CHARLOTTE, N.C. – UTSA dropped its second-straight road contest on Saturday afternoon, falling at Charlotte, 72-54.
UTSA (7-11, 1-6 C-USA) has now lost three-straight contests after Saturday's result. Charlotte (12-5, 3-3 C-USA) snapped a two-game skid of its own and has now won three of its last five contests. The 49ers controlled the game throughout as they never trailed, outrebounded UTSA and won the points in the paint. The Charlotte defense held UTSA to a 36% shooting percentage and limited the Roadrunners to just three assists.
Japhet Medor led UTSA in scoring on the afternoon, as the senior transfer went for 18 points, five boards and an assist. Medor knocked down eight free throws at the line as he got to the charity stripe at will, making 11 appearances. DJ Richards was the lone other double-digit scorer for the Roadrunners as the freshman from Houston knocked down three triples and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. His eight rebounds were a career high. Christian Tucker chipped in eight points as Aleu Aleu had six while Josh Farmer had five.
The Rundown
UTSA got off to a bit of a slow start on Saturday, missing its first four shots and digging itself an early 8-0 hole. Richards finally put UTSA on the board, knocking down a mid-range jump shot. A free throw and layup from Medor pushed UTSA to five points and cut the 49er lead to just three. Charlotte then started to stack stops and go on a run, outscoring UTSA 15-4 over the next seven minutes to take a 23-9 lead. Richards again stopped the Charlotte run, hitting another mid-range jumper to stem the tide. On the very next possession, Farmer got an and-one off of an offensive board to spark the UTSA offense. The Roadrunners chipped the 49er lead to as low as ten at the 1:52 mark and went into half down 12, trailing Charlotte 34-22. Charlotte held UTSA to 26.1% shooting in the first half while shooting 46.1% itself. At the break, Richards had 10 and Medor had eight to lead all Roadrunners.
Charlotte kept up the pressure in the second half as the 49er lead never dipped below 11 and grew to as large as 24 with a little over five minutes remaining in the contest. The 49ers held UTSA to its second-lowest three-point percentage of the year as UTSA shot just 18.8% from deep. UTSA's three made three-pointers were its fewest of the season.
Stat of the Game
The Charlotte defense limited UTSA to just three assists, forcing a lot of one-on-one possessions that led to a lower quality of shot. Conversely, Charlotte's offense shared the rock, totaling 14 assists.
Up Next
Following its two-game road trip, UTSA will return home for its longest homestand of the Conference USA season as it will host three-straight games at the Convocation Center. Its next action will be Monday, Jan. 16, when it hosts Rice for a Martin Luther King-day contest. Monday's game is set to tip off at 7 p.m., will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcast on Ticket 760 AM.
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