SAN ANTONIO – John Buggs III played hero as the Homer, La. native buried a three-pointer as time expired to lift UTSA over Middle Tennessee, 75-72, and gave UTSA its first C-USA win of the season.
UTSA (7-8, 1-3 C-USA) picked up its first conference win of the season, starting 2023 on the right note and snapping a three-game losing streak. Middle Tennessee (9-6, 2-2 C-USA) had key foul trouble early, eventually falling to the Roadrunners and losing its second C-USA game of the season. The win was Steve Henson's first over Middle Tennessee in his UTSA tenure.
Besides hitting the most critical shot of the game, Buggs tallied 11 points, one of four Roadrunners in double-figures, to go along with three triples and two rebounds. Senior big man Jacob Germany paced UTSA through the evening as the lefty finished with his fourth double-double of the season, going for 23 points and 11 rebounds. The outing was Germany's 20th double-double of his career. His 23 points are the second-most points he's scored this season and it's the eleventh time he's gone for 20+ points in a game. Japhet Medor had another strong performance running the show for UTSA as he tallied 19 points and got to the line 10 times, knocking down seven. The fourth double-figure scorer on the evening was freshman DJ Richards who had 11 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists.
.@Ice_Buggs1 CALLED GAME
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) January 6, 2023
RUNNERS WIN‼️#BirdsUp 🤙 | #RunnersPACE pic.twitter.com/XhwRN0JxpP
The Rundown
UTSA and MTSU went back and forth early on, as the Blue Raiders were able to hold a 10-9 lead at the first media timeout. Coming out of the break, UTSA took its first lead of the game thanks to a Jacob Germany jumper. MTSU would retake the lead and go into the under-12 up 15-14. Middle Tennessee would hold the one-point lead going into the under-eight, keeping UTSA at bay and leading 21-20. The Roadrunners were able to string together a couple of points thanks to free throws and a layup from Germany and a jump shot from Medor to go up 27-25 at the final break of the first half. The Roadrunners were able to close the half strong, limiting the Blue Raiders to just a free throw in the final four minutes and taking a 34-28 lead into the half.
The second half started much like the first, back and forth action which saw Middle Tennessee cut the UTSA lead to just three before the Roadrunners erupted. The Roadrunners were leading 36-33 and went on a 24-10 run to go up 60-43 and take a 17-point lead at the 8:19 mark. It wasn't over though as Middle Tennessee didn't make it easy on the Roadrunners. The Blue Raiders began attacking the basket with force, drawing multiple and-ones and after drawing the defense in, kicking it out for crucial three-pointers. The Blue Raiders, led by Eli Lawrence's 20 points, clawed all the way back to tie the game up with 13 seconds remaining but they left too much time on the clock for Buggs. After Medor tried to shake his defender in a one-on-one, Buggs came around the top of the three-point arc, caught a pass from Medor and launched the game-winner right through the bottom of the net.
Stat of the Game
UTSA only turned the ball over eight times tonight, tying a season-low, resulting in just 10 points for Middle Tennessee. On the other hand, UTSA turned the Blue Raiders over 14 times and was able to score 17 points because of it.
Up Next
UTSA will welcome Western Kentucky to the Convocation Center this Saturday as it concludes its two-game home stand. Saturday's matchup with WKU is set to tip at 3 pm, will be broadcast on Stadium and will be streamed on Ticket 760 AM.
- UTSA -