SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men’s basketball team (5-24, 1-16 AMER) couldn’t get over the hump of a second half rally and saw a final setback in the season’s home finale at the Convocation Center on Sunday, as American Conference second-place squad Wichita State (20-10, 12-5 AMER) slowed the Roadrunners comeback and pulled away to the 84-67 win. Following Sunday’s game, the Roadrunners recognized outgoing seniors Stanley Borden, LJ Brown, Mo Njie and Jamir Simpson.
What started as a defensive struggle turned into a back-and-forth slugfest early in Sunday’s game, as the teams combined to miss the first five shots and went just 3-for-16 into the first media timeout. With grad guard Jamir Simpson leading the way, the Roadrunners kept the margin tight through the first seven minutes, but the Shockers managed a little breathing room with a two-possession separation as the teams traded scores.
After Simpson brought the game back to four points with a step-back three with 7:21 to go before half, the Shockers stalled the UTSA offense for the first time since the opening minutes, launching into a 9-0 scoring push that lasted over four minutes before Dorian Hayes’ three got things back on track. WSU star Kenyon Giles managed a pull-up bucket in the closing seconds of the half to grant the Shockers a 41-29 advantage at the break.
After Wichita State earned scores on the first two possessions of the new half, the Roadrunners began to chip away at the then-14-point deficit. Baboucarr Njie threw headfakes to kiss a score of the glass and spark the Roadrunners, as forward Daniel Akitoby followed with a three from the top of the arc, Njie collected a pair of free throws and Simpson put away seven consecutive points for UTSA – twice cutting the lead to six points just under five minutes into the half and personally cresting 2,000 career points in college, dating back to his start at Pikeville in the NAIA.
Despite the promising drive, the Shockers put the Roadrunners’ offense on the backburner and held UTSA without a score for nearly five minutes – translating to a 13-0 run for Wichita State as the Shockers ballooned their lead to 18.
Facing a deep hole, the Roadrunners didn’t shy from the fight, as Njie was instrumental in twice cutting the lead to 12 and then making it an 11-point game with 3:48 to go on a slash from the three-point line. However, Wichita State held up the rally and limited UTSA to just four more points in those final minutes, pulling away to the 84-67 final.
Edging over the 2k career mark on a three with 15:33 to go, Simpson finished with 21 points and seven rebounds. Sporting nearly identical numbers, Njie tallied 13 points in the second half to register 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, also grabbing 15 rebounds.
A big component in UTSA’s runs, Akitoby finished with 16 points and a season-high 13 rebounds for the double-double, also logging two blocks.
Up Next
One contest remains on the schedule for the Roadrunners, who have a midweek BYE before heading to Houston for the rivalry rematch with Rice on Sunday at Tudor Fieldhouse in the season finale.
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