Bring out the brooms. It was a much needed win for the UTSA Roadrunners (7-8, 3-5), beating the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7-8, 3-5) and sweeping the season series 2-0. The final score from the Convocation Center was 78-72 in favor of the home Roadrunners.
When it’s your day, it’s your day, and today belonged to Jhivvan Jackson. Building upon last night’s 25-point game that was largely made from the free throw line, Jackson was hot from a few feet further back. The senior sharpshooter connected on 60% from three-point range on 6-10 shooting, while making 8-18 overall from the floor and a pair of free throws for a total of 24 points to lead all scorers. Jackson also had one of the highlights of the afternoon, hitting a three-point shot before the half with1.1 seconds left on the clock to give the Roadrunners a 42-36 point lead at the intermission.
FINAL presented by @kfc | Jhivvan led four in double figures as UTSA swept Southern Miss in a pair at The Convo. NEXT: UTSA hosts UTEP on Thursday at 6 pm on ESPN+. #BirdsUp🤙 | #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/SMqgKZYv7N
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) January 23, 2021
As good as Jhivvan was, it was definitely a team effort to get the win. Jacob Germany picked up 13 points and eight rebounds as well as a pair of blocks as he provided a lot of size and energy to the game. Freshman guard Jordan Ivy-Curry had a big day with 14 points on 3-5 shooting from deep, as well as a HUGE 5-6 contribution from the free throw line. With UTSA nursing a four-point lead at 74-70 and only 16 seconds left in the game, Ivy-Curry hit both of his attempts from the stripe to keep the Golden Eagles at bay.
Southern Miss kept it close for most of the game, with UTSA’s largest lead only reaching 15 points, and the Golden Eagles climbed back a number of times. LaDavius Draine led USM with 19 points, hitting 5-10 from three-point range, including the shot that closed the score to the aforementioned 74-70. Draine played all but four minutes of the game, only outdone by his teammate Tyler Stevenson who played all 40 minutes in this one. Stevenson had the game’s only double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Oh my, Ced. #BirdsUp 🤙 | #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/YBcHepJgXa
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) January 23, 2021
The major differences in the game between Southern Miss and UTSA were the three-point shooting and the turnovers. The Golden Eagles turned the ball over 14 times, seven in each half, and shot 37.5% from three on 6-16 shooting. That compares to the Roadrunners who had just eight turnovers all game and hit seven more attempts from deep, connecting on 13-34. UTSA also edged out Southern Miss 39-38 on the glass.
The victory for UTSA evens them up with Southern Miss in the Conference USA standings at 3-5, and could be key as the Roadrunners aim to position themselves for a spot in the conference tournament when all is said and done. UTSA is now ahead of Southern Miss in the standings head-to-head, and would have the last spot in the tournament over the Golden Eagles if the season were to end today.
UTSA looks to keep it rolling next week as they have a home-and-home series with UTEP. Playing later on Saturday, UTEP is 3-4 in Conference USA heading into their game against FIU. A loss by the Miners would put them in a tie with the Roadrunners, placing more importance on next week’s series. UTSA hosts the first game on Thursday at 6:00pm CST, and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
