After a shaky start, UTSA romps past Our Lady of the Lake, 99-64

UTSA beat Our Lady of the Lake 99-64 on Saturday at the UTSA Convocation Center. Keaton Wallace led UTSA with 30 points. - photo by Joe Alexander

Playing with a head cold, Keaton Wallace scored a team-high 30 points Saturday against Our Lady of the Lake . – photo by Joe Alexander

Shrugging off a slow start, the UTSA Roadrunners roared to their highest point total of the season in a 99-64 victory Saturday afternoon over the NAIA Our Lady of the Lake Saints.

Keaton Wallace, battling a cold and a sore throat, nearly didn’t play but emerged as the focal point in the UTSA attack with 30 points.

Jhivvan Jackson, the leading scorer in NCAA Division I, added 20 as the Roadrunners improved to 6-2 in their last eight games leading into conference play.

After the first 10 minutes, the game tilted into UTSA’s favor, with the home team building a 52-43 lead at half.

The visiting Saints, under pressure from bigger and more physical athletes, never came within single digits after intermission.

UTSA outscored OLLU 47-21 after intermission.

OLLU was limited to 29 percent shooting for the game, including 18.4 percent in the second half, in front of an announced 1,087 at the Convocation Center.

Records

UTSA 6-7
Our Lady of the Lake 4-10

Coming up

UTSA opens Conference USA competition on Thursday at Florida Atlantic University, followed by a Saturday game at Florida International.

Starting the second season

Roadrunners coach Steve Henson wasn’t thrilled with the slow start and sporadic execution on offense against an out-manned opponent in OLLU.

But he said he feels good about the team leading into the road trip to Florida.

Steve Henson. UTSA beat Our Lady of the Lake 99-64 on Saturday at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Steve Henson states his case with a referee Saturday during a lopsided victory over Our Lady of the Lake University. – photo by Joe Alexander

In the team’s last game before Christmas, it played well in routing Illinois State, 89-70.

“The more I watched (on film), our defense in that game was really, really good,” Henson said. “So, I feel good about it. The rebounding continues to improve. You see the progress on film.

“We’re contesting shots (with) legitimate hands in the face. We’re right up on guys. That’s been a noticeable improvement.”

First half summary

Trailing for most of the first half, the Roadrunners woke up in time to outscore the Saints by nine at intermission.

Henson called time out 90 seconds into the game to emphasize the need to guard against the three-point shot.

OLLU kept firing away, anyway.

Jared Embry nailed a three-pointer, one of seven for the visitors before intermission, boosting the Saints into a 17-12 advantage with 15:35 remaining.

But the Roadrunners responded by outscoring the San Antonio-based Saints 40-26 the rest of the way, with Wallace (16 first-half points) and Jackson (13) taking the lead.

Wallace, who was sleeping in the training room during a morning shoot-around, hit 6 of 10 from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point territory.

He nailed a three from the top of the arc at the halftime buzzer.

For the game, the junior from Dallas finished 11 of 16 from the field, hitting a variety of drives and mid-range floaters. He also nailed and 5 of 9 from three.

On playing with a cold, Wallace said, “I feel like when I’m on the court, I just stop thinking about it. It’s just a different type of mindset, I guess.”

By the numbers

UTSA started the season 0-5, with all of the losses coming away from home. Within its recent 6-2 streak, the Roadrunners have been 5-1 at home. Three of those victories (against Wiley, UT Permian Basin and OLLU) have come against sub-NCAA Division I programs. They are 0-2 against D-I power conference opponents (Oklahoma and Oregon State) and 0-1 against Utah State, ranked 15th in the nation at the time.

New player in town

Well-traveled forward Eric Parrish has joined the UTSA basketball program and was on the bench for the OLLU game.

UTSA announced Parrish’s signing on Dec. 10. He is a 6-foot-6 wing who was rated as the No. 4 junior college player in the nation last season.

UTSA men's basketball player Eric Parrish. - photo by Joe Alexander

Newcomer Eric Parrish, one of the top junior college players in the nation last season, was on the bench with the Roadrunners Saturday. – photo by Joe Alexander

It’s possible Parrish could play for the Roadrunners this season, but Henson said it won’t be right away.

“He’s got two things going,” Henson said. “He’s not eligible right now, and he’s got an injury. About a week ago, about the same day he got admitted to school, he was training and he broke his finger.”

Initially, coaches thought the injury might require a long-term recovery. Henson said that after review, Parrish is “several days away from practicing.”

