TULSA, Okla. – Hot-shooting stretches gave UTSA men’s basketball (5-22, 1-14 AMER) the chance to even things out in the second half, but homestanding Tulsa 22-6, 10-5 AMER) got hot as the second half deepened, quelling the Roadrunners’ rally and delivering a 100-74 win on Sunday at the Reynolds Center.
It was the Roadrunners who struck the first blows against the standing No. 2 team in the American, hitting their first two from long range with triples from Dorian Hayes and Brent Moss. However, turnovers put the Golden Hurricane in position to tie it on a Tylen Riley layup. Hitting the third of the first four from the perimeter, Mathéo Coffi drained a long ball from the corner to put UTSA back in front heading into the 15:44 media timeout – setting off a pendulum of four lead changes over the next two minutes.
After shooting 50 percent to open the game, the Roadrunners struggled to find the bottom of the net, making just one of the next 10 shots and opening the door for Ade Popoola to lead the Golden Hurricane on a 20-2 scoring push over the next six minutes.
Battling back from a 20-point deficit, the Roadrunners used free throws and a pair of Baboucarr Njie drives to cut the deficit to 13 across the final three minutes of the half. But Tulsa pushed the edge back to 53-37 as David Green hit from high on the arc with time expiring.
Immediately cutting into the 15-point halftime shortfall, Hayes reestablished his presence on the first possession of the new half, knocking down a fast break three just 23 seconds in. Hayes was limited in the back of the first period, registering his third foul with just over eight minutes remaining.
With a quick rebound on Tulsa’s first miss, Moss dropped a second fast break three and Jamir Simpson got behind the Tulsa defense for a breakaway dunk – UTSA opening the half on an 8-0 run and trimming it to an eight-point game at 53-45 with 1:15 elapsed in the second half.
Tyler Behrend’s layup got Tulsa moving on the next possession, setting off a scoring trade between the teams, with Hayes converting a Tulsa turnover to his fourth three-pointer and trimming the game to a seven-point difference at 57-50.
The scoring pace quickened across the board and the teams combined for 23 points over the next three minutes. With Kaidon Rayfield the first Roadrunner to reach four fouls, UTSA’s scoring stalled while the Golden Hurricane extended its push. Tulsa’s 15-5 scoring drive over the next five minutes rebuilt the advantage, setting the stage for the Golden Hurricane to wear the Roadrunners down and finish off the 100-74 win.
With his 10th game of 20+ points this season, Simpson led UTSA’s scorers, adding a team-high five rebounds and three assists. Hayes racked up a career-high 19 points, hitting 4-of-7 from the perimeter and 7-of-11 overall – in addition to three assists. Daniel Akitoby also collected 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
Overall, the Roadrunners shot 44.3 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three, putting away 11 three-pointers and going 9-of-11 at the free throw line.
Tulsa’s fast break was its biggest weapon against a short-handed Roadrunners roster, logging 31 points on the break, with 19 points coming from turnovers.
Up Next
Back-to-back dates at home close the Convocation Center schedule, hosting East Carolina for Greek Night on Feb. 25, followed up by Wichita State for Senior Night on March 1.
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