An uninspired second-half performance held UTSA men’s basketball back in its 88-64 loss against the University of Colorado Boulder on Saturday at the CU Event Center.
Despite trailing by only three points headed into the second period, UTSA (4-6) quickly unraveled, allowing an early 13-2 scoring run from the Buffaloes (9-1). Colorado capitalized on the ‘Runners’ lack of transition defense and continuously found itself at the basket with no opposition in sight. UTSA’s nonexistent defense in the period allowed its opponent to quickly turn the contest into a layup drill. At times, UTSA looked gassed as players struggled to match the Buffaloes’ speed. A three-point deficit turned into a 20-point deficit in a matter of 10 minutes. Turnovers demoralized UTSA as fewer and fewer players attempted to recover on defense after making a mistake; missed shots for UTSA easily turned into fast break dunks for the Buffaloes.
On the offensive side of the ball, the ‘Runners mightily struggled. UTSA managed to put up just nine points as opposed to Colorado’s 27 in a span of seven minutes. Players, such as junior guard Austin Nunez and senior guard Jamir Simpson, monopolized the ball — often draining the shot clock and forcing up a heavily contested miss. Simpson led the way for the team with 20 points, though it did little to affect the game’s outcome.
With five minutes left in regulation, the contest had already been decided. Colorado began to slowly empty its bench, and UTSA continued to struggle. After falling behind by double digits in the second-half, the ‘Runners never brought the game within 10 points.
The first half saw a back-and-forth battle between UTSA and Colorado. Simpson, who scored 12 points in the opening period, led the team’s offense. The guard consistently found the rim and commanded a majority of the defense’s attention. Simpson singlehandedly kept the team afloat throughout the first 20 minutes of regulation.
Defensively, the ‘Runners did their best against the Buffaloes in the first half. The team showed a soft 2-3 zone defense, yet consistently allowed their opponent to make shots from the outside. UTSA forced seven turnovers in the first half, notched three blocks and created three steals in the first 20 minutes. Midway through the contest, the ‘Runners forced Colorado to have more turnovers than made field goals. Despite their efforts, UTSA still found itself trailing 35-32 headed into the break.
UTSA will finish out its road trip against the University of Southern California at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Galen Center.
