SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men’s basketball team unofficially kicked off its 2023-24 campaign on Tuesday night at the Convocation Center, debuting its new-look roster with a tremendous result on the scoreboard, as the Roadrunners lit up the cross-town Trinity Tigers, 100-70, in exhibition play. Six Roadrunners scored in double figures as UTSA knocked down 15 three-pointers and three dunks to produce a sizzling offensive start to the season.
Utah Tech transfer Trey Edmonds kicked off the scoring by converting a spin move to the bucket at 19:16 and the Roadrunners never looked back, extending the lead to 10-0 after the first three minutes following back-to-back long balls from Dre Fuller Jr. and Carlton Linguard Jr. The Roadrunners steadily pounded away at the Tigers, clinching a 18-point first-half advantage on Isaiah Wyatt’s layup with just under six minutes to go in the first 20. Helped along by five Dean Balo free throws, the Tigers cut the lead down to 12, heading into the break trailing 42-30.
Coming out of the half, UTSA pushed back out to 17 but the Tigers surged and Tanner Brown’s three with 13:47 on the clock drew the deficit to nine. However, that momentum shift provided inspiration for the Roadrunners, who reeled off 12 unanswered points in 96 seconds to move in front 71-50. Down the stretch, UTSA closed the night on a 21-8 run, capped off by a pair beyond the arc from Linguard and Adante’ Holiman in the final 2:00.
A transfer from Kansas State, Linguard led six UTSA players in double-figures with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4-for-7 from long range – in addition to collecting nine boards and three assists. Odessa College transfer Chandler Cuthrell won the race to a double-double with a commanding dunk – finishing the night with 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Edmonds finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks. PJ Carter went 3-for-5 from three for 13 points. Fuller ended with 12 points, eight rebounds and tied Christian Tucker with a team-high five assists. Making his collegiate debut, Leander, Texas freshman Nazar Mahmoud scored 11 with nine rebounds.
In total, 11 Roadrunners made an appearance on Tuesday, as UTSA shot 47.7 percent from the floor with 42 points in the paint, hit 34.9 percent from three and outrebounded the Tigers 60-34.
Although not a countable contest, UTSA’s scoring amounts to the first 100-point game since January 3, 2022. against Dallas Christian College. It was also the most rebounds since the DCC game (63) and most threes since Feb. 17, 2022, at Southern Miss (15).
WHAT'S NEXT
The Roadrunners have one more exhibition contest on the October schedule, as UTSA will meet another DIII program at the Convo, hosting Abilene’s McMurry University on Monday, Oct. 30. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will stream live on ESPN+ and air on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket. UTSA officially opens the 2023-24 season on Nov. 6 with Western Illinois coming to the Convo.
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