DENTON, Texas – Saturday’s rematch at the Super Pit between the UTSA men’s basketball team (10-11, 4-5 AAC) and the North Texas Mean Green (16-4, 7-2 AAC) was an absolute nailbiter in every sense of the word. The Roadrunners triumphed, 54-50, in a game with multiple layers of consequence – as the second-straight win for UTSA in Denton, the first North Texas loss at home this season, defeating an opponent tied for first in the conference, in an in-state rivalry game for head coach Austin Claunch’s 100th career victory. Not to mention that a career-high scoring game for Raekwon Horton set the Roadrunners right onto the path in the first half.
It was obvious from the opening moments on Saturday in the Super Pit that it would be a defensive battle between the Mean Green and the Roadrunners. After David Hermes got the Roadrunners on the board, posting up for a jump hook on the first UTSA possession, it wasn’t long before Horton was taking center stage. Horton’s layup with 17:12 gave UTSA its first lead en route to a career outing for the Santee, South Carolina senior.
After North Texas knotted things up at 11-all with 13:13 to go, Horton’s layup through contact proved to be a difference-maker, earning his first of three and-1 opportunities he had on the evening and giving UTSA the lead for the rest of the game after moving ahead 14-11.
Johnathan Massie’s layup gave North Texas it’s 13th point, but in response the Roadrunners hardened their defensive efforts, as UTSA held the Mean Green without a score for the final 8:22 of the half. Meanwhile, Horton, Marcus Millender, Primo Spears and Jonnivius Smith finished the period on a 10-0 run with a 27-13 advantage – marking the second-fewest points in a half allowed by a Roadrunner team in program history.
A first half of nightmares for the Mean Green, it was the largest deficit for North Texas on the year, facilitated by 11 first-half UNT turnovers for eight Roadrunner steals. In the opening half, North Texas shot 22.7 percent from the field.
At the half, Horton already had 12 points.
The pace quickly changed gears coming out of the break, as both teams came out firing and traded scores across the first eight minutes of the second half.
Atin Wright’s consecutive scores near the midpoint of the half proved to be a pressure point for North Texas, starting a late-game rally from a nine-point deficit. Though Horton took the opportunity to drive the right side straight into a layup the next time down, Wright hit a three and then Grant Newell’s fast-break dunk off a turnover brought the home crowd to life with a six-point game and nine minutes to go.
The Mean Green scored five unanswered to bring the game to a single possession at 50-48 with 4:00 on the clock, following a putback dunk by Newell. However, Millender rose to the moment when the Roadrunners needed him most, finding a seam down the left side of the lane for the layup and the four-point lead.
Newell pulled up on the baseline with 1:10 left to again slice the margin to two, but UTSA’s defense finished the job, as Smith secured a steal on the final UNT opportunity and it was perfectly fitting that Horton drained both free throws to finish the job on the 54-50 victory.
On the night, Horton finished with a career-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, going 7-for-7 at the free throw line. He also collected four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Adding support from the perimeter on three triples, Spears finished with 15 points. Millender shot 50 percent from the field and finished with 11 points and three assists.
Smith made three huge blocks, three steals and nabbed a pair of crucial offensive boards to help the Roadrunners hold on. Meanwhile, Damari Monsanto delivered on the glass with a season-high eight rebounds to lead UTSA’s rebounding effort.
The Roadrunners collected 16 turnovers off the Mean Green, knotting North Texas with 24 points in the paint and outgunning them by a 13-4 margin on fast-break scoring.
Up Next
A double-home week follows the road swing, as UTSA returns to the Convocation Center to rematch with Tulane on Feb. 5 and welcome the first meeting with East Carolina on Feb. 8.
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