The UTSA men’s basketball team (1-1) split a pair of games for their season-opening week. After topping their cross-town foes, the Trinity Tigers (3-0) in an exhibition game by 31 points, the Roadrunners suffered a loss to the Oklahoma Sooners (2-0).

Kicking off the season with a hometown foe, the ‘Runners added a win to their column early. Both teams traded points early in the first half before the ‘Runners created a scoring deficit from a pair of Jacob Germany jumpers and a Darius McNeill dunk (26-20). Dhieu Deing led the team in points for the first half, fueling the offense with four jumpers, three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws. Cedrick Alley, Jr. gave power in the backcourt with four rebounds. A jumper from Jordan Ivy-Curry gave the ‘Runners a 19-point advantage to close the half, 49-30.
A 14-point second half performance from Germany gave UTSA the push for a 31-point victory. Not letting the Tigers within 17 points for the entirety of the second half, the ‘Runners saw the depth of their roster on the court, with three players recording their first career minutes. Ivy-Curry assisted Germany in the offensive assault, contributing 13 points, a rebound and an assist to power UTSA to a 97-66 win to start the season.

After the deafening win in the Convocation Center, the ‘Runners traveled to Norman, Okla. to face the OU Sooners. Keeping time with the Sooners early in the first half, OU gained the lead from a 17-0 run (19-4). Germany and Ivy-Curry led the team in the first half with six and four points, respectively. Ivy-Curry recorded three rebounds, and Germany contributed a pair in the backcourt. Erik Czumbel added the only assist for UTSA. Holding the ‘Runners to at least a 13-point deficit, the Sooners closed the first half with a 23-point lead at 33-10.

Deing gave the ‘Runners a 15-point second half performance, but UTSA was unable to top the Sooners. The OU defense kept the UTSA scoring threat at bay in the second half, limiting the ‘Runners to 28.6% from the field. Newcomer Josh Farmer contributed five points and three rebounds for UTSA, but the Sooners converted 24 of 39 shots from the field, creating a margin that the ‘Runners were unable to recover from. Creating a 52-point deficit, the Sooners closed the game with a 96-44 win. 

The ‘Runners are back in the Convocation Center this week as they host the UTSA Multi-Team Event Nov. 15-21. UTSA will start by taking on the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions. The ‘Runners will suit up to face the Denver Pioneers Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. before hosting the IUPUI Jaguars Wednesday, Nov. 17. Completing the hoop-heavy week, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders will step into the ‘Runners’ court on Sunday, Nov. 21 for a 3 p.m. matchup. Following the weeklong home exhibitions, UTSA will host the Lamar Cardinals for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday, Nov. 24. All games can be viewed live in the Convocation Center or on CUSA.tv.