It’s uncertain when the NCAA will rule on the eligibility appeal. But the coach said it won’t be by Thursday’s conference opener.

Parrish began his collegiate career at Akron in 2017-18, where he averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds. He started 21 of Akron’s 32 games as a freshman.

Following the season at Akron, Parrish transferred to Bossier Parish Community College (La.) for 2018-19, and he responded by averaging 18.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.0 blocks.

Parrish joined the program at Nevada last summer. But Nevada announced in late October that he had left school. He didn’t play for the Wolf Pack, according to a report at nevadasportsnet.com.

UTSA vs. Our Lady of the Lake photo gallery

UTSA beat Our Lady of the Lake 99-64 on Saturday at the UTSA Convocation Center. Knox Hellums had 11 points for the Roadrunners. - photo by Joe Alexander

Knox Hellums had 11 points for the Roadrunners.

UTSA beat Our Lady of the Lake 99-64 on Saturday at the UTSA Convocation Center.

Jackson scores a season-high 41 as UTSA rolls past Illinois State

Jhivvan Jackson. UTSA beat Illinois State 89-70 on Saturday at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson scored 25 of his season-high 41 points in the first half. With the performance, he boosted his NCAA leading average to 26.8 per game. – photo by Joe Alexander

Clearly loving the moment, UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson delivered almost as many post-game hugs to the fans as he did jaw-dropping offensive moves Saturday afternoon.

The impromptu show of affection from both player and fans broke out shortly after Jackson dropped a season-high 41 points on the Illinois State Redbirds in an 89-70 victory for the Roadrunners.

On a historic note, it was the seventh-most points in a game by a UTSA player in program history.

“We all excited to get this dub before we head out to the Christmas break,” Jackson said. “I think our defense was the main key, cause we been emphasizing that for so long, these past two weeks. We just came in to practices, and that’s all we worked on.

“We came out in the first half, played defense. I got a little hot. But, other than that, it was all because of our stops.”

Averaging 25.5 points coming into the game, Jackson nearly matched it in the first half with one of the best sequences of his career.

Jackson, the NCAA’s scoring leader, exploded for 25 before intermission.

At one point, he hit six shots in a row, including one from the middle of the court about 30 feet from the hoop.

In response, two fans seated near the end line on one side of the floor jumped up and screamed.

One of them stomped her feet and pumped two clenched fists.

“Honestly I try to take most of the shots that I practice,” said Jackson, who finished with five threes. “I think I got a couple of good looks in the first half. They went in. Coach started running a couple of plays for me. My teammates found me and they just trusted me to make shots.”

Jackson’s finished five points shy of his career high of 46 from last season at Western Kentucky. Roderic Hall holds the school record of 52 in a game played at home against Maine in December 1997.

For the game, the 6-foot junior from Puerto Rico hit 12 of 25 from the field, 5 of 11 from three and 11 of 11 from the free-throw line.

Afterward, a reporter asked UTSA coach Steve Henson if the Roadrunners just get out of the way when Jackson gets as hot as he did against the Redbirds.

“Yea, kinda,” Henson said. “We did. You know, he’s always had the ability, and a lot of his big games are just the result of him making special plays.

“(At) Texas State he had 20 in the first half, and that wasn’t because of the plays we were calling, necessarily, although I think we’re using him a little better than we ever have at any point in his career. Getting him moving into space better.

“But, yeah, he was just hot, doing special things out there.”

Records

UTSA 5-7
Illinois State 5-7

Announced attendance

853

Stepping up on defense

The Roadrunners entered play on Saturday with questions mounting on how they can possibly contend for a Conference USA championship with a defense that has a tendency to get burned.

For the season, the Roadrunners were giving up 46.4 percent shooting from the field, which ranked 317th out of 350 teams in the nation.

On Wednesday night in Houston, they yielded 55.8 percent and 59.1 percent in the second half in an 88-78 loss to Oregon State.

In a turnaround of sorts, UTSA held Illinois State to 33 percent in the first 17 minutes of the game, and 40.3 percent for the game.

Getting a boost from Byron

The Roadrunners also came into the Illinois State game working on boosting the play of senior forward Byron Frohnen.

Frohnen responded with his season-high of 10 points on 5 of 9 shooting. He also contributed six rebounds and two assists.

Viewing the big picture

With the victory, UTSA showed that it can play well against mid-major competition and that it might even be capable of postseason success if it can continue to improve defensively.

At the very least, they played well enough to dream. Henson said it’s important that the Roadrunners are healthy, generally.

