The UTSA men’s basketball team (9-10, 3-3 C-USA) hosted the University of Texas at El Paso Miners on Saturday, Jan. 18, after losing to the Miners by two points in overtime earlier that week.

With a slow start in the first half, junior guard Keaton Wallace put the Roadrunners on the board with an inside jumpshot. The Miners focused on strong defense to combat the outside shooting from the ‘Runners. The Miners forced multiple turnovers throughout the game, but senior forward Atem Bior answered with a 10-4 run, contributing to his season high 13-point game.

“No team in this league is easy to beat, whether you are at home or away. Any time you get a league win, we feel good about it,” Bior said.

The ‘Runners capitalized on fast break shooting with Wallace leading the team in scoring. The Miners answered the ‘Runners’ lead with a full-court press to force back-to-back turnovers, regaining control of the ball. The ‘Runners answered with a dunk by freshman center Jacob Germany to close the half on top, 48-31.

“We did pretty good this game about personnel, knowing who we are guarding and who we need to contest harder,” Wallace said.

Junior guard Jhivvan Jackson led the team on offense in the second half. Both teams ran a more fast-paced game, which resulted in large outside shots with multiple turnovers. The ‘Runners began to lose control of the ball after the 12-minute mark but managed to stay in the lead for the duration of the game. The Miners resorted to the foul game in an attempt to stop the ‘Runners’ offense from picking up, but the ‘Runners maintained their momentum and possession of the ball to end the game 86-70.

“You want to make plays and put yourself in position in every league game to win, and then you have to make game-winning plays,” head coach Steve Henson said.

The ‘Runners will be on the road this week as they travel to Denton to face the University of North Texas Mean Green on Thursday, Jan. 23, and then they will face the Rice University Owls on Saturday, Jan. 27. The ‘Runners will return to the Historic Convocation Center on Thursday, Jan. 30, as they face the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers.