The UTSA Roadrunners (7-11, 0-5 C-USA) were on the road this week for games against the Old Dominion Monarchs (7-8, 2-0 C-USA) and the Charlotte 49ers (9-5, 2-0 C-USA) and continuing a worrying trend to start the season, were let down on the offensive end. The two losses saw UTSA drop to 0-5 in Conference USA, digging an early hole the ‘Runners will have to fight hard to overcome. 

The first game of the road trip took place on Thursday night in Norfolk, Va., against the Monarchs. Old Dominion got off to a fast start, going on a 7-0 run to put the ‘Runners behind early. As UTSA continued to battle cold shooting to begin the game, the Monarch’s offense stayed hot and nearing the midway point of the first half the Monarchs led 2-16. A jumper from center Jacob Germany cut the lead back down to single digits at 8-16, but UTSA couldn’t draw any closer and entered halftime down 21-33, primarily due to shooting just 28% from the field. 

Things did not get much better for the ‘Runners in the second half as they battled to contain Old Dominion forward Austin Trice, who finished with a game-high 19 points and the guard pair of C.J. Keyser and Jaylin Hunter, who each put up 16 points. Old Dominion controlled the pace of play throughout the second half and slowly stretched the lead out as UTSA continued to struggle to get points on the board. Despite shooting 50% from the field in the second half, UTSA was outclassed on the offensive end as the Monarchs got everything they wanted to drop and cruised to a 51-83 win at home. Germany led all UTSA players with 12 points and seven rebounds. 

Looking to rebound from Thursday night’s defeat, UTSA was back in action on Saturday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C., to take on the 49ers. Unfortunately for the ‘Runners, another slow start to the game — this time at the hands of an 11-2 Charlotte run — put them behind early. UTSA managed to recover slightly and a three-pointer from guard Aleu Aleu cut the lead to four early in the first half. The game quickly grew out of control for UTSA, though, as a 15-2 run saw Charlotte jump out to a commanding 9-25 lead midway through the first half. The lead grew to as much as 19 before a late UTSA run shrunk it to just 22-34, heading into halftime. 

The ‘Runners got off to a much better start in the second half and a jumper in the paint from Germany cut the lead to five off the back of a 7-0 run to start the half. The two teams then began to trade buckets, with Charlotte slowly beginning to expand the lead back out before UTSA reeled them back in again. This continued until midway through the second half when the 49ers unleashed a crushing 11-0 run to push the lead to 16, putting UTSA’s hopes of a comeback in dire straits. From there, Charlotte played composed basketball and despite UTSA inching closer, they ran out of time and Charlotte walked away with a 53-62 victory.

It was a game that UTSA is likely to rue as one they let getaway, as they were unable to capitalize on a strong defensive performance where they held Charlotte to shooting just 34.7% from the field. Offensively, it was a similar performance to the one they gave on Thursday night, as the ‘Runners shot 29.4% from the field and an abysmal 12.5% from three-point range. Freshman guard Christian Tucker led the ‘Runners in scoring for the game with 10 points.

UTSA will finish off their road trip Thursday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. against the UTEP Miners (8-8, 1-3 C-USA) in El Paso, Texas. Following that game, UTSA will return to the Convocation Center for a rematch against the Miners on Sunday, Jan. 23, at 3 p.m. Both games will be available to stream on CUSA.tv.