Jan. 4, 2005
Contact: Matt Schabert (210) 458-4930
UTSA opens conference play at Louisiana-Monroe, Northwestern State
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SAN ANTONIO - Winners of five of their last six contests, the UTSA women's basketball team opens Southland Conference play on the road this week. The Roadrunners (6-5) play at Louisiana-Monroe (7-4) on Thursday, Jan. 6, at 5:30 p.m., and then face defending conference champion Northwestern State (5-6) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
UTSA Roadrunners (6-5)
at
Louisiana-Monroe Lady Indians (7-4)
Thursday, Jan. 6 • 5:30 p.m.
Fant-Ewing Coliseum • Monroe, La.
UTSA Roadrunners (6-5)
at
Northwestern State Lady Demons (5-6)*
Saturday, Jan. 8 • 2 p.m.
Prather Coliseum • Natchitoches, La.
* Northwestern State plays at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday
TIP-OFF
UTSA opens Southland Conference play this weekend at Louisiana-Monroe and Northwestern State ... The Roadrunners finished the month of December 5-1 and have won five of their last six games, including three in a row ... This is the first time since 1997-98 that the Roadrunners concluded the non-conference season above .500 ... Senior Holly Ziegler set a career high with 21 points off the bench in the 73-55 win over Quinnipiac ... Both games can be heard on 810 AM KSJL.
SERIES RECORD AGAINST THE OPPONENTS
UTSA trials 18-9 in the all-time series with Louisiana-Monroe. Last season, the Indians defeated the Roadrunners 69-62 at the Convocation Center. However, UTSA has won five of the last seven meetings. Northwestern State has won 12 of the last 14 meetings in the series and leads 22-5. Last year, UTSA dropped all three to the Lady Demons.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Louisiana-Monroe is 7-4 after a 56-41 win against NWSU Monday. Nina Randle leads the Lady Indians, averaging just more than 10 points per game. Mona Martin is in her 10th season as head coach. She sports a 127-135 record in Monroe. Northwestern State was 5-6 before a Thursday contest against SFA. Amanda Bennett leads the Lady Demons with 13.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg.
PARKS, DUNSON NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
Freshman Richelle Parks and senior Nicole Dunson earned all-tournament status during the UTSA New Year’s Classic. Dunson averaged 17.0 ppg and 3.5 apg, while Parks averaged 12.5 ppg during the two-game period. Dunson tied her career high with 18 points against Samford.
RECAPPING THE UTSA/WELLS FARGO NEW YEAR’S CLASSIC
Game 1 - UTSA 52, Samford 48 (Dec. 30, 2004)
Nicole Dunson tied her career high with 18 points and Richelle Parks contributed 13 points as the Roadrunners held off Samford 52-48 in the first round of the UTSA New Year’s Classic. With the score tied at 46 with 5:15 left in the game, neither team scored again until Lyndsey Greer’s layup with 42 seconds put UTSA up 48-46. With eight seconds left and UTSA up 50-48, Dunson connected on two key free throws to seal the Roadrunner victory. UTSA outrebounded Samford 35-28 and shot 36 percent for the game. It was the second consecutive victory over a Ohio Valley Conference opponent.
Game 2 - UTSA 73, Quinnipiac 55 (Dec. 31, 2004)
Senior Holly Ziegler came off the bench to record a career high 21 points to lift UTSA to a convincing 73-55 win against Quinnipiac in the final game of the UTSA New Year’s Classic. Ziegler was 7-of-9 from the floor and went 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Nicole Dunson nailed four treys and had 16 points and a career high six assists, while Richelle parks reached double figures for the seventh time this season with 12 points. UTSA built a 35-22 halftime lead and led by as many as 19 in the second half.
DECEMBER TO REMEMBER
After opening the year 1-4, UTSA went 5-1 in the month of December with the only loss coming on a neutral floor against SMU. During the month, the Roadrunners allowed opponents just 51.8 points per game and held three of six foes under 30 percent shooting from the floor.
