UTSA Roadrunners (2-5)
at
UNLV Lady Rebels (5-2)
Friday, Dec. 19 • 9:30 p.m. Central • Cox Pavilion • Las Vegas, Nev.
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RADIO
The game will be broadcast live by the Roadrunner Radio Network on KSJL Radio FM 92.5 and AM 810 with the pre-game show beginning at 9 p.m. (Central). Assistant Sports Information Director Erin Molina will handle the play-by-play.
LIVE STATS
Gametracker (unlvrebels.ocsn.com)
UTSA TODAY
UTSA will play UNLV in the second game of the current two-game, six-day road swing. The Roadrunners are coming off an 82-73 loss in their first-ever meeting with Southern Utah University which took place Tuesday at The Centrum in Cedar City. Following tonight’s affair, the ‘Runners will return home to host the Wells Fargo/UTSA New Year’s Classic Dec. 30-31.
THE SERIES
Tonight’s game is the third meeting between the Roadrunners and Lady Rebels. UNLV has won each of the previous two contests, one in San Antonio and the other in Las Vegas.
SCOUTING THE LADY REBELS
UNLV returns home after splitting a two-game California road trip. The Lady Rebels defeated Cal State Fullerton 71-59 and dropped a 76-64 decision to Loyola Marymount on Tuesday. The junior duo of RanDee Henry and Sherry McCracklin have led the way for the Lady Rebels averaging 21.0 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, respectively. Sophomore guard Sheena Moore played her first game of the season against Loyala Marymount and came off the bench to contribute 17 points for UNLV.
THE COACHES
Rae Rippetoe-Blair (Oklahoma State ‘85), in her fourth year with UTSA, is a two-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year (2001, 2003). She is 52-41 at UTSA (.560) and 159-85 (.652) over a career that spans eight years. Her most recent coach of the year selection came in 2003 when she led the Roadrunners their first-ever SLC regular season championship. She is third on UTSA’s all-time wins list.
Regina Miller (Old Dominion ‘84) is in her sixth season at UNLV. Entering this year she is 93-53 (.637)with the Lady Rebels including two WNIT appearances and one NCAA Tournament showing.
LAST TIME OUT -12/16 Roadrunners fall to Southern Utah, 82-73
CEDAR CITY, Utah - Senior Nikki Hendrix scored 25 points and senior Dewella Holliday added 21, but it was not enough as the UTSA women's basketball team fell to Southern Utah, 82-73, on Tuesday night at The Centrum.
With the loss, the Roadrunners fall to 2-5 on the season, while the Thunderbirds improve to 6-2. Hendrix also grabbed seven rebounds in her second game back with UTSA this season, while Holliday chipped in six boards to lead the Roadrunners.
Trailing by eight at the half,42-34,UTSA fought back to take a 73-69 lead with 3:23 remaining. Southern Utah answered by scoring 13 unanswered points to end the game, winning by nine,82-73.
SERIES HISTORY
UTSA vs. UNLV
(UNLV leads 2-0)
H:0-1,A:0-1,N:0-0
11-18-98 ...hL....60-65
11-20-00 ...aL....41-57
NEXT UP
UTSA will take a brief Christmas vacation with 11 days off and will stay home for the holidays when they host the Wells Fargo/UTSA New Year’s Classic (Dec. 30-31). Participating teams include Southeast Missouri State, Kansas State and Alcorn State. The Roadrunners will face Alcorn State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec.30 and Kansas State at 4 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. It will be
UTSA’s first meeting with each of the teams. Other action will pit SE Missouri and K-State at 5 p.m. on Dec.30 and Alcorn State and SE Missouri at 2 p.m. on Dec.31.
HAPPY HOLLIDAYS
Senior Dewella Holliday (Monroe City, Mo.) was named the Southland Conference (SLC) Player of the Week it was announced Monday (Dec. 8) in a release by the league's office. The UTSA guard/forward earns her first-ever weekly honor after scoring her second double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the Roadrunners only game of the week at Alabama. She also tacked on two assists and one steal. The 2002-03 SLC Newcomer of the Year has scored in double figures in six of UTSA’s seven games this season.
MAY I HELP YOU?
Several UTSA players picked up multiple assists in Tuesday’s game to contribute to a season-high team total of 19 helpers. Katie Sandefur (Kingfisher, Okla.) led the way with five, while Tijwana Collins (Meridian, Miss.), Dewella Holliday (Monroe City, Mo.) and Kim Reed (Dallas, Texas) each had three and Nikki Hendrix (Ardmore, Okla.) and Lyndsey Greer (Columbus, Ohio) had two each.
SCORE MORE
Despite the 82-73 loss to Southern Utah, the Roadrunners’ 73 points is a season-high in 2003-04.UTSA scored 70+ points just one time last season (73, vs Nicholls State) and have accomplished the feat eight times now in Blair ’s three plus seasons. Entering Tuesday’s contest with the Thunderbirds, the ‘Runners were averaging 51.8 points per game this season.
TWENTY SOMETHING
Seniors Nikki Hendrix and Dewella Holliday led the UTSA offense with 25 and 21 points, respectively in Tuesday’s game. Hendrix picked up a season high with her point production, while Holliday scored 20+ points for the second time this season.
HENDRIX’S RETURN
Preseason first team forward Nikki Hendrix has picked up where she left off in 2002-03 by scoring 17 and 25 points in her first two games of the 2003-04 campaign. The senior led the ‘Runners a year ago with 13.9 points per game.
GOT THE MOJO RISIEN
Freshman J.J. Risien (Dripping Springs, Texas) leads all UTSA newcomers averaging 5.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per game off the bench. J.J.is the daughter of former Texas A&M football standout and 11-year Cleveland Brown veteran Cody Risien.
REED’S HELPING HAND
Junior guard Kim Reed (Dallas, Texas) has offered up 23 assists on the season to lead the team with 3.3 per game. She had the second-most assists on the team last year with 57.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
UTSA returns two all-conference selections from a year ago, with each of them landing a spot on the 2003-04 SLC preseason all-conference squad Senior forward Nikki Hendrix (Ardmore, Okla.) was named to the first-team squad. Senior forward Dewella Holliday (Monroe City, Mo.) tied for the last available spot on the second-team squad.
The duo joins the following Roadrunners on the all-conference teams: Angel Singleton, second team, 1997; Joyce Howard second team, 1998; Rosie Smith, second team, 1999; Keelah Wilson, second team, 2000; Renda Churman and Julie Rampley, second-team,2001; Nikki Hendrix, second-team, 2002.
’RUNNERS UP
After winning the regular season Southland Conference (SLC) championship in 2002-03, UTSA is picked second in both the coaches and sports information director’s SLC preseason polls for 2003-04.Texas State, who edged out the Roadrunners for the SLC tournament title last year was placed atop UTSA in the preseason voting.
LOCKING ‘EM IN THE BIRD CAGE
The Roadrunners were a perfect 10-0 at home last season in Southland Conference play. The UTSA Convocation Center, affectionately tabbed “The Bird Cage” by the Roadrunner faithful, provided the home court advantage as the team boasted a 17-4 overall home record.
THREE-PEAT
With a record of 18-11, the 2002-03 campaign marks the third straight season, all under Blair, that the Roadrunners have posted consecutive winning campaigns. The Roadrunners had not had three straight winning seasons since the 1984-87 campaigns under the late Bill MacLeay. It is the sixth time a Roadrunner team has had an 18-win season. The most wins in a season is 21 which came in 1983-84 under Ginny DeHaven.