Feb. 24, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4551
UTSA meets Sam Houston Saturday in pivotal SLC contest
Game Notes | Live Audio
SAN ANTONIO - Fresh off a thrilling 71-68 win over Stephen F. Austin on Thursday night, the UTSA men's basketball travels to Huntsville to face Sam Houston State on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tip is set for 5 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum and the game will be televised live on Fox Sports Southwest. UTSA is tied for eighth place with a 6-8 league record is looking to stay alive in the race for one of the eight spots in the O'Reilly Auto Parts/Southland Conference Tournament. The Bearkats are in second place (9-4) and are looking to secure a first round home game.
UTSA Roadrunners (11-14, 6-8 SLC)
at
Sam Houston State Bearkats (18-7, 9-4 SLC)
Saturday, Feb. 25 • 5 p.m.
Johnson Coliseum • Huntsville, Texas
TV: Fox Sports Southwest
Radio: KKYX 680 AM/goUTSA.com
Roadrunner Streaks:
Win/Loss Streak: Won one | Road Streak: Lost one
Neutral Court Streak: Won two | Home Streak: Won one
Opponent:
Sam Houston State Bearkats
Series History: UTSA leads, 18-10
Last Meeting: SHSU 71, UTSA 63 - Jan. 19, 2006; San Antonio
Note: Sam Houston has won four of last five meetings
Last Game:
Junior Kurt Attaway drained a 3-pointer from the left corner with 3.4 seconds left to help lift UTSA to a 71-68 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Thursday night at the Convocation Center. Attaway finished with 10 points, one of three Roadrunners in double figures. Senior Andre Owens posted his third double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 assists, while sophomore Abe Donlon just missed his second double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds. Josh Alexander led the Lumberjacks with 22 points.
Radio/TV:
All UTSA games can be heard on KKYX 680 AM and on the worldwide web at goUTSA.com beginning 15 minutes prior to tipoff. The Sam Houston State game on Saturday will be televised live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Coach Carter:
Tim Carter is in his 11th season at UTSA and has a career record of 160-149 (.518) with the Roadrunners and 171-165 (.509) overall … He is the winningest men's basketball coach in UTSA history and has the longest tenure … He scored his 100th career win on Dec. 1, 2001, against Illinois State and his 100th win at UTSA on Feb. 4, 2002, at Texas-Arlington … Carter was named the 1999 SLC "Coach of the Year" … He came to UTSA after one season at Nebraska-Omaha … He has served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma (1984), Midwestern State (1984-86), Houston (1986-87), Oklahoma State (1987-90) and Northwestern (1990-94) … He has led UTSA to the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and 2004 … Carter is 11-8 in games coached against Sam Houston State.
Home Sweet Home:
Tough to beat in the UTSA Convocation Center, the Roadrunners have an all-time home record of 226-96 (.702) in the Bird Cage. UTSA is 1-1 all-time as a home team at the Alamodome. UTSA is 7-6 at home this season.
Scouting Sam Houston State:
The Bearkats are 18-7 overall and in second place with a 9-4 league mark. Senior guard Chris Jordan leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game, while sophomore forward Ryan Bright (11.1) and junior guard Jejuan Plair (10.9) also average double figures. Bright is the leading rebounder with 7.8 boards per contest. Head Bob Marlin is 134-91 in his seventh season at the helm.
Roadrunners vs. Bearkats - Last Meeting:
In San Antonio, Senior Andre Owens matched his career high with a game-high 28 points, but Jejuan Plair poured in 23 to lead Sam Houston State from 13 down to a 71-63 victory over UTSA. The Roadrunners led 41-32 at the half and by 13 with 17:35 left to play, but Sam Houston ended the game on a 15-2 run.
378 and Counting:
The UTSA men's basketball program now has 378 wins. The Roadrunners have averaged 15.3 wins a season as a program over the first 24 years, and are the winningest program in the SLC over the past 10 years.
Working Overtime:
UTSA entered the 2005-06 season with a reputation as a team that is tough to beat in overtime. The Roadrunners are 0-2 this season and 13-9 all-time in extra sessions under coach Tim Carter. UTSA has won 10 of the last 13 overtime games.
