TROY, Ala. – Wednesday’s Trojan Turkey Tipoff contest was a game of many phases for the UTSA men’s basketball team (2-3). The Roadrunners led by as many as 16 points and rallied from a 14-point deficit to win in the closing seconds of the 76-74 victory over Merrimack (1-6) at Trojan Arena. Forward Jonnivius Smith held things down early for the Roadrunners, registering a historic double-double outing. However, with their backs against the wall, the Roadrunners got a burst from senior guard Primo Spears, who scored 15 of the final 20 points to lead UTSA to the comeback win.
The beginning of the game looked a lot like the end of the game for the Roadrunners, who shot nearly 60 percent early and raced out to at first a 13-2 advantage over the Warriors, which quickly turned into a 20-4 lead – as six different Roadrunners lit the scoreboard in the first seven minutes to push UTSA ahead by 16.
However, the constant Merrimack zone began to slow the Roadrunners’ pace and well-timed defensive holds and turnovers allowed the Warriors to grapple back to striking distance with a 17-4 run over a five-minute stretch – paced by Devon Savage and Sean Trumper. The Warriors capitalized off of 12 first-half UTSA turnovers as Bryan Etumnu and Adam Clark tied the game in back-to-back possessions with free throws. Savage proceeded to hit a three with 3:07 remaining to give Merrimack its first lead of the day. Keeping UTSA in front at the half, Smith scooped up his own steal for a solo fast break and the 37-36 halftime lead.
At the half, UTSA was holding a commanding rebounding advantage and outshooting Merrimack 40 percent to 38.7 percent. Smith was already on the verge of a double-double but had a much bigger performance on the horizon in the second half.
The teams came out of the locker rooms and began trading scores, with UTSA being the first to let up. After center Mo Njie put in a putback with 11:03 remaining to go ahead 52-48, the Roadrunners’ shooting went cold, going 5:48 without a score, as Merrimack brewed up a 16-0 blitz in the same span.
Facing a 70-56 deficit with only 3:31 remaining, the Roadrunners proved resilient and went to work chopping down the Warriors’ lead. Rising to the moment, Spears started to take over the game as he pulled up about five feet beyond the arc for a three that started the game-winning drive. As Clark uncharacteristically missed the front end of the one-and-one for Merrimack, Spears added a tip-in on the next possession, making it a three-point play with the foul. The Warriors got a pair of Clark free throws as time drifted under two minutes, but the Roadrunners were undeterred, finding Spears for threes on each of the next two possessions. Making his collegiate debut, Baboucarr Njie added a crucial free throw with 1:04 to go and Marcus Millender drained a corner three off Spears’ assist to make it a one-point game with 48 seconds left. A timely foul on the opposite end proved valuable, as Trumper missed the front end at the line and Spears drove the lane for the hoop-and-harm that delivered a two-point advantage and only 25 seconds left, sealing the eventual 76-74 comeback victory.
It was the largest comeback victory for the Roadrunners since January 26, 2019, when Keaton Wallace put in 29 points to lead UTSA to an 18-point recovery against Old Dominion.
Coincidentally racking up 29 points of his own in engineering the rally, Spears shot 50 percent from the field (11-for-22) and was 5-for-9 from the perimeter – while also recording five rebounds and three assists.
Smith shot 5-of-7 to record a double-double of 11 points and 20 rebounds – not only giving him the first 20-rebound UTSA performance since 1988, but also just the third Roadrunner to break the 20-board barrier in UTSA history (joining record-holder Lennell Moore [25] and Clarence McGee [20]). Smith also chipped in two key steals and blocks.
UTSA finished with a 48-33 rebounding advantage and finished shooting 40 percent from the field. A crucial stat on the boards was 21 offensive rebounds, contributing to 26 second-chance points for the Roadrunners.The Warriors got a lot of extra opportunities at the line, shooting 32 FT, while UTSA saw just 16 chances.
WHAT'S NEXT
Following the Thanksgiving holiday in San Antonio, the Roadrunners will return this weekend to action at the Convocation Center, hosting Houston Christian in a 3 p.m. Fansgiving and Youth Day matchup on Saturday, Nov. 30.
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