 1-10 C-USA) tip-in a game-tying basket as the clock struck zero to force overtime.
 
The Roadrunners mounted a furious overtime pace, scoring the first 12 points of the extra period, making all eight of their shots and owning a 22-3 margin in OT. Addo-Ankrah splashed three 3-pointers in overtime, with Deing adding five points to help secure the win. 
 
UTSA fell behind by 11 points 12 minutes into the game as Southern Miss made eight of its first 12 shots and forced UTSA into misses in 16 of its first 22 efforts. The Roadrunners rallied to take their first lead with 4:45 left in the first, using a 14-4 run. 
 
The game went to half tied at 38, on the strength of seven UTSA 3-pointers with the Roadrunners held to a 38 percent clip and Southern Miss hitting at 50 percent and 75 percent (15 of 20) from inside the arc. 
 
The Golden Eagles came out hot in the second half, making 7 of their first 11 shots, including four triples from DeAndre Pinckney. The teams traded blows throughout the second half as neither team could extend to a two-possession game until Walyn Napper hit 3-pointers for a 3-point lead with 6:11 and 5:29 left in regulation, sandwiched around an Addo-Ankrah triple. 
 
UTSA went on an 8-2 run to take a 76-74 lead with 1:08 left. After missing a 3-point attempt with just under 10 seconds left, Tyler Stevenson took possession on the wing and drove into the basket. He missed two consecutive attempts at the game-tying basket but finished the third as time expired, sending the game to overtime. 
 
Addo-Ankrah, a sophomore native of Houston, Texas, who had played in only eight of UTSA's first 18 games, averaging 1.1 points and 3.9 minutes per game to open the year, exploded in the best game of his career. He drilled 7 of 13 3-pointers as part of a career-high 21 point game, adding three rebounds and two assists, playing a career-best 35 minutes. Since he started earning major minutes nine games ago when the Roadrunners were depleted by COVID-19 concerns, Addo-Ankrah is averaging 8.3 points and is shooting 44.2 percent (23 of 52) from 3-point range. 

 
Deing had a game-high 26 points, with 10 rebounds on 9 of 20 shooting, including 6 of 14 from deep. It marked his second double-double of the year. 
 
Czumbel dished out a career-best 11 assists in 38 minutes, going for a career-high 16 points in his first career double-double and adding four rebounds. He was 6 of 8 from the field and hit both his triples. 
 
Darius McNeill finished with 14 points and five assists in 32 minutes. Jacob Germany, a native of Kingston, Okla., had 16 points, seven rebounds and an assist in 30 minutes. 
 
The Roadrunners dished out 23 assists on 35 made buckets, shooting 46.7 percent from the field, featuring an 8 of 8 showing in overtime. UTSA was 15 of 32 from deep and held Southern Miss to 43.9 percent from the field and 6 of 22 from deep. Southern Miss won the battle on the glass, 43-40. 
 
Napper led Southern Miss with 21 points, six assists and four rebounds. Stevenson had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Pinckney finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. 
 
The Roadrunners will wrap up their road regular-season schedule on Saturday, traveling to face Louisiana Tech (18-6, 9-3 C-USA), with tipoff slated for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and Ticket 760 AM. 
 
Southern Miss opened the game, scoring 10 of the first 13 points, with UTSA on the board with a Germany baseline hook shot. Stevenson had a pair of buckets, Isaih Moore had transition slam and Mo Arnold and Rashad Bolden added buckets to force an early timeout from Coach Steve Henson. 
 
Deing snapped a 6-0 run with a 3-pointer at the top of the key out of the timeout. The Golden Eagles sandwiched a Deing elbow jumper in transition with successful and-1's to build a 16-8 lead. 
 
After the lead grew to 18-8 as USM made eight of its first 12 shots, UTSA spurted back on a 6-0 run, getting consecutive baskets from McNeill and a drive and dish finished by Germany to cut the lead to 18-14. 
 
The lead grew to 11 after a third and-1 was converted by the Golden Eagles, this time from Pickney for a 25-14 lead. UTSA then sank consecutive 3-pointers, with Addo-Ankrah hitting one from the corner and Czumbel running into an open trey on the wing, cutting the lead to 25-17 with 7:07 left. 
 
