Defensive miscues held UTSA back in its 82-77 loss 82-77 to The University of Tulsa on Tuesday Jan. 4 in the Convocation Center.
Senior guard Primo Spears scored a career best 40-points in the home loss. His showing tied former UTSA forward Frank Hampton for the ninth highest scoring performance in program history. Though a historical feat for both Spears and the university, it was not enough to secure the win, as the Roadrunners were unable to stop the Golden Hurricanes’ efficient second-half performance.
“Our second-half defense obviously,” coach Austin Claunch said on why his team lost the game. “We weren’t quite able to get that big stop.”
Despite leading by 16 points in the second period, UTSA (6-8, 0-2 AAC) found itself in a dogfight with less than two minutes left in regulation. Tied at 72 apiece with a little over a minute left, the team struggled mightily to halt Tulsa’s offensive attack. Allowing the Golden Hurricanes (7-9, 1-2 AAC) to shoot 66% from the field and beyond the arc, the ‘Runners seemed to unravel defensively in the waning minutes of the game.
A quick inbound layup allowed Tulsa to take a two point lead with 45 seconds left. Marching back down the court was Spears, who quickly got to the rim and finished an and-1 layup, putting the Roadrunners back up by one with 30 seconds remaining. The lead was short lived, as yet another Tulsa three silenced the home crowd.
Tasked once again with scoring for UTSA, Spears was given the ball for the go-ahead tie with 17 seconds left, but missed the shot on an airball mid-range attempt.
“I wanted to get to the mid-range. I thought it was there for me,” Spears said.
With no choice but to foul, UTSA sent Tulsa to the free throw line, where the team sunk all of their game-ending free throws.
Though the team found themselves down only three with seven seconds left, UTSA failed to gain a last-second shot attempt, as Spears turned the ball over crossing half court. The Roadrunners finished the second half allowing 53 points while only putting up 39.
After a slow start, the Roadrunners went on a 12-0 scoring run midway through the first half, building a comfortable 10-point lead. UTSA held that lead for the remainder of the period. Relying heavily on their defense, the ‘Runners held the Golden Hurricanes to just 27% shooting while forcing seven turnovers. Leading the way offensively in the first half was senior forward Jonnivius Smith, who led all Roadrunners with 10 points and seven rebounds. His contributions, along with other ‘Runners’, helped put UTSA over Tulsa 38-29 in the opening period.