“Our confidence is pretty high,” he said. “The record’s not what we would have wanted it to be. It’s not the kind of start that we wanted. But, again, we want to use this game as a spring-board … to continue to make progress defensively.

“I think we’re in a position — because of our chemistry, because of our mindset right now, and just being healthy — that we can still do something special.”

By the numbers

Illinois State — The Redbirds of the Missouri Valley Conference fell to 0-3 on the road and to 2-3 in December. Forward Keith Fisher III led the Redbirds with 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting. Zach Copeland scored 16 and Antonio Reeves came off the bench for 12.

UTSA — Keaton Wallace had an off night with 1 of 7 shooting, but Henson shrugged it off as “one of those nights.” Wallace, UTSA’s second-leading scorer, had only five points but he also contributed six rebounds, two assists and a block.

UTSA’s top scoring games

1, 52 by Roderic Hall vs. Maine (12/6/97); 2, 51 by Derrick Gervin vs. Baylor (1/2/85); 3, 46 by Jhivvan Jackson at Western Kentucky (1/31/19); 4, 45 by Keaton Wallace at Marshall (2/2/19), T5, 42 by Frank Hampton vs. Hardin-Simmons (1/17/87); T5, 42 by Derrick Gervin vs. West Texas A&M (1/27/84); 7, 41 by Jhivvan Jackson vs. Illinois State (12/20/19).

Coming up

Winners of four of their last five and five out of seven games, the Roadrunners take a break for Christmas and then return to play at home on Dec. 28 against the San Antonio-based Our Lady of the Lake University Saints, an NAIA program.

The Roadrunners open the C-USA portion of the schedule with a trip to Florida, including games on Jan. 2 at Florida Atlantic and Jan. 4 at Florida International.

UTSA vs. Illinois State photo gallery

Jhivvan Jackson. UTSA beat Illinois State 89-70 on Saturday at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Jhivvan Jackson made five 3-pointers and scored 41 points as UTSA beat Illinois State.

UTSA beat Illinois State 89-70 on Saturday at the UTSA Convocation Center.

A boy, his dad and a dream: Hellums reveled in driveway hoops

Knox Hellums. UTSA beat UT-Permian Basin 98-55 on Sunday at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA junior Knox Hellums has emerged as one of the team’s most efficient shooters of late, hitting 56.5 percent from the field in his last six games. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Not long after UTSA guard Knox Hellums started dribbling around in the driveway of his Houston-area home as a pre-elementary school basketball project, he started to swish jumpers.

“I started playing when I was, like, four years old,” the Roadrunners’ sharp-shooting, red-shirt junior said Friday afternoon.  “My dad put a hoop up in the driveway. I started shooting out there.  My dad ultimately taught me how to shoot.

“Around sixth grade, I kind of fixed my form. I’ve had the same form since sixth grade. I just kind of started in close, and then worked my way out.  Once I got bigger and stronger, I was just extending my range with the same form since then.”

After a slow start to his first season with the Roadrunners, Hellums has emerged as one of the team’s most efficient three-point threats.

In his first five games, he shot 23.8 percent from the field. In his last six, the former prep standout at Tomball Concordia Lutheran, a transfer from Pepperdine, has cranked it up to 56.5 percent, including 62.5 percent from long distance.

As Illinois State comes in for a 3 p.m. Saturday game at the Convocation Center, Hellums likely is a topic of discussion among Redbirds’ coaches, having hit at least one three-pointer in his last four games, including 4 for 4 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and 3 for 6 against UT Permian Basin.

In that stretch, he’s averaging 7.8 points, becoming one of the team’s most valuable assets as opponents attempt to defend an offense that also features the explosive duo of Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace.

UTSA coach Steve Henson said he knew Hellums would come around after some anxious moments in the first few games of the year.

“With Knox, it took a little bit for him to settle in, to do what we knew he could do,” Henson said. “We believed all along that he would step up and be a good three-point shooter for us. He’s proven that he could do it in another mid-major league.”

At Pepperdine, Hellums played 58 games combined in two seasons, averaging 4.5 points each year. He sat out last season under transfer rules.

“Just a matter of him settling in, getting comfortable with us,” Henson said. “Our struggles with the team probably affected him. And vice versa. You get him to make shots, it takes pressure off the other guys, and certainly the other way around.”

