SAN MARCOS, Texas – In the regular season home opener in Strahan Coliseum, the Texas State men's basketball team held a nine-point lead with 70 seconds left on the clock over I-35 rival UTSA. However, the Roadrunners came back to win 79-78 in front of 3,224 fans.
 
The loss drops the Bobcats to 0-2 on the year for the first time since head coach Danny Kaspar's first season in San Marcos. UTSA improves its record to 2-0.
 
Nedeljko Prijovic started a 10-0 run for TXST with 3:50 remaining in the game. The sophomore added three more points during the stretch with the last being a free throw at the 1:10 mark that put the Bobcats in front 74-64.
 
TXST had chances to seal the deal in the final minute but made just 5-of-10 free throw attempts. The Roadrunners were able to score 15 points during that time with the game sealing charity stripe shots coming from Jhivvan Jackson with 8.6 remaining in the game. Isaiah Gurley had a chance to win the game late but his three-pointer was off the mark.


 
UTSA jumped out to a 13-5 lead six minutes into the contest. Over the next five minutes, the Bobcats went on a 15-5 run that saw back-to-back three-pointers from Nijal Pearson and Gurley. Two free throws by Gurley with 8:56 left in the first half gave TXST its first lead of the game.
 
Prijovic converted two free throws at the 5:46 mark to make it 32-28 in favor of the Bobcats. Those would be the teams last points of the half as UTSA scored the final six. The last two came on a jumper from former TXST player Kendell Ramlal at the halftime buzzer.
 
Tyler Blount knocked down three treys in the first five minutes of the second half and accounted for 12 of the Bobcats first 14 points of the period. His last triple tied the game at 46-46.
 
UTSA was able to push its lead as high as four twice. The last time came after a jumper by Giovanni De Nicolao. Blount followed with his career-high fourth three-pointer of the game and Eric Terry knocked down 1-of-2 at the charity stripe to tie the game at 63.
 
Following a made free throw by the Roadrunners' Nick Allen, the Bobcats went on their scoring run.
 
Blount led all players with a career-high 22 points. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native made 7-of-12 shots and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, but struggled at the free throw line as he made 4-of-8 attempts. He also grabbed three rebounds in his 22 minutes on the court.
 
Pearson added 14 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Also reaching double-digits in points with a career-high 10 was Deris Duncan. The senior made all four of his shot attempts including two from long distance in only five minutes on the hardwood.
 
Grabbing a game-high and career best 14 rebounds was Prijovic. He added seven points on 2-of-4 shooting and a 3-for-4 performance at the charity stripe. The Serbian was second on the squad with three assists.
 
Marlin Davis handed out a game-high five assists to only one turnover. Also rejecting two shots was Terry while Alex Peacock finished with a game-high two steals.
 
The Bobcats cut down on their turnovers from the season opener at Air Force, going from 20 to nine tonight. TXST also outrebounded the Roadrunners 41-36 with a 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
 
Next up for the Bobcats is UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday. Tip is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. inside Strahan Coliseum.
 
For the latest on Texas State men's basketball, visit the official website of Texas State athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateMBB and like on Facebook at /TexasStateMensBasketball.