DALLAS – Combining for 56 points, Jordan Ivy-Curry and PJ Carter took center stage in Saturday’s slugfest at Moody Coliseum, leading UTSA men’s basketball team (11-19, 5-12 AAC) to a 77-73 upset victory at SMU (19-10, 10-6 AAC). In the process, the Roadrunners notched their third straight victory and handed the Mustangs only their third loss at home this season – snapping SMU’s nine-game home win streak.
The Roadrunners were slow to get things on track, falling in a 13-point deficit early in the opening stanza, courtesy of seven turnovers in the first 11 minutes and a five-minute scoring drought. Just beyond the midpoint of the half, Ricardo Wright’s layup to push the Mustangs ahead 21-8 and proved to be the turning point in awakening the UTSA offense.
The Roadrunners proceeded to force SMU into seven consecutive misses and three turnovers across the next five minutes. The defensive surge left an opening for Dre Fuller Jr., Carter and Ivy-Curry to collaborate on a 14-0 UTSA run, capped by Fuller’s lead-grabbing three from the wing to push UTSA on top for the first time at 22-21 with 6:24 on the clock.
Fuller’s go-ahead score stirred up the Mustangs and the teams battled down the stretch; SMU edging ahead, 36-34 into the break on a Zhuric Phelps layup with a little under a minute to go. Ivy-Curry scored 12 points in that race to the half, putting up 18 in the first period, including four from the perimeter.
Coming out of the break, it quickly became apparent that the Roadrunners and Mustangs were in it for the long-haul shootout, with 29 combined points, six lead changes and a pair of ties in the first seven minutes of the half. Ivy-Curry kept the pressure on in the first 10 minutes as SMU tried to claw away – but couldn’t get more than a four-point lead.
Finally breaking the tide toward UTSA for the first time in the half, Fuller again nailed a go-ahead triple to edge in front 64-63 with 6:17 remaining. As the teams traded the lead like a pendulum, Carter drained a three from the arc to send the Roadrunners in front 69-68, then Christian Tucker found him open for another three in the corner on the cross-court pass, setting a four-point lead that lasted until Phelps collected a three with 92 seconds left. With UTSA protecting a one-point lead into the final 30 seconds, Fuller handed off to Ivy-Curry, setting a screen that allowed Ivy-Curry to bury the shot from the arc with 15 seconds left and ice the 77-73 win over the Mustangs – who started the weekend at fourth in The American’s standings.
Carter hit three triples and scored 17 of his career-high 23 points in the second half – hitting a career-best 8-for-15 with 5-of-9 launched from the perimeter, while also dishing three assists. Meanwhile, Ivy-Curry crested 30 points for the second time this year, putting 33 on the board via 12-of-22 shooting, with 5-of-9 from three.
Following up his 14-assist performance in the Tulsa win, Tucker racked up nine assists.
Fuller went 5-for-7 and 2-for-3 from long range, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds, as well as a pair each of steals and blocks – nearly all consequential toward the win. Meanwhile, Chandler Cuthrell tied a career high with 11 rebounds and added a season-best three assists.
The Roadrunners shot 43.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three for 12 triples against the Mustangs, while also registering 19 assists. Defensively, UTSA limited SMU to 38 percent shooting on the afternoon, while outrebounding the Mustangs to 21-17 in the second half to right the ship.
Up Next
UTSA is quickly rising in the AAC rankings at the right time, heading into a short break and a Senior Day rematch against Temple on March 10, before heading to Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena for the AAC Championships, kicking off March 13.
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