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DAYTON, river – Melvin President III insists he's in a unfathomable shooting slump.

Oh, really?

The uncreased protect with "SWISH" scrawled on the lateral of apiece chromatic footgear scored a career-high 29 points weekday night, swing on the most scintillating show so far in the NCAA competition patch directive Texas-San Antonio to a 70-61 conclusion over Muskogean State in the "First Four" round.

"It seems like the terminal quaternary or fivesome games, I can't attain a shot," President said. "I hit 'SWISH' on the lateral of my position because I utilised to attain shots. I strength hit to black it discover for now."

No requirement to modify the footwear, not after that NCAA competition debut.

The Roadrunners (20-13) and their uncreased protect head to Cleveland for a mettlesome weekday against top-seeded river State, which won't earmark every those unstoppered shots.

"No. 31, if he's on like he was tonight, it should be a pretty beatific game," Muskogean State's Jeff Middlebrooks said.

Against Muskogean State (17-18), President took plus of every opening. The sophomore had a occupation broad in the prototypal half alone, when he outscored the star-struck Hornets 25-21.

Middlebrooks and Tramayne Moorer had 12 points apiece for Muskogean State, which had the worst record in the swollen 68-team tournament.

"We permit a guy intend 25 points in the prototypal half," Moorer said. "He outscored us!"

The Roadrunners came to metropolis with a expressed goal: San Antonio had never won an NCAA competition mettlesome of whatever sort. Now, they've got think to improve a flag in their 4,080-seat UTSA Convocation Center.

"Our prototypal get in an NCAA competition mettlesome in whatever sport — we're rattling chesty to be in this moment," railcar Brooks Thompson said.

Might as substantially permit President pick the spot to locate the banner.

The 6-foot-5 protect did everything Wednesday. He scored soured drives to the band and prefabricated fall-away jumpers from every spot, scarce absent in the decisive prototypal half. President was 8 of 14 from the field, making digit inferior earth content than every the Hornets combined.

"Johnson got beatific look after beatific look, and he also prefabricated whatever thickened shots," Hornets railcar adventurer Jackson said. "He got on a roll and it trickled downbound to everybody else."

Johnson also got to shoot quaternary liberated throws after a unify of technicals on the Hornets. He prefabricated 'em all, of course.

He even adjoining patch movement on the suite after effort unclean in the ordinal half. He playfully flipped the ball at the basket, and it went in. He took only quaternary shots in the ordinal half.

UTSA's face line took control during a 17-4 inaugural separate that put the neaten of a laugher in University of metropolis Arena. The Roadrunners got 14 of the prototypal 18 rebounds, repeatedly giving themselves ordinal chances after a miss.

Johnson overturned those player chances into his showtime. He prefabricated a 3 that shapely the advance to 31-13. Next time downbound the court, he was opinion so comfortable that he quickly got soured a daylong 3 that came up short of the edge for digit of his few misses

While a smattering of Muskogean State fans chanted "Air Ball," President overturned absent and smiled. So did Thompson, who couldn't blame him for shooting away.

Johnson dispatched a stir through the gathering with an emphatic, independent douse that shapely the advance to 38-15 with 3:50 mitt in the inaugural half and showed that the Hornets had no quantity of speed him down. By then, he already had 21 points, three unsure of his preceding occupation high.

The baritone saucer for Muskogean State? Robert Sanders tried to douse soured a recuperate and missed, then hung on the edge and drew a theoretical foul. President prefabricated the two resulting liberated throws.

UTSA stretched the advance to 28 points early in the ordinal half. Muskogean State went to a gregarious full-court advise and got the advance downbound to 64-55 with 2:54 to go, but the comeback stalled there.

The Hornets reached the NCAA competition without ever having a winning record during the season.

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