UTSA Roadrunners (6-9, 2-2)
vs.
Northwestern State Lady Demons (12-4, 5-0)
Saturday, Jan. 24 • 2 p.m. • Convocation Center
RADIO/TV
Saturday's game can be heard live on www.goUTSA.com) beginning at 2 p.m. Assistant Sports Information Director Erin Molina will handle the call.
UTSA TODAY
UTSA enters this afternoon’s game with an overall record of 6-9. The Roadrunners are even in Southland play at 2-2 and are looking for their first SLC home win. The ’Runners are 2-2 in day games and 3-3 in home games this season.
THE SERIES
UTSA and Northwestern Sate meet for the 25th time with the series dating back to the 1991-92 season. The Lady Demons hold the all-time edge by the count of 19-5.UTSA did come up with a series sweep in 2003 defeating NSU 69-60 in Natchitoches and 68-54 in San Antonio. Prior to the Roadrunners’ pair of wins last season, the Lady Demons had won the previous nine meetings.
SCOUTING THE LADY DEMONS
Northwestern State point guard La ’Terrica Dobin dished out 19 assists – one short of the school record -scored 11 points and picked up eight steals as the Lady Demons defeated Sam Houston State,81-61 to land atop the Southland Conference standings. NSU, now 12-4 overall and 5-0 in league play, got high scoring performances from Diamond Cosby and Chassidy Jones, each with 21 points. Amanda Bennett added 18 as the Lady Demons handed Sam Houston State (3-12, 3-1) their first conference loss.
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 56-45 at UTSA (.554) and 163-89 (.647) 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
1/21 - Roadrunners drop 44-43 heartbreaker to Texas State
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Despite double-figure performances from UTSA seniors Nikki Hendrix (17)and Dewella Holliday (13), Texas State was able to one-up the Roadrunners on a last-second shot by junior Tori Talbert for a 44-43 win Wednesday night in Southland Conference play at the Convocation Center.
Talbert, the returning SLC player of the year, finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Bobcats for her fifth double-double of the season. It was an offensive struggle for both teams in the first half with UTSA shooting a dismal 21.9 percent (7-32)and TXST 29.2% from the field.
A 6-0 run, led by Hendrix and Holliday, which gave the Roadrunners their first lead at 12-9 with 7:08 left in the first the 'Runners only bright spot. The Bobcats' Alesie Johnson answered with four of her 11 total points as Texas State took a 16-15 advantage into the locker room.
The Bobcats capitalized on the Roadrunners' scoring struggles to start the second half, building a six-point lead, 30-24, at the 10:40 mark. Hendrix and Holliday came alive with defensive help from junior Kim Reed, sparking an 8-0 run to give the Roadrunners their first and largest lead of the second half, 39-36, with 3:21 to play.
Texas State then came back with an Ally Kelly 3-pointer to tie it, followed by a layup from Reed to take the lead back, 41-39, for UTSA. The Bobcats knocked down three of their next four free throws for a 42-41 lead with only 32 seconds remaining.
It was then UTSA senior Tijwana Collins who converted on a driving layup with 20 second left on the clock to give the 'Runners a 43-42 edge. Following a Bobcat time out, Talbert's turnaround jumper with time winding down gave TXST the lead, 44-43 for good.
BLOCK PARTY
Through 15 games this season, sophomore center/forward Katie Sandefur has
already matched her blocks total (12) from a year ago. The Oklahoma native
averages just under one block per contest. Kim Duncan (1983-85) is the all-time and single-season blocks leader at UTSA with 57 and 93 blocks, respectively.
BIRDS BATTLING FOR BOARDS
UTSA has only managed to out-rebound its opponents three times this season. Only two of the ’Runners’ six victories have come when they held the rebounding advantage. The Roadrunners have been outrebounded by total count of 570 to 498.
EVERYDAY IS A HOLLIDAY
UTSA’s second leading scorer senior Dewella Holliday (14.6 ppg) has scored in double-figures in 12 of the Roadrunners 15 games played this season.
Fellow senior Nikki Hendrix is on the same track with nine double-digit performances in 10 games since returning to the Roadrunner lineup in December.
CLIMBING THE SCORING/REBOUNDING LADDERS
Hendrix is currently 10th all-time on UTSA’s scoring list with 878 points. Averaging 357 points per season, the Oklahoma native is on pace to reach 1000+ points by the end of her career. Hendrix has 337 career rebounds, making her 15th all-time at UTSA. She is second on the team this season averaging 6.3 per game.
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 16.4 points per game to lead the ’Runners,while Holliday is second with 14.6.
GOT THE MOJO RISIEN
Freshman J.J. Risien (Dripping Springs, Texas) leads all UTSA newcomers averaging 4.1 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 dished out 46 assists on the season to lead the team with 3.1 per game. She had the second-most assists on the team last year with 57.
SOUTHLAND HONORS FOR HOLLIDAY
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.
THE QUEST FOR FOUR
This season the Roadrunners are in search of their fourth consecutive winning campaign. With a record of 18-11, the 2002-03 season marked 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.
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.
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.
INJURY REPORT
UTSA: Nicole Dunson is out for the season with a torn anterior crucial ligament.
NEXT UP
The Roadrunners travel to Lamar on Thursday, Jan. 29. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at the Montagne Center.