UTSA came up short in its first showcase in the Austin Claunch era, suffering a 84-63 loss to the University of Southern California on Tuesday night at the Galen Center.
With a starting five consisting of all transfers, the Roadrunners kept pace with the Trojans throughout the first half. As the game went on, the Trojans’ shots began to fall and UTSA’s inexperience widened the gap between the two teams.
“I thought, obviously, in the first twenty minutes we really battled,” Claunch said. “They made better second half adjustments, clearly.”
The first points of the season for the ‘Runners came from sophomore guard Marcus Millender, pulling up from the free throw line and connecting for two points. After Trojans’ forward Saint Thomas scored his fifth point in the first two minutes of the game, UTSA senior center Mo Njie tied the game with a 3-pointer from the top of the arch. This would be the closest the ‘Runners got to taking the lead.
Though it was a tight first half, Southern California led by as much as seven points with a little over two minutes remaining. UTSA cut into that lead when Wake Forest University transfer guard Damari Monsanto drilled back-to-back threes, making the score 33-32 in favor of the Trojans with 48 seconds left in the half. Southern California added two points off of free throws in the final seconds, but it was the Roadrunners who took momentum into the intermission.
It didn’t take long for Southern California to start pulling away in the second half, quickly jumping back out to an eight-point lead. UTSA senior guard Primo Spears did his best to keep the ‘Runners in contention, scoring nine points in the ensuing four minutes and bringing the Trojans’ lead back down to four points. Though a valiant effort, Southern California’s offense refused to let up, with its defense following suit, embarking on an 11-0 run that spanned across three minutes.
With the Trojans shooting 63% from the field and 44.4% from three in the second half, the Roadrunners were unable to match. UTSA was also out-performed on the glass, with Southern California picking 18 rebounds to the ‘Runners’ 11.
Transferring in from Florida State University, Spears led UTSA in points with 14. Njie led in rebounds with six and Millender led in assists with four, a strong performance from Claunch’s squad that the rookie head coach will look to build off of as the season progresses.
“This is going to be a process. We’ve got to continue to learn how to win,” Claunch said.
UTSA will next face Trinity University Monday, Nov. 4 at the Convocation Center.
