UTSA men’s basketball played its first official game of the regular season, defeating Western Illinois 78-68 in overtime last Monday night Nov. 6, in the Convocation Center.
“It felt good, we went through adversity and I’m just glad we got the win,” center Carlton Linguard Jr. said.
The Roadrunners struggled to shoot the ball in the first half, shooting 23.7% from the floor and 18.8% from three. The team put up 28 points in the first period, including an alley-oop dunk from center Linguard Jr. By using an initial dribble hand-off action to set up a drive-and-kick scenario, several players were able to contribute points in the first-half effort despite shooting struggles.
“It’s really important. Our offense doesn’t work if everybody is just standing around,” Christian Tucker said.
Amidst the team’s first-half struggles, head coach Steve Henson received a technical foul, which he claimed did not help the team’s effort.
“I was trying to defend our players, it didn’t help, coaches have to be poised,” Henson said.
Going into the second half, the Roadrunners scored five quick points to take an early 33-28 lead in the game. Despite their scoring runs, Western Illinois managed to stay in the ball game with quick dunks and layups off of screen and roll sets.
The Leathernecks also began to flash their press defense at the Roadrunners, running a zone press as opposed to a full-court trap. Though applying full-court pressure, UTSA only committed one turnover.
The game remained a close-up until the final seconds of the overtime period. While the Leathernecks attempted to stay in the game through interior scoring, the Roadrunners held onto their lead for 36 minutes of the contest.
Although the team managed to lead 65-62 with six seconds left in the game, guard James Dent Jr. of Western Illinois hit a three to send the contest into overtime.
UTSA was able to take a quick overtime lead with center Trey Edmonds scoring five consecutive points, including a powerful and-one layup. The team built on their lead, outscoring the Leathernecks 13-3 in overtime.
Despite leaving the game with leg cramps, Tucker still managed to add four points to the extended period effort. With Tucker hitting a floater to end the game, the Roadrunners defeated the Leathernecks 78-68 in the first game of the season.
With their victory over Western Illinois, Henson reached his 100th career win.
“I’m glad it happened tonight and not later, when you see that number, you immediately start reflecting on the players,” Henson said.
The Roadrunners will play the Minnesota Gophers at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Williams Arena.
