· Game notes (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO - Coming off a tough loss at rival Texas State on Saturday, UTSA (4-13, 0-4 SLC) returns home to host Texas-Arlington (5-12, 1-4 SLC) in a Southland Conference game Monday, Jan. 22. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center in a game originally scheduled for last Thursday but moved due to inclement weather.
UTSA Roadrunners (4-13, 0-4) vs. Texas-Arlington Mavericks (5-12, 1-4)
Monday, Jan. 22 • 7 p.m.
Convocation Center (4,500) • San Antonio, Texas
Audio: KKYX-680 AM/goUTSA.com
Video: goUTSA.com
Series Record: UTSA leads, 29-22
Last Meeting: UTSA 74, UTA 71 (Feb. 16, 2006)
Tuning In: The game will be aired live in the San Antonio listening area on KKYX-680 AM and will be available for free through UTSA’s web site, goUTSA.com. Jason Minnix (play-by-play) and Edward Endicott (color commentary) will call the action beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m. Live video will be available at goUTSA.com.
Last Time Out: Juniors Andrew Francis, Keith Spencer and Melvin Smith combined for 46 points, but Brandon Bush scored 22 as Texas State held on for a 67-63 win over UTSA Saturday night in San Marcos. Spencer led all Roadrunners with 18 points and added nine rebounds, while Smith poured in 16, his 12th double-digit outing of the season. Francis posted his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Bush scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half to stake the Bobcats to a 36-34 halftime lead. UTSA made just 16-of-34 free throws in the first half and shot only 33.3 percent (9-27) from the floor. Texas State used a 9-4 run to build a 45-38 lead to start the second half. An Antwon Williams jumper and an Antwoine Blanchard lay-up extended the lead to 49-40 with 14:15 to play. UTSA scored the next six to pull within 49-46 and eventually made it a one-point game on a Smith jumper at the 8:51 mark. The Bobcats answered with seven straight points, the last on a fall-away 3-pointer from the top of the key by Brent Holder. Texas State held a 64-59 lead with 1:22 to play until Francis followed a missed trey with a monster slam to make it a one-possession game with just under one minute to play. Another basket from Francis pulled the Roadrunners to within 64-63 with nine seconds remaining. Following two free throws from Blanchard, who finished with 11, UTSA missed its final attempt to tie on a 3-pointer from the right wing with one second left. Bush was fouled and made 1-of-2 freebies to seal the win for the Bobcats.
UTSA/UTA Series History: UTSA leads the all-time series with UTA, 29-22. The Roadrunners have won the last three meetings, but the Mavericks had won six-of-seven prior to that stretch from 2001-04. UTA is 6-4 against UTSA in the last 10 meetings and has won four of the last five games at the Convocation Center, the only loss a 96-78 decision on Feb. 26, 2005.
Series Notes:
• This will be the 52nd meeting between UTSA and UTA
• UTSA leads the series 29-22 overall and 13-10 in San Antonio
• The Roadrunners have won the last three meetings, but UTA took six-of-seven games in the series from 2001-04, including four at the Convocation Center
• UTA’s last win in San Antonio was a 79-73 decision on Feb. 18, 2004
Scouting the Mavericks: UTA is under the direction of first-year head coach, Scott Cross. The Mavericks dropped their fourth straight contest on Saturday night, an 89-63 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Texas Hall. UTA is 5-12 overall and 1-4 in the Southland Conference. UTA has won just two of its last 13 contests, a 66-60 victory over Central Arkansas on Jan. 4 and a 78-77 decision at UC Riverside on Dec. 18. Junior forward Jermaine Griffin leads the team in scoring (14.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.6 rpg), while sophomore forward Anthony Vereen pitches in with 11.1 points and 5.6 boards per contest. In conference play, Griffin is posting in 17.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per outing.
