It was just another chapter in the ongoing saga that is the I-35 shootout, and Texas State men's basketball would go on an impressive run only for the game to be decided just before the final buzzer, as UTSA won 88-84.
The Roadrunners started off on a 13-0 run, which kept the near 3,000 fans heavily involved. With their “BEAT TEXAS STATE” shirts on, I'm sure many of them knew that the Bobcats have been dominating the Roadrunners recently. Texas State had won four of the last five meetings between the teams, and UTSA was on a three game losing streak at home going into Friday night.
After Texas State finally settled down and stop jacking up three pointers, they got themselves back into the game before halftime. The first 20 minutes, however, was the Melvin Johnson show. Johnson, a sophomore guard and last year’s freshman standout, had his way with the ‘Cats, showing off his full arsenal of offensive skills. He had 16 points and seven rebounds at the half, and led his team to a 46-36 halftime lead. UTSA was up by as many as 17 points during the half.
As it were, the game is never over until that final buzzer, especially between these two future WAC opponents. That said, the ‘Cats battled back in the second half, thanks to forwards Cameron Johnson and Tony Bishop dominating the paint on the offense.
Texas State began combating UTSA’s 2-3 zone by going inside out. Bishop and Johnson on the inside, Travis Jones and Eddie Rios on the outside. The Bobcats also slowed down Melvin Johnson and senior point guard Devin Gibson in the final period.
As anticipated, the ‘Cats battled back and ended up tying the ball game and even taking a one point lead with under two minutes remaining in the contest. The lead would change again after a rare miss at the free throw line by Gibson, and Texas State took the ball on offense with a shade over 20 seconds left, down by two points. Head Coach Doug Davalos decided to forgo using his final timeout and instead let his team play out the possession on their own.
That plan fell through and Rios put up an ill-advised shot from five feet behind the three-point line with about 15 seconds left on the clock. Needless to say, that shot was well short of its mark, but luckily fell into the hands of Bobcat point guard Ryan White directly under the goal. Now it was more than likely the pressure and the fact that the game was in his hands, or maybe it was just that he was surprised that the play had developed the way it did, but whatever the reason, White short armed the layup attempt and missed. The ball was tapped around a bit and ended up with UTSA, and after a couple free throws and a missed three point shot at the buzzer, UTSA sealed the win.
A heartbreaking loss for Bobcat Nation, but Texas State will have a chance at redemption on Feb. 26 for part two of the I-35 shootout, with the next game being in San Marcos.
Rios led all Bobcat scorers with 20 points, and Bishop had 17 with six rebounds; Johnson scored 16 and Jones netted 15 on 5/6 shooting from deep. UTSA’s Melvin Johnson finished with 21 points and ten rebounds while Gibson ended his night with 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Texas State is 2-2 in Southland Conference play while UTSA is up to 3-2. The Bobcats will be back in action on Wednesday in San Marcos as they take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, with tip off set for 7:00 p.m. KTSW will have pregame coverage starting at 6:45 on 89.9 FM and ktsw.net.
Robert Fisher, KTSW Assistant Sports Director
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