Records

UTSA 4-7
Illinois State 5-6

The matchup

Illinois State, based in Normal, Ill., is looking for its first win away from home. The Redbirds are 0-3 on neutral courts and 0-2 in road games. The Redbirds are defense-oriented, holding opponents to 69 ppg. They’ve struggled offensively averaging 68.5 points. In their last outing, they defeated Illinois-Chicago 67-66 Wednesday night by scoring the last 11 points of the game. Zach Copeland hit the game-winning three-pointer with 8.6 seconds left.

UTSA is 4-2 in its last six games but is coming off a disappointing loss to Oregon State. The Roadrunners made 15 three-point shots and still got beat, 88-78, Wednesday afternoon in Houston at the Toyota Center. The Beavers shot an opponent season-high 55.8 percent from the field, including 59.1 percent in the second half. Jhivvan Jackson leads the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game and also averages 5.6 rebounds. Keaton Wallace is averaging 16.1 points.

Notable

UTSA has two games left before its opening game in Conference USA. After today, the Roadrunners get a break for the holiday and then host Our Lady of the Lake on Dec. 28. UTSA starts C-USA play with a road trip to Florida, including games at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 2 and Florida International on Jan. 4.

Quotable

“We cannot continue to have the type of defensive numbers that we have right now and do anything special in conference play. Our guys recognize that. We have to improve. We have to get better. And our guys embrace it. Some things we can control. Some things we can’t. We’re going to have some lineups where we’re not the quickest. Not the most athletic. But, we can guard better.” — Henson, discussing his team’s struggles on defense.

Oregon State toughens up down the stretch, thwarts UTSA, 88-78

For every punch they took, the Oregon State Beavers countered with more sock than UTSA could handle, rumbling past the Roadrunners 88-78 in a non-conference NCAA basketball game at Houston.

In a contest played at the Toyota Center, UTSA fell behind by 16 twice early in the second half, only to rise up and pull within six twice down the stretch.

A couple of free throws by NCAA scoring leader Jhivvan Jackson pulled the Roadrunners to within 68-62 with 6:45 remaining.

Undaunted, Oregon State made a few plays, hit some free throws and didn’t allow the opposition to get any closer, leaving the Roadrunners shaking their heads at what they need to do to beat a power conference program.

UTSA was in position to win, and couldn’t finish off the rally.

“That’s the thing that’s a little disappointing,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said later. “You make 15 threes in the game, you (think) you’d have a chance to win …

“I’m proud of our guys for hanging in there and fighting back and making a game of it.  We just dug a big hole (for ourselves) in both halves.”

The Roadrunners did some good things, hitting a season-high 15 threes, scoring 44 points in the second half and out-rebounding the Beavers 37-35.

But they allowed the Beavers to shoot 55.8 percent from the field and fell to 0-22 in games against power conference foes since 2009.

The streak includes 21 straight losses against teams from the football/basketball oriented power five of the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12, plus one loss to a Big East foe.

UTSA hasn’t defeated a team from the power elite since November of 2009 when it knocked off Iowa of the Big Ten, 62-50, in Iowa City.

The Roadrunners are 0-9 against power programs in a little more than three seasons under Steve Henson.

Records

Oregon State 9-1

UTSA 4-7

By the numbers

UTSA — Jhivvan Jackson led all scorers with 28 points, including 20 in the second half.  He hit 7 of 8 from the field after intermission.  Keaton Wallace scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half.  The Roadrunners nailed 15 of 33 from three.  In a positive sign, they’ve hit 29 from long distance in their last two games.

Oregon State — Seven-foot center Kylor Kelley had 23 points, six rebounds and three blocks.  Ethan Thompson had 23 points, four assists and two steals.  Beavers scoring leader Tres Tinkle, the preseason Pac-12 Player of the Year, was in foul trouble and was held to 11 points.

Notable

Oregon State seemed to live at the free-throw line, hitting 25 of 39 to UTSA’s  9 of 16. Three UTSA big men, including Adrian Rodriguez, Jacob Germany and Atem Bior, all fouled out.

UTSA and Oregon State met in the first game of a tripleheader at the Toyota Center, the home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets.  It was part of Battleground 2K19, featuring Baylor, South Florida, Utah State and UT Martin.

Coming up

UTSA returns home to face Illinois State on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center. The game will tip off at 3 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UTSA hopes to re-write history against Oregon State

Keaton Wallace. UTSA beat UT-Permian Basin 98-55 on Sunday at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Keaton Wallace is averaging 22 points on 57.5 percent shooting in his last three games. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Ten years and one month have passed since the UTSA Roadrunners last won a men’s basketball game against a team from one of the NCAA’s power conferences.