Last Meeting: Aldric Reynolds scored 19 points to help lead UTSA to a 74-71 victory over Texas-Arlington on Feb. 16, 2006, in Arlington. Reynolds’ 19 points led three players in double figures as Gabe Bernard turned in 13, including three 3-pointers, and Kurt Attaway added 10 to go along with five assists and two steals. Steven Thomas led UTA with a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Mavericks to a 42-32 advantage on the boards. Jarrett Howell posted a game-high 22 points, while Jermaine Griffin added 10. UTSA overcame the rebounding deficit by shooting 52.2 percent from the field for the game, including 59 percent in the first half. UTSA used hot shooting from downtown, including three 3-pointers from Kyile Byrd, to build a 30-21 lead through the first 12:12. After UTA cut it to four at 32-28, the Roadrunners went on an 11-3 run over the final 4:54 to go into the half with a 43-31 advantage. The Roadrunners came out firing to start the second half, pushing their lead to 50-35 on an Abe Donlon lay-up at the 17:13 mark. The Mavericks made their first run to get back to within 52-45 on a Howell lay-up at the 11:50 mark. UTSA staved off the run and extended the lead back to 64-50 on a Reynolds trey, but UTA made one last run in the final minute, pulling to within five on a pair of Howell free throws with 39 seconds left. After a couple of misses by UTSA at the line, a Thomas lay-up pulled the Mavericks to within 74-71 with five seconds remaining. UTA got one last steal and look at a basket but Brandon Long’s jumper in the lane was off the mark as UTSA held on, 74-71.
Tough Slate: UTSA faced one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the program’s recent history this season. The Roadrunners played three teams ranked in the top 50 of the latest Sagarin Ratings Index — Oklahoma State (19), Washington State (22) and Gonzaga (45). Jeff Sagarin also rates UTSA’s schedule as the 69th toughest in the country. In the two major polls, Oklahoma State also is currently ranked No. 14 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, while Washington State is No. 21 this week. In the Associated Press Top 25, Oklahoma State is 12th and Washington State is the first team receiving votes.
Tough At Home: The UTSA Convocation Center has been a tough place for opponents to play. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 230-99 (.699) in the facility dating back to the inaugural 1981-82 season.
Record-Setting Defense: UTSA broke a pair of school records in back-to-back games earlier this season. In a 64-49 victory against San Diego on Nov. 26, the Roadrunners limited the Toreros to 13-of-53 shooting from the floor, or 24.5 percent, which broke the school record for lowest field goal percentage by an opponent previously held by Howard Payne (26.9%) in 1988. One game later, UTSA held Henderson State to 36 points, breaking the previous fewest-points record of 42 set by Texas State in 1996. UTSA currently ranks third in the league in scoring defense, giving up 65.5 points per game.
Francis Fits Right In: Junior Andrew Francis, a transfer from Houston who sat out the fall semester per NCAA transfer rules, has had an immediate impact in his first seven games in a Roadrunners uniform. The Alief Elsik High School product is averaging 10.6 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game, and has led UTSA in scoring twice and rebounding six times. He has turned in double-doubles in each of his last two outings with 16 points and 14 rebounds against Northwestern State and 12 points and 10 boards at Texas State. In conference play, Francis ranks second in the league with 10.0 rebounds per contest and 11th in scoring at 13.5 points per game.
Smith Stepping Up: Junior guard Melvin Smith has stepped up his game and developed into a solid mid-range shooter. The Covington, Tenn., native has scored in double digits in 12 of the last 13 contests, including a season-high 25 in the 64-60 victory over Texas Wesleyan on Dec. 9. Dating back to the Cal State Fullerton win on Nov. 22, Smith is averaging more than 15 points per game and is shooting 48 percent (77-162) from the floor. The Dodge City (Kan.) Community College transfer leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg), field goals made (91) and minutes played (33.1 mpg) and has been the leading scorer for the Roadrunners eight times this season.
That A Way, Attaway: Senior point guard Kurt Attaway has relished in his role as the team’s floor general this season. Through 17 games (all starts), Attaway is averaging 6.9 points per game and has dished out a team-high 61 assists compared to only 39 turnovers. He also has a team-best 31 steals and is shooting 69.2 percent (27-39) from the free throw line. Attaway ranks fourth in the SLC in steals (1.82 spg) and assists (3.59 apg).
