An overall poor performance caused UTSA to suffer a disappointing 94-74 defeat against Florida Atlantic University Wednesday at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
Despite a 21-point performance from graduate guard Damari Monsanto, UTSA once again showed its inability to pull out a win on the road.
The game unraveled quickly for UTSA (10-11, 4-5) early in the second-half. Florida Atlantic (11-10, 4-4) guard Kyky Tandy hit three 3-pointers in just a one minute stretch, the Roadrunners were faced with a 20-point deficit at the 15-minute mark. The deficit continued to grow as the team allowed 14 threes, including eight from Tandy forcing UTSA to play at the fast pace of the Owls; the team struggled to string together consistent stretches of play.
Shooting 38% from the floor and allowing five Owls to reach double-digits, the team had no answers for the offensive and defensive pressure of Florida Atlantic. The ‘Runners as a whole performed poorly in the conference matchup, committing eight turnovers and scoring only seven bench points in the outing.
Though Monsanto, senior guard Primo Spears and sophomore guard Marcus Millender each contributed heavily to the scoring output, UTSA’s numerous turnovers and defensive blunders once again held the team back from stealing a victory.
The ‘Runners struggled early in the game’s opening period, allowing 47 points and committing eight turnovers. Starting out the game in a 2-3 zone defense, UTSA was quickly forced to switch to a man-to-man defense due to the elite rebounding ability of the Owls. Allowing nine second-chance points and giving up 15 offensive rebounds, the team failed to register a lead at any point in the first-half. Quickly thrown into a double-digit deficit thanks to an 8-0 Owl run, UTSA was forced to abandon their usual pace and play catch-up for the entire game.
“The first half was unacceptable,” said head coach Austin Claunch. “We have to get some stops.”
Only four ‘Runners scored in the opening period, including a 12-point first-half performance from Monsanto, his best of the season. Knocking down four of his five three-point attempts, Monsanto was the only player to break the 10-point mark for UTSA in the period.
The Roadrunners will take on the University of North Texas at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.