It was Nov. 15, 2009 when the Roadrunners downed the Iowa Hawkeyes, 62-50, in a season opener at Iowa City.

Since then, UTSA has lost 20 straight against teams from the traditional football/basketball powers — namely, the Southeastern Conference, the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12 and the Pac-12.

Counting those five conferences, plus the basketball-dominant Big East, the streak is 21 games.

The Roadrunners will try to break those streaks this afternoon in Houston at the Toyota Center against the Pac-12’s Oregon State Beavers.

“That would be big time to beat a team like Oregon State,” UTSA guard Keaton Wallace said. “They’re a good team. I don’t think we’re going to go in and change anything or go in timid.

“We’re going to still play Roadrunner basketball.  We’re going to be confident going into the game, and, you know, we’re going to play hard.”

Led by forward Tres Tinkle, the unranked Beavers (8-1) have won six straight games. The Roadrunners (4-6) are playing well, having won four of five since an 0-5 start.

Included in the losses, UTSA fell 85-67 in the season opener at Oklahoma, a power opponent from the Big 12.

UTSA fell to 0-5 on Nov. 18 when it lost by 32 on the road at No. 15 Utah State.

Since then, the Roadrunners changed up the backcourt, bringing in Erik Czumbel to start at the point.  They also changed some things on how to free shooters on the perimeter.

The result has been better play from Wallace and an offense that has scored 264 points over its last three games.

UTSA coach Steve Henson said high expectations were not met earlier in the season, but he added that players are getting more comfortable with the system.

“We’re a pretty talented group,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “We did not get off to the start we envisioned … We’re still not where we hope to be.  Lately, we’re playing a lot better.

“We’re starting to figure some things out.  Even though we have a fairly veteran group, we also have some key new players. I think we’re starting to figure out how to use those guys.  They’re getting more comfortable.

“The last two games, we’re playing with confidence. We’re playing better, shooting the ball better … Hopefully, we’re making some progress.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jhivvan Jackson takes over NCAA Division I scoring lead

Jhivvan Jackson. UTSA beat A&M-Corpus Christi 89-67 on Tuesday night at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Jhivvan Jackson hits a floater in the lane against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson has taken over the national lead in scoring, according to NCAA Division I basketball statistics released Monday afternoon.

Jackson, a 6-foot junior, moved up from third to first on the national charts after scoring 28 points Sunday at the Convocation Center in a 98-55 victory over UT Permian Basin.

A tight race for the NCAA scoring lead has developed early in the season, with Jackson (25.2 points per game) leading Marquette’s Markus Howard (25.1) and Northeastern’s Jordan Roland (25.0).

UTSA coach Steve Henson on Wednesday, Oct. 30. 2019 at the UTSA Convocation Center. The Roadrunners beat Texas A&M International 89-60 in an exhibition game. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Steve Henson. – photo by Joe Alexander

Jackson has surged lately, averaging 26.8 points during a streak of four wins in five games by the Roadrunners.

Armed with a dynamic array of skills, the native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, does a little bit of everything with the ball, shooting the 3-pointer, pulling up for medium-range floaters and driving to the basket with either hand.

Jackson averaged 18.4 points as a freshman two years ago. Last season, he led Conference USA in scoring at 22.9. This year, he’s scored 30 or more four times, including 33 on Dec. 7 at Texas State.

Moreover, the former standout at Euless Trinity High School is rebounding at a higher level, averaging 5.7 per game.

UTSA coach Steve Henson said after the UTPB game that Jackson’s improved work habits are starting to pay off.

“He’s obviously such an elite, talented scorer,” Henson said. “He was a guy, by the time he got here, he could go get 30 when the lights came on.

“But his habits are getting better. He’s becoming a better practice player. He’s starting to help his teammates more, which is absolutely huge.

“(We) called a play for him today, and he said, ‘Let’s run it for Knox (Hellums).’ Those are good signs for us.”

Basically, Jackson is maturing into a leader.

“He’s such a quick guy, he can chase down long rebounds,” Henson said. “He’s had a few big rebound games for us this year.”

In the past two seasons, Jackson and junior Keaton Wallace have emerged to lead a basketball renaissance at UTSA, pacing the team to a combined 37 victories.

With the two high-scoring guards returning, the Roadrunners were a trendy pick in the preseason to contend for a Conference USA title.

But after a 32-point loss at Utah State dropped the Roadrunners to 0-5, Jackson did some soul searching.

He told The JB Replay upon returning home from Utah that the Roadrunners would get better with an increased focus on defensive effort.