A DAY IN THE PARK(S)
Freshman Richelle Parks is having one of the best debut seasons ever for the Roadrunners. She was recently named all-tournament at the UTSA New Year’s Classic by averaging 12.5 points in the Roadrunners’ two victories. Parks recorded her third double-double of the year against UT Martin on Dec. 19 with a freshman-record 26 points and a career high 17 rebounds, including going 10-of-13 from the free throw line. Against SMU on Dec. 18, she led UTSA with 16 points and eight rebounds The 5-11 center grabbed 14 rebounds in her collegiate debut against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and then posted her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards at Tulsa. She added another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in a 60-59 loss to Seton Hall and was named to the all-tournament team for the Hampton Inn/UTSA Thanksgiving Classic. The record for most rebounds in a season is held by Cindy Pavell (271) in 1981-82.
DOUBLE DOUBLE DAYS
Richelle Parks has posted three double-doubles so far this season. Of the returning players in 2004-2005, only junior Lacy Mingee had recorded a double-double, picking up two last year.
MAKING IT COUNT
Senior Lyndsey Greer is making her senior year her best season yet as she has already established career highs for points and rebounds this season. Greer, who averaged 2.7 points last season, improved her career-best to 14 points in the 60-59 loss to Seton Hall on Nov. 27, and set a career high for rebounds with seven at Texas A&M on Nov. 30. She tied her career high with 10 points against TAMU-CC on Nov. 19 and then re-established it at Tulsa with 11 points. Greer reached double figures again versus UT Martin, scoring 11 points. She is averaging 7.1 points per game this year to rank third on the team and ranks second on the team at the free throw line, shooting 73 percent.
QUIETLY MAKING NOISE
Junior forward Katie Sandefur, a native of Kingfisher, Okla., is quietly having a productive season with 6.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game to rank second on the team. She has started all 11 games and led the team against Samford on Dec. 30 with four assists. She narrowly missed a double-double against SMU on Dec. 18 with nine points and eight rebounds. She scored a season-high 13 points along with six rebounds and a season high six assists in the 41-33 win against Texas Southern on Dec. 12. She netted eight points, six rebounds and four assists in the loss to Seton Hall on Nov. 27. She has played in 69 games over her career and has scored 417 career points.
CHART CLIMBER
Senior Kim Reed missed the UTSA New Year’s Classic with a thigh injury but is slated to return this weekend. Reed, who hadn’t missed a game since the 2002-2003 season, ranks second in the conference in assists per game, averaging 3.7. She set her season high with seven assists against UT Martin on Dec. 19 and has led UTSA in assists in five of the 11 games. Reed, who averaged 4.8 points per game last year and came into the season with a 4.4 career scoring average, has stepped it up to 6.0 points per game in 2004-2005. With 429 career points, the 5-7 guard from Dallas needs just 85 points to climb into 25th on the career scoring chart at UTSA.
DEADLY FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Senior Nicole Dunson tied her career high with 18 points against Samford on Dec. 30, then added 16 points against Quinnipiac to be named all-Classic at the UTSA New Year’s Classic. The senior transfer ranks second on the team with 9.1 points per game and leads the team in three-pointers made (1.87) and free throw percentage (.857). Dunson set a record for most three-pointers in a season at Central Florida as a freshman in 2000-2001, then missed the 2001-2202 with a right shoulder injury. She transferred to UTSA in 2002-2003, sat out per NCAA transfer rules, and then missed last year with a right knee injury.
ASSISTING ONE ANOTHER
UTSA ranks fourth in the Southland Conference in assists per game. The Roadrunners are averaging 14.5 assists per game in 2004-2005, compared to 12.7 during the 2003-2004 season. Senior Kim Reed leads the Roadrunners with 34. With 215 career assists, Reed is 10th on the all-time career assist chart at UTSA, needing just two more to move into ninth place past Starlite Williams, a standout from 1983-87.
