Medor’s late surge fuels win
By the time he got to the interview room, UTSA coach Steve Henson was soaking wet.
He needed a towel. “We threw a little water around after the game. The guys were pretty excited,” Henson said after his team’s 61-56 victory over rival Texas State on Thursday at the Convocation Center. “I walked out, and they put a little music on and started dancing.”
The Roadrunners (3-1) deserved to celebrate this one. They overcame a rash of turnovers that led to some nervous moments down the stretch to post their best win of the young season.
Junior college transfer Japhet Medor scored nine of UTSA’S final 10 points after Texas State (2-2) had taken a one-point lead with 3:48 to play.
Medor finished with a team-high 16 points as the Roadrunners won the first meeting between the two teams since 2019.
UTSA now has won four of five and leads the series 37-25 overall.
“He really stepped up,” Henson said of Medor. “He was able to get to the rim. But we expect that from him. We put a lot on his shoulders.”
Medor scored 15 of his points after halftime as Texas State became more aggressive and extended its defense. That opened up lanes for Medor and others to drive.
Backcourt mate John Buggs III tallied 13 points to go with eight rebounds, while 6-foot-11 center Jacob Germany tallied 12 points and freshman DJ Richards added nine off the bench.
“Guys hit some big shots that opened things up for me,” Medor said. “They extended their defense, which left open gaps for me. And I had Jacob Germany to clean up my misses.”
After posting a 10-22 record a year ago that included a 3-15 mark in Conference USA, the Roadrunners are eager to show improvement this season.
The early returns are positive. The Bobcats earned a No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt Conference tournament the past two seasons and were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt in a preseason coaches poll.
“We have a great deal of respect for their program,” Henson said. “We watched a lot of film on them to get ready for this game. They’re good.”
After watching the film, Henson decided to employ a variety of zone defenses in an effort to slow down Texas State’s leading scorer, 5-9 guard Mason Harrell.
Harrell shared gamehigh scoring honors (20) with teammate Tyrel Morgan, but no other Bobcat reached double figures.
“I felt like a coward playing that much zone,” Henson said. “We wanted
to keep Harrell in front of us. He still had a great night. Overall, I thought our defensive effort was terrific.”
UTSA held Texas State to 34 percent shooting and 26 percent from 3.
The Roadrunners shot 43 percent on the night and hit 8 of 21 3-pointers. UTSA committed 19 turnovers, a concern for Henson, but won thanks to the scoring of Medor and rebounding of Aleu Aleu down the stretch.
UTSA’S largest lead was seven points. Texas State led by as many as four.
“Turnovers continue to be a concern for us,” Henson said. “If we’re going to take the next step, we have to be a team that doesn’t turn the ball over.”
UTSA led most of the first half, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the game’s opening minutes. The Roadrunners led 31-27 at the break on the strength of 10 points each from Germany and Buggs.
UTSA shot 46 percent from the floor and 40 percent on 3s over the first 20 minutes. The Roadrunners’ length seemed to bother Texas State, limiting the Bobcats to 33 percent shooting in the first half.
A 9-2 edge in offensive rebounds kept the Bobcats within reach. Morgan led Texas State with 13 first-half points, while Harrell had 10.