“It’s what we’re really emphasizing, just, getting a lot of stops,” Jackson said. “We have a chance to be a really good defensive team. But you know, we got to do it for 40 minutes. Not just in stretches. That’s the one thing we’ve been working on, is, getting stops.

“We know the offense is going to come. We’re not worried about offense. You know, anybody on our team can score. Once we get our defense together, really locking down people, we’re going to be good.”

Coming up

UTSA (4-6) vs. Oregon State (8-1), Wednesday, 4:30 p.m., at the Toyota Center in Houston.

After a slow start, UTSA lights up UT Permian Basin, 98-55

Aside

UTSA guard Keaton Wallace played in Sunday's game with a mask after being hit in the face earlier in the week. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Keaton Wallace played in Sunday’s game with a mask after being hit in the face in practice on Saturday. – photo by Joe Alexander

On a sleepy Sunday afternoon at UTSA, junior guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace put on another show for the home fans, just as they’ve done for the past two-plus seasons.

This time, the show came with a few twists.

Jackson, a diminutive 6-foot guard, turned into something of a rebounding machine with a career-high 14. Wallace emerged as a masked marauder of sorts.

He wore a plastic mask as protection after taking a shot to the nose in practice on Saturday.

Not to worry.

Wallace broke out of a 3-point shooting slump with a season high five long balls.

As a result, the Roadrunners extended their winning streak to three games with an easy 98-55 victory over NCAA Division II UT Permian Basin.

Records

UTSA 4-6
UT Permian Basin 10-3

Setting the scene

Early in the day, the energy in the Convocation Center was minimal, with an announced crowd of 708 in the building.

On top of that, both teams seemed not completely prepared for a 3 p.m. tip off.

The Falcons, who came in riding a 10-game winning streak, missed their first seven shots. Fortunately for the visitors, the Roadrunners missed their first six.

Heating up

Stepping up the intensity, the Roadrunners called on freshman Jacob Germany to spark the team midway through the first half.

Germany had two points, a rebound and three blocked shots in a five-minute sequence.

In the meantime, Wallace and Jackson started to roll.

Wallace hit four 3-pointers before halftime for 15 of his 18 points. Jackson scored 13 in the first half, en route to a monster show of 28 points and 14 rebounds.

On the horizon

UTSA will play in Houston on Wednesday against the Oregon State Beavers. The game is set for 4:30 p.m. at the Toyota Center, home of the NBA Houston Rockets. The team returns to the Convocation Center on Saturday to meet Illinois State.

Notable

UT Permian Basin was playing its second game in two days. The Falcons won at home against Cameron in Odessa on Saturday afternoon, and then made the trek to San Antonio for the non-conference road game.

UTSA took full advantage of the situation, cranking up its offense for season highs in points in a game and in a half (58, in the second half).

The Roadrunners also knocked down a season-high 14 three-pointers, including a 3-for-3 effort from sophomore guard Adokiye Iyaye, who scored a personal season high of 11 points.

As a team, the Roadrunners nailed 14 of 29 from beyond the 3-point line to continue a three-game hot streak.

In victories over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas State and UTPB, they have made 31 of 67 from distance (46.2 percent).

By comparison, the Roadrunners connected on only 27.7 percent from long range (41 of 148) during a season-opening, five-game losing streak.

Quotable

UTSA coach Steve Henson, on Wallace’s performance in the mask:

“Didn’t seem to bother him too much. He made three or four threes in the first half. Told him we may just turn him into Rip Hamilton and let him wear it for awhile.”

(Hamilton, who wore a protective mask during much of his 14-year NBA career, was regarded as one of the game’s deadliest long-range shooters. He made 530 three-pointers in 921 NBA games. He retired after the 2012-13 season.)

Henson, on the team winning four of five games after opening the season with five losses:

“We’re not trying to get too carried away. Our opponents early on were really, really good. Our next two opponents are really, really good. We’re just trying to make progress. We had some surprises early. Things were not as easy as we thought they might be.

“Had some struggles in some areas. Just trying to address those. Trying to find something to help establish an identity. To give us a chance to be a really good team. I think we made some progress this week. But it’s still a work in progress.”

UTSA vs. UT-Permian Basin photo gallery

Jhivvan Jackson had 28 points and 14 rebounds as UTSA beat UT-Permian Basin 98-55 on Sunday at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Jhivvan Jackson had 28 points and 14 rebounds as UTSA beat UT-Permian Basin on Sunday

UTSA beat UT-Permian Basin 98-55 on Sunday at the UTSA Convocation Center.