UTSA men’s basketball defeated Temple University 88-79 on Saturday at the Convocation Center.
After jumping out to a large first-period lead, the Roadrunners (9-10, 3-4 AAC) relied on a balanced offensive attack to keep the visiting Owls (12-8, 4-3 AAC) at bay. The ‘Runners had five players score at least 10 points and the disparity in percentage from beyond the arc propelled UTSA to victory; Temple shot 27.8% from three compared to the Roadrunners’ 56%. Coming off consecutive losses to conference opponents North Texas and UAB, the Roadrunners got back to playing complimentary basketball.
“This is a huge win,” coach Austin Claunch said. “We shared the ball. We had five guys in double figures. Just a gritty, tough win.”
After six minutes of play, UTSA led by 16 points. Spearheaded by senior guard Raekwon Horton, the Roadrunner offense was clicking, with four different players finding the basket in the scoring barrage. Horton scored 15 of his 20 total points in the first half, connecting from both inside the paint and from deep.
The Owls, however, refused to lie down and accept defeat, adjusting on the fly and trimming their deficit to just eight as both teams headed into the locker rooms. Despite having more turnovers than UTSA in the first half, Temple capitalized off their opportunities at a higher rate. The Owls scored nine points off turnovers compared to the ‘Runners who only managed five and successfully outscored UTSA 26-18 in the waning minutes of the period.
“Give them credit. They made some adjustments and that’s what great basketball is all about,” Claunch said.
Temple carried its momentum into the second half, dropping their deficit down to just one point with a little over five minutes to play in the game. The Owls tied the game 74-74 with 3:55 left in the game after the Roadrunners sent Owls’ forward Steve Settle to the charity stripe.
UTSA closed out the match with senior guard Primo Spears and sophomore guard Marcus Millender combining for 12 points in the final three minutes of the game, six of which came off of steals.
“That was our best defensive effort in a while,” Claunch said.
Spears and Horton led the team in scoring with 20 points a piece. Senior forward Jonnivius Smith controlled the glass, finishing with 10 rebounds which would’ve led on either side of the court. UTSA earned 16 assists as a team in the win and now finds itself ninth in conference standings.
The Roadrunners will head east to face the Florida Atlantic University Owls at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
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