UTSA In The Sagarin & RPI:
According to the latest Sagarin College Basketball Rankings, UTSA is currently ranked No. 234 overall out of 330 NCAA Division I schools. The Roadrunners are No. 273 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
Roster Change:
On Feb. 16, UTSA announced the dismissal of sophomore Roderick Rodgers from the team for a violation of team rules. Senior Andre Owens missed the Feb. 16 win at Texas-Arlington as a result of a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules.
Double-Double-O-Meter:
Andre Owens - 3 (23/14 vs. Murray State, 12/3/05; 23/11 vs. Cal State Fullerton, 12/27/05; 22/10 assists vs. SFA, 2/23/06); Eric Young 2 (16/11 vs. Nicholls State, 2/2/06; 15/13 vs. McNeese State, 2/9/06); Abe Donlon 1 (18/15 vs. Lamar, 2/11/06); Roderick Rodgers - 1 (17/12 vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 1/14/06).
Dunk-O-Meter:
Nkem Ojougboh - 11 … Eric Young - 10 … Roderick Rodgers - 7 … Andre Owens - 3 … Abe Donlon - 3 … Kurt Attaway - 3 … Chris Thompson - 1.
Roadrunners In The SLC Ranks:
UTSA ranks high in several team and individual categories according to the latest Southland Conference statistics.
Team
Category No. Rank
Scoring Offense 73.7 3rd
Field Goal Pct. .469 1st
Field Goal Pct. Defense .421 1st
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense .319 2nd
Rebounding Offense 38.3 2nd
Rebounding Margin +3.0 3rd
Blocked Shots 4.04 3rd
Defensive Rebounds 25.76 1st
Individual
Player Category No. Rank
Andre Owens Scoring 17.5 2nd
Abe Donlon Field Goal Pct. .600 2nd
Youth Is Served:
UTSA features a young roster this season with eight players that are either freshmen or sophomores. Freshmen Eric Young, Nkem Ojougboh and Aldric Reynolds have a combined 26 starts between them. Young has led UTSA in scoring five times and Reynolds has been the leading point-producer twice this season. The freshmen and sophomores are averaging a combined 36.9 points per game, while first-year players are contributing 37.6 points per game.
Andre The Giant:
Big things are expected this season out of UTSA senior guard Andre Owens. The Irving native opened the season with 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the Angelo State win. He scored a career-high 28 points in the loss at New Mexico State and was named MVP of the Florida International Holiday Classic when he averaged 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds as the Roadrunners won the tournament title with wins over Cal State Fullerton and St. Bonaventure. Owens matched his career high with 28 points, including 21 in the second half, in the 78-74 loss at McNeese State. Owens reached 28 points for the third time this season in the loss to Sam Houston State. He has scored 20 or more points 11 times this season, most recently with 22 in the Feb. 23 win against Stephen F. Austin.
Off The Pine:
Led by Gabe Bernard's 13 points, UTSA's bench produced 36 points in the win over Angelo State. In the win over Texas-Pan American the bench produced 48 points, led by Chris Thompson's 18. The group played a huge role in UTSA's come-from-behind 76-67 win at Stephen F. Austin, scoring 46 points behind 21 from Nkem Ojougboh. The bench scored a season-best 53 points in UTSA's 100-75 victory over McNeese State led by a combined 35 from Kyile Byrd and Chris Thompson. The bench is contributing 28.0 points per game.
Thursday Night Special:
UTSA went 4-0 on Thursday night games in the month of February. The Roadrunners handled Nicholls State, 67-50, on Feb. 2, and demolished McNeese State, 100-75, on Feb. 9. UTSA scored just its second road win of the year with a 74-71 decision at Texas-Arlington on Feb. 16, and edged Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 23, 71-68.
Kurt's Point:
Point guard Kurt Attaway also excels in the classroom where he is the reigning Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year for men's basketball. A member of the Dean's List at UTSA, Attaway currently maintains a perfect 4.0 grade point average while majoring in psychology. Attaway recently was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team and will be on the Academic All-America ballot.
What's Next:
UTSA hosts league-leader Northwestern State in the regular season finale next Friday, March 3. Tip is set for 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center.