SAN ANTONIO — Late-game defensive miscues stalled UTSA men’s basketball in its 60-52 loss to Florida Atlantic University on Wednesday at the Convocation Center.
A 21-point performance from sophomore guard Baboucarr Njie was nullified by an inability to create consistent stops on the defensive end down the stretch. Trailing by six points with four minutes left in the second half, UTSA (5-21, 1-13 AC) failed to limit the Owls’(15-12, 7-7 AC) offensive output. A 6-0 Florida Atlantic scoring run effectively ended the game in the last minutes, as UTSA never brought the game within striking distance. Njie desperately tried to will his team to victory, scoring 11 points in the second period. His efforts, while heroic, proved futile in the game’s conclusion. Though their defensive performance as a whole was respectable, the Roadrunners’ inability to produce stops in the later minutes held them back from earning their second conference win of the season.
“They’re a hard team to play catch-up with,” coach Austin Claunch said. “You can’t really speed them up. I thought we did the best we could down the stretch.”
The ‘Runners were only outscored 9-7 in the last four minutes. The team looked poised on the offensive end, but a brief empty possession led to an Owl 6-0 scoring run late. The run put UTSA in a hole it failed to climb out of. Florida Atlantic’s backcourt duo of guards Josiah Parker and Kanaan Carlyle held the ‘Runners in check down the stretch, scoring nine combined points in the process. The duo kept UTSA at bay, negating any points the Roadrunners worked for. The Convocation Center grew eager with each UTSA bucket, yet a brief blunder severely handicapped the team.
“I thought we got up good shots late,” Njie said. “The shots I made, and just the all-around offense, I think we got a lot of good looks. Like coach said, that 6-0 run really hurt us.”
Njie was the only Roadrunner to break double-digits in the contest. The next highest scorer was senior guard Jamir Simpson, who put up nine points on 18 shot attempts. UTSA nearly beat out Florida in every statistical category, including rebounds 47-43 and bench points 29-2.
The game’s opening half was a defensive slugfest. Both teams shot 30% from the field and struggled to consistently score. The ‘Runners came out with a strong defensive intensity, limiting the Owls’ offensive output and creating five turnovers in the period. On the boards, UTSA outrebounded its opponent 27-23. Njie led the team with 10 points, attacking the rim and getting teammates open. Putting together a small scoring run near the end of the half, UTSA headed into the break leading 28-26.
UTSA will take on the University of Tulsa next at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Reynolds Center.
