SAN ANTONIO – The new month brought new fortunes for the UTSA men’s basketball team (11-17, 5-11 AAC), snapping a six-game skid while running away with Sunday night’s victory over Rice (13-17, 4-13 AAC) at the Convocation Center. Fueled by a combination attack from Primo Spears and Marcus Millender that amounted to 50 points, the Roadrunners rained 11 of the team’s 14 threes on the visiting Owls in the second half to deliver an 84-56 victory – the team’s largest conference margin of victory this season. Prior to the game, UTSA honored three seniors, Spears, Damari Monsanto and Raekwon Horton.
Where the final margin ended up did not resemble the opening 17 minutes of action on Sunday evening. With Millender pacing the Roadrunners, the first half remained in close contention at a single possession until the 3:10 mark of the period – producing seven ties and seven lead changes in that stretch. Tied at 19, Millender found a seam down the right side, driving from the three-point line with the layup through contact. After the free throw following the media timeout, Millender added a pull-up three on the subsequent possession to build the lead to six. Spears drove the lane on the break off Millender’s rebound and Jonnivius Smith spotted up from near three-point range to grant UTSA a 31-23 advantage at the break.
Coming out of halftime, both teams showed an energized offensive attack, but the Owls scored on their first three possessions to slice the deficit to four points on an Andrew Akuchie dunk at 8:10. Baboucarr Njie swatted the Owls’ next shot and Millender converted Smith’s rebound to a fast break layup, returning the favor on the next trip by setting Smith for an NBA-range spot-up three to make the lead nine points. Though Rice battled back, a new problem emerged for the Owls as Spears began to take over the second half for the Roadrunners – making four consecutive triples across a 2:37 stretch and extending the UTSA lead to double-digits. Fueled by Spears, the Roadrunners launched an 8-0 run and that lead quickly turned to 20 on a fast-break three from Millender with 8:50 remaining.
UTSA’s final five field goals of the night splashed from the perimeter with a barrage from Spears, Millender, Smith and Nazar Mahmoud, as the Roadrunners outscored the Owls 18-12 in the final six minutes en route to the 84-56 victory – wiping the slate clean to open the month of March.
After holding 10 points to lead UTSA at the break, Millender dropped in another 15 in the second half, dealing out a phenomenal 9-of-10 shooting performance that included 4-of-5 from beyond the arc for 25 points – also going 4-for-4 at the line, matching a season-best seven assists with two steals and four rebounds. Matching energy, Spears also came away with 25 while knocking down a career-high six of his nine field goals from the perimeter – snagging two steals with two assists. Rice has proven to be a big generator for the pair this season, with Millender and Spears combining for 101 points across the two games with the Owls this season.
Coming up just shy of his fifth double-double, Smith went 4-for-8 with 2-for-3 long range for 15 points, while leading the Roadrunners with nine rebounds and two blocks.
After a sluggish shooting start in the first half, the Roadrunners racked up a 58.6 shooting percentage in the second period, including 61.1 percent from three in their fourth consecutive game with double-digit threes. Led by Millender, UTSA recorded 15 assists.
The Roadrunners forced Rice into 13 turnovers, nine in the second half, coming away with eight steals and holding the Owls to a conference opponent season-low 34.4 percent shooting.
Up Next
It’s a short turnaround for the Roadrunners and a big Convo finale on Fat Tuesday, as 18th-ranked Memphis travels to San Antonio for the first time in the short series. The league-leading Tigers and Roadrunners will square off at 6 p.m. on March 4 for the final UTSA home game of the season.
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