BOULDER, Colo. – The UTSA men’s basketball team (4-6) got off to a hot start on both ends of the floor in the first 20 minutes of action at the CU Events Center on Saturday, maintaining a tight see-saw game at homestanding Colorado (9-1). After going into halftime trailing by just three, the Buffaloes outpaced the Roadrunners early in the second half and pulled away to an 88-64 final.
Putting in one of the best halves of basketball this season, the Roadrunners came out firing and buried the first bucket just 19 seconds in, as freshman Dorian Hayes came off a screen to the top of the key and buried the long-range jumper off Austin Nunez’ assist.
The Buffaloes worked things back to even and edged in front, but twice graduate student Daniel Akitoby nudged UTSA back in front, first at the line and then on a mid-ranger down the baseline. The Roadrunners led just under half of the first six minutes of action and had a solid command on the glass, pushing the typically paint-shooting Buffaloes to the perimeter.
However, shots started to fall from the outside for CU, allowing the Buffaloes to keep the Roadrunners from really gaining the upper hand. Trading blows throughout, the first half produced nine lead changes and four ties.
As the half progressed, UTSA leading scorer Jamir Simpson started to take up more and more space, reeling off 12 points while hitting 6-of-12 in the period. He registered the fourth and final tie at 17-17, battling inside for his own putback.
The Buffaloes fired back with back-to-back threes from Barrington Hargress and Felix Kossaras. However, after Simpson chipped the deficit to four points, it was Macaleab Rich, Kaidon Rayfield and Akitoby drawing the game to a single-possession difference four times in the final six minutes before half with a combined 11 points, setting the score at 35-32 heading into the break off Akitoby’s turnaround jumper at the foul line.
At halftime, the Roadrunners were shooting 46.4 percent, outpacing the Buffaloes’ 34.4 percent. The slight rebounding edge went to Colorado with a 21-19 margin, but UTSA made the most of eight offensive boards for eight second-chance points.
Coming out of halftime, the teams traded buckets early, but Elijah Malone’s recovery after a pass hit the rim solidified momentum for a CU push that would set a new tone for the second half. Though Simpson answered with a three immediately, Hargess countered him and the Buffaloes outscored the Roadrunners 15-2 over a four-minute stretch – setting up a half-long run to the 88-64 Colorado win.
Colorado slowed the Roadrunners’ shooting in the second period, but also caught fire on their own, shooting 62.2 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three in the second, while taking control on the boards with a 25-15 advantage.
Simpson led all UTSA scorers with 20, for his sixth game reaching that mark this season, shooting 8-for-16 with team highs of six rebounds and five assists – the latter matching a career high. Shooting 4-for-9, including a pair from the arc, Brent Moss finished with 11 points.
For the Buffs, Hargress finished with 23, hitting 5-of-7 from the perimeter.
Up Next
The Roadrunners’ westerly road swing continues into next week, as Los Angeles is UTSA’s next destination, taking on RV USC at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at the Galen Center. UTSA’s final non-conference game is back at home against Seattle on Dec. 22 at the Convocation Center.
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