After Moore took the lead to seven, Deing drilled triples on consecutive trips down the floor to force a USM timeout as UTSA cut the lead to 27-26 with a 12-2 run. 
 
Czumbel answered a Moore basket with a 3-pointer and was fouled on the play. He missed the attempt at a four-point play but after UTSA gained the offensive rebound, finished a tough drive for a 31-29 lead, UTSA's first of the game. 
 
After Southern Miss evened it at 31, Addo-Ankrah sank his second triple of the game for a three-point lead. The Golden Eagles then scored five straight points for a 36-34 lead. McNeill finished a layup after a steal in the backcourt from Deing to even the game and Napper gave the Golden Eagles a two-point lead with five seconds left on a drive to the rim. With two seconds left in the half, Deing was fouled at the rim, hitting both free throws to even the game at 38 at halftime. Deing led all scorers with 13 points as UTSA shot 36 percent and Southern Miss hit at a 50 percent clip. The Golden Eagles held a 23-18 margin in rebounds, with Moore owning a team-high 11 points. 
 
McNeill sparked four straight UTSA points out of the break, finishing a run-out and dishing to Germany in transition, with the big man fouled and hitting two at the line for a four-point lead. Pinckney hit a corner 3-pointer and Moore gave USM the lead before Germany sank a hook shot in the paint. Moore regained the lead for the Golden Eagles.
 
McNeill put UTSA up one before Pinckney hit a triple, his second of the game. Lachlan Bofinger answered on the other end with a paint basket but Pinckney drilled his third triple of the game on the other end for a 51-48 lead. Czumbel got to the rim to cut the lead to 51-50 with 15 minutes left and Germany's hook shot on the block gave UTSA a one-point advantage. 
 
Stevenson put USM on top before Deing sank a 3-pointer from the wing. Pinckney answered with his fourth triple of the game. Addo-Ankrah hit his third 3-pointer out of the media timeout for a 58-56 lead at the under-12 minute media timeout. 
 
Bolden evened the game at the line and after a missed 3-pointer from the Roadrunners late in the shot clock, Napper raced to the rim in transition for a 60-58 lead. Deing answered with a baseline jumper to even the game at 60. 
 
Stevenson then spurted on a 6-2 run – featuring a Germany basket – to give Southern Miss a 64-62 lead with eight minutes left. 
 
McNeill's one at the line was answered by single points at the line from Tyler Morgan and Napper before Bofinger got loose on the block to cut the lead to 66-65. Napper then drilled an open 3-pointer for a 69-65 lead with 6:11 left. 
 
Out of a UTSA timeout, Addo-Ankrah splashed a 3-pointer to narrow the lead to 69-68 but Napper answered with his own trey. Deing then hit his fifth triple to cut the lead to 72-71 with 4:26 left. Bofinger hit one at the line to even the game at 72 with four left. 
 
On a 6-0 run, Germany hit two at the line to give UTSA a 73-72 lead with 3:48 left, its first lead since 58-56. Stevenson was fouled on the other end with 2:58 left, hitting bot at the line for a 74-74 game. 
 
Out of a timeout, Czumbel finished a drive to the rim on a designed play to give UTSA a 76-74 lead with a minute left. 
 
Southern Miss gained possession after a missed UTSA shot with 9.4 seconds left and Stevenson drove from the wing, missing two shot attempts to tie it but rebounding the ball on the third attempt and getting it in the basket for the game-tying attempt, evening the game at 76 at the end of regulation. 
 
McNeill opened the scoring with a basket of the glass. He was followed by an Addo-Ankrah 3-pointer and a Germany bucket in the paint. Deing finished a dunk in transition and Addo-Ankrah splashed a second triple to lead UTSA on a 12-0 run to open overtime. After Napper got two back for USM, Czumbel finished and and-1 for a 91-78 lead. Addo-Ankrah pushed the run to 18-2 with his third 3-pointer. McNeill traded single free throws with USM before Deing drilled a step-back triple for a 20-point lead. 

 
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