Despite career night for Jackson, Tulsa survives

Jhivvan Jackson did all he could for UT-San Antonio, but it just wasn't enough.

Junior Etou scored 20 points, Sterling Taplin added 18 and Tulsa held on for a 100-96 victory at Reynolds Center.

Jackson, a freshman guard, scored a career-high 29 points, part of a 57-point night for the UTSA bench. The visitors got to within 93-88 on a 3-pointer from another freshman guard, Keaton Wallace, with 46 seconds left. Tulsa hit 11-of-14 free throws over the final two minutes to seal the win.

Both teams shot the ball well in the opening half. UTSA made 47%  of its field goal attempts and knocked down seven three-pointers, while Tulsa hit half of its field goals attempts (21-of-42) and three-point tries (7-of-14) and led 53-45 at the break.

Tulsa led by as much as 13 points in the second half, the last instance coming at the 3:57 mark on an Etou free throw.

Jackson, a Trinity High School (Euless, Texas) graduate, is averaging 18.4 points through his first five collegiate games.

Elsewhere in the American Athletic Conference...

No. 8 Wichita State 112, Savannah State 66

Samajae-Haynes Jones poured in 31 points off the bench to lead six in double figures as the Shockers rolled.

Haynes-Jones, a first-year transfer from Hutchinson Community College (Hutchinson, Kansas), went 11-of-17 from the field and added five assists. Darral Willis, also a reserve, added 14 points, while Rashard Kelly and Austin Reaves scored 12 each.

Savannah State came into the night last of the 351 Division 1 teams in scoring defense and the numbers didn't improve on Tuesday. Wichita had 25 assists on 41 field goals and shot 54% from the field. The Shockers out-rebounded their over-matched visitors from south Georgia 67-31.

Savannah State, which got a career-high-tying 18 points from Alante Fenner, knocked down 13 3-pointers, but on 55 attempts.

SMU 95, UT Rio Grande Valley 64

The Mustangs had no trouble winning their 27th consecutive game at Moody Coliseum.

Shake Milton scored 22 points and Jarrey Foster added 19 for SMU, which hasn't dropped a game at home since an 82-77 loss to Tulsa in February, 2016.

Milton assisted on a 3-pointer by Ethan Chargois with about 6 1/2 minutes to play in the opening half that put the Mustangs up 35-14. The lead wouldn't fall below 20 points the rest of the night.

Jimmy Whitt added 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting (part of a 55% day from the field for SMU), and Chargois scored 15.