March 2, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4551
UTSA hosts league champion Northwestern State Friday in regular season finale
Game Notes | Live Audio
SAN ANTONIO - UTSA hosts Southland Conference regular season champion Northwestern State on Friday, March 3. Tip is set for 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
UTSA Roadrunners (11-15, 6-9 SLC)
vs.
Northwestern State Demons (21-7, 14-1 SLC)
Friday, March 3 • 3 p.m. • Convocation Center • San Antonio, Texas
TV: none • Radio: KKYX 680 AM/goUTSA.com
SLC Tournament Scenarios:
The Roadrunners earned a spot in the O'Reilly Auto Parts/Southland Conference Basketball Tournament with Louisiana-Monroe's loss to Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday night. UTSA can earn the No. 7 seed with a win against Northwestern State or with a loss to the Demons combined with a Texas-Arlington loss to McNeese State.
Honoring a Legend:
UTSA will retire former standout Derrick Gervin's jersey at halftime of the Friday game against Northwestern State. Gervin, the younger brother of former San Antonio Spurs legend George Gervin, played three seasons with the Roadrunners from 1982-85 and ranks second on UTSA's all-time scoring list with 1,691 points. For more info, clickhere.
Senior Day:
Also on Friday, UTSA will honor its lone senior, Andre Owens, prior to tip-off. Owens enters the Northwestern State with 760 career points, which ranks 22nd on UTSA's all-time list. He trails Afis Olajuwon by just three points and needs 45 to move into the top 20. Owens also ranks 37th with 254 career rebounds.
Roadrunner Streaks:
Win/Loss Streak: Lost one | Road Streak: Lost two
Neutral Court Streak: Won two | Home Streak: Won one
Opponent:
Northwestern State Demons
Series History: UTSA leads, 18-13
Last Meeting: NWST 70, UTSA 59 - Jan. 26, 2006; Natchitoches, La.
Note: UTSA has won three of the last five meetings
Coach Carter:
Tim Carter is in his 11th season at UTSA and has a career record of 160-150 (.516) with the Roadrunners and 171-166 (.507) 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 13-9 in games coached against Northwestern State.
Last Game:
Senior Andre Owens scored 26 points and sophomore Abe Donlon added a career high 19, but Jejuan Plair and Chris Jordan combined for 39 points to lead Sam Houston State to a 90-87 victory against UTSA last Saturday in Huntsville. The Roadrunners held a 10 point lead in the first half and trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, but cut the deficit to 88-87 with three seconds left before the Bearkats sealed it with a pair of free throws.
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 Northwestern State:
The Demons wrapped up their second consecutive SLC regular season crown last Saturday with a win against McNeese State and enter Friday's game at 21-7 overall and 14-1 in the league. Senior forward Clifton Lee leads a balanced scoring attack with 13.8 points per game, while also posting a team-best 6.3 rebounds per contest. Jermaine Wallace and Luke Rogers pitch in with 9.7 ppg. Head coach Mike McConathy is 108-101 in his seventh season at the helm.
Roadrunners vs. Demons - Last Meeting:
In Natchitoches, Andre Owens scored a game-high 17 points, but Jermaine Wallace poured in 10 of his team-high 12 points in the second half to help lead Northwestern State from 12 down to a 70-59 victory at Prather Coliseum. The Roadrunners built a 37-27 halftime lead but the Demons used a 16-0 in the second half en route to the 11-point win.
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. 229 overall out of 330 NCAA Division I schools. The Roadrunners are No. 259 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
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 … Kurt Attaway - 4 … Andre Owens - 3 … Abe Donlon - 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 74.2 3rd
Field Goal Pct. .470 1st
Field Goal Pct. Defense .421 1st
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense .321 2nd
Rebounding Offense 38.4 2nd
Rebounding Margin +2.8 3rd
Defensive Rebounds 25.88 1st
Individual
Player Category No. Rank
Andre Owens Scoring 17.8 2nd
Abe Donlon Field Goal Pct. .597 3rd
Kyile Byrd 3-Point Field Goal Pct. .561 1st
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 27 starts between them. Young has led UTSA in scoring five times and Reynolds has been the leading point-producer twice. The freshmen and sophomores are averaging a combined 36.8 points per game, while first-year players are contributing 37.3 points per game.
Andre The Giant:
Big things are expected out of senior Andre Owens this season and he has produced. The Irving native opened the campaign with 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the victory against Angelo State. 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 Jan. 19 loss to Sam Houston State. He registered his third double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 assists in the Feb. 23 win against SFA. He has scored 20 or more points 12 times this season, most recently with 26 in the Feb. 25 loss at Sam Houston.
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 27.8 points per game.
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.
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.