Squandering a 13-point lead in the second half, UTSA fell to Temple 84-82 Sunday in the Convocation Center. Despite a career night from guard PJ Carter, the Roadrunner’s senior night was crushed by Temple guard Hysier Miller, who hit a buzzer-beating fadeaway to snap UTSA’s three-game winning streak.
“We didn’t finish the game well, didn’t execute down the stretch,” head coach Steve Henson said bluntly. “It was obviously pretty disappointing.”
Despite leading by 13 points midway through the second half, the ‘Runners found themselves tied at 79 with two minutes left in regulation. Giving up a quick catch and shooting three to Temple forward Sam Hoffman, the Owls took their first second-half lead over the Roadrunners with 1:30 left. Storming back down the court was Carter, who rose up to hit a tough transition 3-pointer to tie the game back up at 82.
Snagging a quick rebound after a Temple miss, the Roadrunners struggled to get any sort of offense running in their final possession. With the shot clock winding down, UTSA guard Christian Tucker was forced to launch a 3 from the wing but missed on the go-ahead attempt.
“We were looking for the slip for Tucker, we just couldn’t get any attack,” Henson said. “It ended up just being a pretty stagnant possession with a bad final shot.”
With 20 seconds left, Miller held the ball for the entirety of the final possession. Driving on center Trey Edmonds, the Owl guard hit a turnaround fadeaway to defeat the Roadrunners on a buzzer-beating basket. Snapping the Roadrunners’ three-game winning streak, Temple defeated UTSA 84-82.
Throughout the game, Carter carried the majority of the scoring load for UTSA, posting a new career-high 27 points on 70% shooting. Leading the ‘Runners’ offensive attack, the guard went six of seven from three, including big time pull-up shots late in the game.
“I feel like my teammates got me involved today,” Carter said. “Them and my coaches always make it easy for me to score.”
Adding to the scoring surge was senior center Carlton Linguard Jr. Continuing to hit tough shots in the second half, Linguard Jr.’s 15 points helped keep the ‘Runners afloat amidst their late offensive struggles. Despite the loss, Linguard Jr. remained confident in the team’s intangibles.
“Personally, I still feel like we have momentum,” Linguard Jr. said. “We’re still going to make an impact in the [conference] tournament.”
Losing their last regular season game, the Roadrunners will face Rice in the American Athletic Conference tournament at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Dickies Arena in Ft. Worth.
