In its second exhibition game of the season, UTSA men’s basketball defeated McMurry University 125-84 Monday night in the Convocation Center.
The team’s scoring ability continued to shine, as they scored 125 points on 55% shooting against the War Hawks’ defense.
“We’re all unselfish; I’m really proud of how we score the ball,” point guard Christian Tucker said of his team’s scoring ability.
Tucker led the bulk of the scoring with 16 points off the bench. Eight different Roadrunners reached double-digit figures by the end of the night, and the bulk of the team’s scoring came from within the paint. With a total of 26 second-chance points and 72 paint points, UTSA proved to be a force on the inside against the War Hawks.
The team’s bench also contributed heavily to the scoring output, as all bench players contributed 69 points to the effort. Key players such as Tucker, Nazar Mahmoud and Chandler Cuthrell all provided efficient scoring and rebounding off the bench for the Roadrunners.
Starting guard Adante’ Holliman had nothing but praise when asked about the team’s bench output on the night.
“We got a lot of good pieces, a lot of guys that can score the basketball,” Holliman said.
The starting guard also left his mark on the game, scoring 14 points along with four key assists. Tasked with initiating the offense, Holliman found himself bringing the ball up against the McMurry full-court press for the majority of the game.
“It wasn’t super hard; I’ve seen pressure all my life, so it wasn’t too much,” Holliman said of the pressure faced by the War Hawks defense.
While Holliman only had two turnovers for the night, the Roadrunners did commit 20 turnovers against McMurry’s press defense.
Despite the turnovers, the team still managed to hold onto their lead for the majority of the game, with their biggest lead being 48 points in the second half.
With their blowout win against McMurry University, UTSA’s preseason schedule is officially over. The Roadrunners will now look to start the season against Western Illinois.
“I’m super excited to play with my teammates; I can’t wait to get that first real game under our belt,” Holliman said about the upcoming game.
UTSA will play Western Illinois in their first official game of the season at 7 p.m. Monday in the Convocation Center.
