UTSA Roadrunners (4-7, 0-0)
vs.
Texas-Arlington Lady Mavericks (6-7, 0-1)
Saturday, Jan. 10 • 1:30 p.m. • Texas Hall (4,200) • Arlington, Texas
.
RADIO/TV
Saturday's game can be heard live on the Roadrunner Radio Network
(KSJL Radio 92.5 FM/810 AM and through goUTSA.com) beginning with the women's pre- game show at 1 p.m. Assistant Sports Information Director Erin Molina will handle the play-by-play.
UTSA TODAY
UTSA begins defense of its 2002-03 Southland Conference title in its league opener against Texas-Arlington. The Roadrunners wrapped up the non-conference slate with a 59-47 win over Santa Clara and are now 4-7 on the year. The ’Runners are 6-7 all-time in conference openers and 2-1 under current head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair.
THE SERIES
Texas-Arlington leads the all-time series with UTSA by a count of 18-14. The Roadrunners are 10-7 against the Lady Mavs in San Antonio and 4-11 in Arlington. UTSA has won five of the last six meetings between the teams which includes a series split last season.
SERIES HISTORY
UTSA vs. Texas-Arlington
(UTA leads 18-14)
H:10-7, A:4-11, N:0-0
SCOUTING THE LADY MAVS
UTA opened SLC play at home on Wednesday with a 66-70 loss to Louisiana-Monroe. The Lady Mavs are 6-7 to this point with big wins over Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts and Hawaii. Preseason all-SLC first teamer junior Rola Ogunoye leads the Lady Mavs in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg). With five assists in the loss to ULM, junior guard Krystal Buchanan became UTA’s all-time leading playmaker with 337 assist.
AT THE HELM
UTSA head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair (Oklahoma State ‘85), in her fourth year with the Roadrunners, is a two-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year (2001, 2003). She is 54-43 at UTSA (.556) and 161-87 (.649) 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 tied for second on UTSA’s all-time wins list.
LAST TIME OUT -1/4/04 UTSA dominates Santa Clara, 59-47
SAN ANTONIO - Sparked by a 17-0 first-half run, UTSA (4-7) defeated Santa Clara 59-47 in non-conference women's basketball action Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners held the Broncos to 12-first-half points taking a 26-12 advantage into halftime. After trailing 9-12, UTSA's J.J. Risien closed the gap with a free throw, 10-12. It was then Lindsey Greer who nailed a 3-point basket that put the 'Runners ahead for good with 10:44 to go in the first.
UTSA held a double-digit lead for the entire second half on 40.0 percent (21-52) shooting as a team, while holding Santa Clara to a 35.2 (19-54) clip.
"It's good to get a win going into conference play," said head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair. "The girls need to know they can win. I think Santa Clara is a good team and we came out aggressive this afternoon to get the win."
UTSA seniors Nikki Hendrix (Ardmore, Okla.) and Dewella Holliday (Monroe City, Mo.) were the scoring tandem for the Roadrunners with 20 and 19 points, respectively. Hendrix posted her first double-double of the year with a career-high-tying 12 boards. Holliday chipped in five rebounds. Senior Tijwana Collins (Meridian, Miss.) contributed offensively with a career-high five assists for UTSA.
Jennie Rondel and Quinn Thomas led the Broncos with 15 and 12 points, respectively, while Tori Markey pulled down 10 rebounds.
NEXT UP
The Roadrunners will be on the road for two more league contests at Southeastern Louisiana on Jan.15 and at Nicholls State on Jan.17.
CLIMBING THE SCORING LADDER
Senior Nikki Hendrix is currently 12th all-time on UTSA’s scoring list with 819 points. She is 58 points away from breaking into the top 10. Averaging 357 points per season, the Oklahoma native is on pace to reach 1,000 points by the end of her career.
ROAD ’RUNNERS
For the second year in a row UTSA will start the conference season with three consecutive road games. The Roadrunners came home 1-2 a year ago before reeling off 13 wins in a row on their way to the SLC championship.
MAY WE HELP YOU?
UTSA picked up a season-high 20 assists in the win over Alcorn State on Dec. 30. Kim Reed (Dallas, Texas) led the way with six, while Katie Sandefur (Kingfisher, Okla.) and Dewella Holliday (Monroe City, Mo.) and each had five. Tijwana Collins (Meridian, Miss.) and Ana Oliveira (Eixo, Portugal) had two apiece.
SCORE MORE
UTSA has scored 70+ points on two occasions this season. The first, a 73-82 loss at Southern Utah and the second, a 74-50 win over Alcorn State. The 74 points is the most for Coach Blair’s team since her first year, 2000-01.
IN THEIR TWENTIES
Seniors Nikki Hendrix and Dewella Holliday have scored 20+ points three and two times, respectively. Hendrix is averaging 17.5 points per game to lead the ’Runners, while Holliday has 15.6.
GOT THE MOJO RISIEN
Freshman J.J. Risien (Dripping Springs, Texas) leads all UTSA newcomers averaging 4.5 points and 2.4 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 32 assists on the season to lead the team with 2.9 per game. She had the second-most assists on the team last year with 57.
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 10 of UTSA’s 11 games this season.
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 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.
INJURY REPORT
UTSA: Nicole Dunson is out for the season with a torn anterior crucial ligament. Lacy Mingee has been out the past two games and is not expected to play today due to an injury in her left foot.