Career Record Watch: With 95 games under his belt, Kurt Attaway has moved onto several of UTSA’s career lists. The Flower Mound native posted a career-high 12 assists in the Cal State Fullerton loss on Nov. 22, breaking his previous mark of eight with nine in the first half. He moved past Jon Havens into fifth place on UTSA’s career chart with 10 assists at TCU on Dec. 27. With 312 career dimes, he is on pace to catch David President (339) this season. He also is seventh with 133 steals, 11 behind Preston Ivory for sixth (144), and is 39th with 251 rebounds, three behind Mike Ferguson (254). Attaway has scored 570 points in his career, which ranks 38th all time. The 2003-04 Southland Conference (SLC) Freshman of the Year needs one point to catch Robert Wallace (571) and eight to surpass Ricky Reed (577).
Model Student-Athlete: Not only does Kurt Attaway excel on the court, he does in the classroom, as well. The senior has been named the SLC Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year each of the past two seasons and was twice voted UTSA’s Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He carries a perfect 4.0 grade point average in psychology and is interested in pursuing a career in sports psychology upon graduation.
Wiping The Glass: Junior Keith Spencer has quickly established himself as a force on the glass in his first season with the Roadrunners. Through the first 17 games, the San Diego, Calif., native has pulled down 122 rebounds and is averaging 7.2 boards per contest, good for seventh in the SLC. He posted a pair of double-doubles in the first month of the season (11/12 at Washington State on Nov. 17 and 16/11 vs. Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 22) and added his third with 10 points and 11 boards in the loss at No. 13 Oklahoma State (12/30). Spencer, who also is shooting a team-high 61.3 percent from the floor this season, has reached double-digit rebounds five times this year. He grabbed a season-best 12 boards at Washington State and has led the Roadrunners in rebounding in nine games this year.
Just Call Me “Duke”: Junior Isaiah “Duke” Allen opened his debut season with the Roadrunners in style, leading the team in scoring in four of the first five games. He poured in a season-high 22 in the loss at Gonzaga on Nov. 19, and has reached double figures in scoring nine times. He leads the team with 26 3-pointers, ranks third in scoring (10.3 ppg) and is shooting 70.2 percent (33-47) from the free throw line.
A New Era: UTSA first-year head coach Brooks Thompson earned his first NCAA Division I victory in UTSA’s 50-46 win against Texas A&M International on Nov. 10. Thompson, a former all-conference player at both Oklahoma State and Texas A&M and a 1994 NBA First Round Draft Pick of the Orlando Magic, posted an impressive 55-14 record in two seasons as head coach at Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz.
Forecasting 400: In its 26th year, UTSA owns an all-time record of 382-344 (.526), including nine seasons of 17 or more victories, the last coming in 2003-04 (19-14).
Preseason SLC Polls: UTSA was picked to finish fourth in the Southland Conference West Division by the league’s sports information directors and fifth by the head coaches in the preseason polls released in early October. Two-time defending champion Northwestern State and 2006 runner-up Sam Houston State have been picked by the head coaches to win the East and West divisions, respectively, in 2006-07. The sports information directors also predicted the Demons in the East but placed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a tie with Sam Houston State for the top spot in the West.
Roster Changes: UTSA announced the first week of January that junior transfer Travis Gabbidon, a 6-7 forward from College of Southern Idaho, will take a redshirt this season to recover from a foot injury. Also, junior guard James Peters (San Antonio/Clark HS) and sophomore guard Tim Maiden (Scottsdale, Ariz./Christian Academy) have left the team for personal reasons.
Fall Signing Class: UTSA signed Matt DeWaal (Compton, Calif./Dominguez HS), Devin Gibson (Houston/Cypress Falls HS), Kevin Jackson (Irving/Hill College) and Joey Shank (Folsom, Calif./American River College) to National Letters of Intent during the fall signing period in November.
Up Next: UTSA hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 6 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