MIGHTY MINGEE
Junior Lacy Mingee ranks fourth on the team with 4.4 rebounds per game and leads the team with 12 blocked shots. She is scoring 5.6 points per game, despite playing just 14 minutes per game. She gave the Roadrunners a lift in the first half at UTEP on Dec. 4, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 from the floor off the bench. Against Texas Southern on Dec. 12, she notched nine points and had a team-high nine rebounds. Mingee has also scored 427 career points and needs just 87 to climb to 25th on the UTSA career scoring chart past Julie Rampley (513 pts, 2000-2002). She needs 66 rebounds to pass Soonja Robinson (299 rbs, 1995-98) into 22nd all-time.
WHAT A GAME
Senior Holly Ziegler exploded for a career high 21 points against Quinnipiac on Dec. 31. Ziegler, who entered the game not having seen action against Samford the day before and averaging less than two points per game, finished the day 7-of-9 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Ziegler scored 22 points all of last season.
WINNING COMES NATURALLY
In head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair’s first four seasons, the Roadrunners have averaged 16.3 wins per seasons. In the 23-year history of the program, UTSA has averaged 13.2 wins per season with 13 seasons finishing above .500.
START ME UP
Sophomore Stephanie Swords was in the starting lineup for the first time in her career last weekend against Samford and Quinnipiac. Swords started in place of the injured Kim Reed and responded with a career high four rebounds against Samford on Dec. 30.
EN FUEGO
Coming into the Quinnipiac contest last weekend, the Roadrunners were shooting just 36 percent from the floor as a team, but UTSA exploded for a season-high 50 percent showing (25-of-50), including 59 percent (11-of-19) in the second half of the 73-55 win.
TOUGH DEFENSE
Under head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair, defense has been the key ingredient in the success of the Roadrunner program. Last season UTSA allowed opponents only 57.1 points per game, tops in the SLC for the third straight season, with opponents shooting only 37.5 percent from the field. This season, the trend has continued as the Roadrunners have only allowed 59.7 points per game. Opponents have shot just 36 percent from the field so far in 2004-2005. In winning 75-59 against Tennessee-Martin, the Roadrunners allowed the Skyhawks to shoot just 27 percent from the field, while UTSA held Quinnipiac to only 28 percent on Dec. 31. Earlier this season, the Roadrunners allowed Texas Southern to shoot just 19 percent for the game on Dec. 12. Only two opponents have managed to shoot 45 percent or better against the Roadrunners.
THE MAGIC NUMBER
The Roadrunners are 6-0 when holding opponents to 60 points or less. In the last two seasons, UTSA is now 19-5 when limiting foes to 60 points or less.
ONLY FIVE AWAY
UTSA head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair is just five wins shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in school history. At 71-55, Blair trails only Bill MacLeay (1984-89, 75-60) on the all-time list of UTSA coaches.
UTSA Coaching History
1. Bill McLeay (1985-89) 75-69
2. Rae Rippetoe-Blair (2000-) 71-55
3. Ginny DeHaven (1981-84) 54-27
4. Mary Ann McLaughlin (1989-94) 50-87
5. Terry Gray (1996-99) 38-43
6. Jeff Spivey (1994-96) 15-37
7. Jeff Dow (1999-2000) 7-20
AGAINST THE CAJUN STATE
UTSA is 62-66 all-time against teams from Louisiana, including going 6-4 least year - all against Southland Conference opponents.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK
According to a vote by the Southland Conference coaches, UTSA is projected for a fourth place finish in 2004-2005. The league’s SID’s selected UTSA fifth in the preseason vote.
INJURY REPORT
Tia Bogan will try to return this weekend from a knee injury that has had her on the sidelines for about three to four weeks. She is listed as probable. Kim Reed continues to be bothered by a thigh injury and is questionable this weekend.
NEXT UP
The Roadrunners return home to host Nicholls State on Jan. 14 at 6 p.m.