Spears-led UTSA claims ‘the first round’ against North Dakota

Primo Spears. UTSA beat North Dakota 80-76 in non-conference men's basketball on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Connecticut native Primo Spears punctuated UTSA’s 80-76 victory over North Dakota Friday night by knocking down three straight field goals in the final two minutes. He scored a game-high 28 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Guard Primo Spears scored 10 of his 28 points in the final two minutes and 11 seconds as the UTSA Roadrunners held off the North Dakota Fighting Hawks 80-76 Friday night at the Convocation Center. The teams will play again on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Grand Forks, N.D.

“The first round is important,” Spears said of the two-game series. “Now we got to go up there and face a little adversity with the traveling and try to get us another one.”

Spears entered Friday’s contest as the nation’s fourth leading scorer, and with the game on the line, he showed how he has elevated himself into that position. The native of Hartford, Conn., made two acrobatic moves down the stretch and converted each into three-point plays.

Damari Monsanto. UTSA beat North Dakota 80-76 in non-conference men's basketball on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Damari Monsanto scored 12 points as he made four shots from 3-point distance. He also passed for four assists. – Photo by Joe Alexander

On one of them, he cut across the lane and laid out for a driving, right-handed scoop shot. After the foul, he got up off the floor and hit the free throw. On another, he split a pair of defenders for a layup, drew contact, and ended up at the line for another freebie.

Spears was hardly the only show in an entertaining basketball game.

Forward Dariyus Woodson led five North Dakota players in double figures with 21 points, including a 3-point shot that he banked in with 20 seconds left. His shot trimmed UTSA’s lead to four and gave North Dakota some hope for a miracle finish, but Spears knocked down two free throws with 16 seconds left to all but seal it.

“Wins are always good,” UTSA coach Austin Claunch said. “I think the most encouraging thing about this is, offensively, we score 80 and we left some meat on that bone. We missed some open threes, some shots we normally make.”

Dominating on the boards throughout, the Hawks had their moments in the game.

In the first half, they forged a 14-3 run to build a 31-23 lead with more than seven minutes left. In the second half, even when they fell behind by 13 with 10 minutes remaining, they responded with runs that pulled them to within five three times down the stretch.

Each time, the Roadrunners made enough plays to pull it out. Afterward, Claunch praised his players’ “collective fight” in winning their second straight at home and their third in their last five overall.

“This was encouraging, to get up by 13 with 10 minutes left against a quality team,” Claunch said. “Now we just got to continue to grow and learn how to finish, which is part of becoming a good program and a good team.”

Records

North Dakota 4-7
UTSA 4-5

Coming up

UTSA at North Dakota, Sunday, 2 p.m.

Individual leaders

North Dakota — Small forward Dariyus Woodson hit six of 14 from the field and five of 12 from three to score 21 points. Guard Treysen Eaglestaff scored 14, more than four below his team-leading average of 18.5, and Brian Mathews added 13. Forwards Deng Mayar and Amar Kuljuhovic each scored 10 and dominated the boards, with both pulling down 11 rebounds. The two combined for 13 offensive rebounds, with Kuljuhovic grabbing nine.

Marcus Millender. UTSA beat North Dakota 80-76 in non-conference men's basketball on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Marcus Millender produced 10 points, four rebounds and three steals .as UTSA won its second straight game at home. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA — Spears knocked down 11 of 17 shots from the field and was three for three in the last 2 minutes and 11 seconds. He scored 28 points, his seventh game with 20 or more this season. Damari Monsanto scored 12, including four 3-point baskets. Marcus Millender was good across the board. Millender had 10 points and four rebounds, and he also had four assists and three steals. Forward Jonnivius Smith contributed eight points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

Notable

The Roadrunners were scheduled to take a charter flight to Grand Forks, N.D., late Friday night, the team’s first charter flight of the season Over the years, UTSA men’s basketball traditionally has traveled on commercial airlines. But it is expected that UTSA will charter on a limited basis through this season. The team is expected to return home from North Dakota on a commercial flight.

UTSA forward Jaquan Scott, one of the Roadrunners’ best athletes, did not play and apparently wasn’t in the arena. Asked about Scott’s status on the team, Claunch said: “He’s not with us right now.” He described it as “a personal matter that we’re dealing with internally.” There is no timetable for Scott’s return, the coach said.

Spears is shooting the basketball better at UTSA than in any of his three previous stops in college basketball. As player at Duquesne, Georgetown and Florida State in the past three years, respectively, he never posted a field goal percentage better than 40.8 percent. He is shooting 45.2 percent at UTSA. On his three-pointers, he was never better than 30 percent at any of his previous stops. Spears is hitting 35.3 percent from three at UTSA.

Austin Claunch. UTSA beat North Dakota 80-76 in non-conference men's basketball on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Austin Claunch’s UTSA Roadrunners outscored the North Dakota Fighting Hawks 21-5 in fast break points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Quotable

Claunch said Spears “had a great week” of practice after the team returned home from Arkansas, where they lost by 15 last Saturday. “I thought he showed incredible leadership and spirit tonight,” the coach said. “You know, when you do that, good things tend to happen.” Claunch said he didn’t really notice that Spears scored 28. “I thought he was an incredible floor general, getting everybody involved,” the coach said. “He did what great players do at the end of the game. They make shots.”

First half

The UTSA Roadrunners scored 16 points off nine North Dakota turnovers, seizing a 43-38 lead at intermission. Primo Spears and Marcus Millender led the defensive effort with three steals apiece.

They also paced the offensive attack with Spears scoring 12 points and Millender 10. Combined, the two shot nine of 17 from the field between them. Forward Jonnivius Smith came off the bench to supply a spark, producing six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes.

Treysen Eaglestaff highlighted the first-half performance by the Fighting Hawks with nine points on three of five shooting, including two of four from three.

Jonnivius Smith. UTSA beat North Dakota 80-76 in non-conference men's basketball on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Jonnivius Smith rises for a one-handed dunk against North Dakota. Smith finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. – Photo by Joe Alexander

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