By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
The UTSA Roadrunners lost a basketball game but likely gained a significant amount of confidence on Tuesday night in Moraga, Calif.
Down by 23 points in the first half against one of the best teams on the West Coast, the Roadrunners rallied to tie it at the end of regulation, only to see guard Augustas Marciulionis and the Saint Mary’s Gaels pull away in the extra period for an 82-74 victory.
Marciulionis, who led the Gaels had 23 points and eight assists, scored the first basket of overtime and then knocked down two free throws with eight seconds remaining to clinch the victory for the heavily-favored home team.
Primo Spears led the Roadrunners with 24 points, including 19 after intermission. The fifth-leading scorer in NCAA Division I scored eight points in the last five and a half minutes of regulation and five in overtime. Guard Marcus Millender added 21.
UTSA coach Austin Claunch, whose decision to switch from man-to-man to zone defense likely turned the game around, agreed that the Roadrunners could build on the performance against a team that is expected to play in the NCAA tournament.
“That’s why I’m on their butt about a lot of little things, the things we can get better at, because we showed tonight (that we can compete) and now it’s undeniable to them,” Claunch told Andy Everett on the team’s radio broadcast.
“You know,” the coach added, “I think they really turned a corner together (tonight). I thought our staff did a great job, staying poised and making the right adjustments, and I thought our guys just kept getting on to the next play. (Just) really, really proud.”
Who could question that? While UTSA is a program coming off three straight 20-plus loss seasons, Saint Mary’s has strung together 26-plus victories in each of those three years, with NCAA tournament appearances in each of them.
Moreover, the NCAA released its official NET rankings for the first time this week, and on Tuesday morning, Saint Mary’s was 24th among 364 Division I teams, while UTSA was 295th. After the final horn, however, the two teams looked pretty even.
“This is one we can watch and say, ‘We got something here, it’s coming,’ ” said the 35-year-old Claunch, who is working in his first season with the Roadrunners. “You know, whether it’s next game or down the line or three months, UTSA is coming.”
If his players need motivation leading into a road game set for Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Claunch could show some film of his team’s effort in the second half against Saint Mary’s.
In outscoring the defending West Coast Conference champions 42-28 over a 20-minute period, the Roadrunners forced 10 turnovers and won the rebounding battle, 27-16. On the offensive glass, UTSA held a surprising 13-8 edge.
If the Roadrunners could have cut down on their eight second-half turnovers by just one or two, they might have won the game in regulation. It was a pretty entertaining finish, regardless. Saint Mary’s led by 19 with 11 minutes remaining and by 10 with 8:54 left.
In the final 11 minutes, Millender scored 11 points, while Spears chipped in late with eight. The 6-foot-3 guard from Hartford, Conn., tied the game with six seconds left when he created space on the dribble and hit a pull-up jumper. Saint Mary’s guard Jordan Ross misfired from three at the buzzer to send it to overtime.
In the extra period, the Gaels attacked the Roadrunners’ zone and scored buckets on their first two possessions, one on a right-side drive by Marciulionis and another on a slashing move by Ross. Mitchell Saxen made it a 6-0 run when he hit a couple of free throws, pushing the home team in front, 73-67.
UTSA never got closer than three the rest of the way.
Records
UTSA 3-4
Saint Mary’s 8-1
Coming up
UTSA at Arkansas, Saturday, 1 p.m.
First half
At one point midway through the first half, the Roadrunners seemingly were on the verge of getting blown out. The Gaels executed defensively to perfection in the first 12 minutes and built a 30-7 lead. In response, the Roadrunners kept playing and climbed back into contention.
At the end of the half, they misfired on two opportunities to cut the lead to 10, and the Gaels capitalized, getting a dunk from Mitchell Saxen for a 39-25 edge going into intermission.
Marciulionis led the Gaels in the half with 11 points and three assists. The Gaels hurt the Roadrunners in the paint with Saxen producing eight points and six boards. Also, Luke Barrett had six points and eight boards.
For UTSA, Spears was quiet on the offensive end. He hit only two of nine shots and scored five. Millender led the Roadrunners with 10 points on four of seven shooting. Millender connected on two of two from 3-point territory.
In a horrendous start, UTSA hit only three of its first 19 from the field. But, by intermission, the Roadrunners started to find the range, finishing nine of 30.
Notable
Freshman Boogie Fland produced 18 points and six rebounds Tuesday night as the Arkansas Razorbacks rallied to beat the Miami Hurricanes, 76-73, for their first road win of the season. The Razorbacks (6-2) will host UTSA Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark. John Calipari is coaching Arkansas this season after 15 seasons at Kentucky.