’Runners stormed in Norman
Speaking to the Roadrunners in the locker room after a lopsided loss Thursday, coach Steve Henson’s message was straightforward: “We have to be a lot better.”
Coming off a 17-point defeat to UTRGV on Saturday, Henson said he expected a bounce-back effort and a display of toughness on defense Thursday against Oklahoma.
Instead, OU jumped out early and was never threatened, trouncing UTSA 105-66 in Norman, Okla.
After opening the year with a comfortable 97-71 win over Division II opponent Ut-permian Basin, UTSA has dropped its first two matchups against Division I teams.
“We have to take a look inside and figure out howwe’re going to be a better team,” Henson said. “If these two games didn’t get our attention, then nothing will. Our guys better be ready to practice.”
The Roadrunners looked rattled on offense from the outset Thursday, turning the ball over on three of their first four possessions. The Sooners used a stretch of 19 unanswered points to go ahead 25-7.
Oklahoma extended the advantage to 23 by halftime, then went on a 12-0 run shortly after the break to build a 63-30 margin. UTSA never cut the deficit closer than 27 points the rest of
the way.
“We have a lot of work to do. We have to figure some things out,” Henson said. “My hope is that we continue to find a way to help our new players get more comfortable on the offensive end, get them more involved, become a better offensive team. But on the defensive end, we’ve had a pretty good emphasis on it, and I would’ve liked to see us respond a lot better.”
The Sooners connected on 17 of 34 3-point attempts (50 percent), led by 8-of-11 shooting beyond the arc from senior forward Brady Manek, who netted a game-high 29 points.
Oklahoma added 30 points in the paint and made 20 free throws, and Henson said fouling and ball-screen defense were issues for UTSA.
“We got lost and got broken down, and it seemed like every time there was a breakdown, they were finding (Manek) and others,” Henson said. “So many 3-pointers. We were broken
down, and they were shooting step-in, rhythm, wide-open 3pointers.”
Jhivvan Jackson led the Roadrunners with 28 points on10-of-21 shooting from the field, going 4 of 12 from beyond the arc. No other UTSA player scored in double figures.
The Roadrunners finished with 18 turnovers, including 13 in the first half, and shot 34.3 percent overall and 26.7 percent from 3-point range.
Henson said Oklahoma’s length stifled UTSA’S flow on offense.
“Just some weak plays, poor decisions,” Henson said. “A couple of our turnovers were just very casual. Just throwing it right to a defended player. So those were a little surprising. Those are things you might anticipate the first game of the year, with a freshman. These were veteran guys out there.”
While the matchup against UTRGV forced UTSA to prepare for an unorthodox, pressing style less than 24 hours after the season opener, Henson said the Sooners presented a typical manto-man look, and the Roadrun
ners simply “didn’t play well.”
UTSA will have little time to shore up the weak spots, flying
back from Oklahoma to face Division III team Sul Ross at 6 p.m. today in San Antonio.
After the game, an 11-day break for finals will give UTSA a chance to address Henson’s more pressing concerns in practice before returning to the court at Oregon State on Dec. 16.
Henson said he hopes to see the first signs of improvement tonight.
“Compete, fight, battle, rebound, play tough, play unselfish,” Henson said. "We don’t need a scouting report for that. We don’t need a shootaround for that. Our guys have to dig down and find a way to be a tougher team.”