SAN ANTONIO – For the second time in as many games, the UTSA men’s basketball team (3-3) put came together to finish the job when the chips were down, overcoming a late Houston Christian (2-6) lead to pull away for the 78-71 win in brand new grey uniforms on Saturday at the Convocation Center. Coming on strong when the Roadrunners needed it most, Primo Spears and Raekwon Horton combined for 50 points in the streak-building victory.
UTSA came out of the gate strong, building up a 10-point advantage just under seven minutes into the game, with a huge Spears outburst fueling a 10-3 run, capped off by back-to-back backboard-rattling Horton dunks that delivered a 28-13 UTSA advantage with just under four minutes to half. As the clock ticked away, UTSA’s offense slowed a little, while Houston Christian fired off a trio of threes and a layup that sliced the deficit to nine at the break – as Mo Njie put in the final Roadrunners score with 1 second on the clock – leading 35-26.
In the first half, Spears racked up 17 points as the Roadrunners shot 48.3 percent from the field, while holding the Huskies to 31 percent shooting – while also committing just four first-half turnovers.
Despite the heavy momentum for the Roadrunners at the half, the pace quickened to a furious tempo early in the second half with both teams firing, reeling off a combined 39 points in the first eight minutes of the second. In that stretch, the Huskies came running back and tied the game at 51-all on Demari Williams’ free throw with 11:38 remaining. Though HCU didn’t hit a field goal for nearly three minutes, Julian Mackey edged the Huskies in front with a free throw at 10:57. A string of eight lead changes and six ties ensued over the next seven minutes. Horton put an end to the trading scores, driving the paint with the hoop and the harm to push UTSA up 68-57. On the ensuing HCU possession, Spears was fouled and nailed both charity shots. After a pair of HCU free throws, Spears hit a dagger, pulling up just outside the paint in the final minute for the 72-69 lead. On the other end, Elijah Brooks’ second-chance attempt was struck down on a key Jonnivius smith block with 35 seconds left. Forced to foul, the Huskies sat idly by as UTSA knocked down six consecutive free throws by Spears, Damari Monsanto and Marcus Millender to secure the 78-71 victory, their second straight this week.
After a quiet start to the second half, Spears came alive late with the game on the line, finishing with a season-high 31 points – the first player this season to cross the 30-point threshold – earning his sixth consecutive double-figure game and his fifth over 20 points. Spears also matched his season best with five assists. Horton recorded a career high with 19 points, just short of his second double-double this year with a team-high nine rebounds – surprisingly coming up empty-handed on steals. Hitting three from long range, Monsanto finished with 11 points and four rebounds. Smith matched his season best with three blocks against HCU, including the pivotal final stop, in addition to contributing nine rebounds.
Sealing the game at the line, UTSA put away 23-of-25 free throws (92 percent), finishing the game shooting 47.2 percent while the Huskies shot 38.1 percent.
Up Next
The road is where UTSA is headed for the next week, traveling to St. Mary’s (CA) for a Dec. 3 date in Moraga, California. UTSA returns briefly to San Antonio before taking on 19th-ranked Arkansas in Fayetteville on Dec. 7.
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