· Game notes (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO — Coming off a 72-64 victory against Texas-Arlington on Monday, UTSA hosts the Southland Conference’s first-place team, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, on Saturday, Jan. 27. Tip is set for 6 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
UTSA Roadrunners (5-13, 1-4) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (14-4, 5-0)
Saturday, Jan. 27 • 6 p.m.
Convocation Center (4,500) • San Antonio, Texas
Audio: KKYX-680 AM/goUTSA.com
Video: goUTSA.com
Series Record: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 91, UTSA 83 (Jan. 2, 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 5:45 p.m. Live video also will be available at goUTSA.com.
Last Time Out: Junior Isaiah Allen scored a season-high 25 points on the strength of six 3-pointers and junior Melvin Smith added 17 as UTSA snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 72-64 victory over Texas-Arlington on Monday night at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners won for the first time since a 64-60 decision against Texas Wesleyan on Dec. 9. Allen, who was just 3-of-19 from behind the arc in four previous conference games, drained 6-of-8 from downtown to top his previous season-high of 22 against Gonzaga. He fell just shy of the school record of eight held by three players, the last being Rodric Hall during the 1996-97 season. Smith added 17 points, his 13th double-digit outing in the last 14 contests, while senior Kurt Attaway posted 12 points and nine assists. Junior Keith Spencer pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to go along with eight points and four dimes. Rodrick Epps led UTA with 23 points, while Larry Posey and Anthony Vereen added 12 and 10, respectively. UTSA built a 17-point lead at 55-38 midway through the second half, but UTA fought all the way back to within two with just over a minute to play. Smith then caught a long pass from Spencer and was intentionally fouled, resulting in a six-point lead after two free throws and a Francis follow. Vereen made two freebies for the Mavericks, but that was as close as UTA would get as Attaway had a layup and four free throws in the final minute to seal it.
UTSA/TAMU-CC Series History: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leads the all-time series with UTSA, 3-1. The Roadrunners won the inaugural meeting, 95-80, on Nov. 27, 1999, but the Islanders have won the last three, including two last season.
Series Notes:
• This will be the fifth meeting between UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
• The Islanders have won three straight in the series
• The series is tied at 1-1 at the Convocation Center
Scouting the Islanders: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi improved to 5-0 in the Southland Conference and 14-4 overall with an 89-63 victory at Texas-Arlington last Saturday. The Islanders have won eight straight and 10 of their last 11, the only loss a 79-61 setback at Purdue on Dec. 22. TAMU-CC is atop the SLC’s West Division and is the only undefeated team in conference play. The Islanders average 77.4 points per game and are shooting 50.8 percent from the floor as a team. Senior guard Josh Washington leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game and has made a team-best 52 3-pointers, while senior center Chris Daniels is posting 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest. Head coach Ronnie Arrow is 122-88 in his seventh season at the helm.
Last Meeting: Aldric Reynolds scored a career-high 24 points and Andre Owens added 20, but Chris Daniels led five players in double figures with 17 as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi held on for a 91-83 overtime victory over UTSA on Jan. 2, 2006, at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi. Roderick Rodgers also reached double digits with 12 for UTSA, while Aaron White, Cedric Smith and Rashad Mintz scored 13 points apiece and Kevin Menifee added 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Islanders. Trailing 73-72 late, Reynolds made 1-of-2 free throws to tie the contest with 27.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Daniels then followed a White miss with 8.2 seconds on the clock to give the Islanders the 75-73 lead, but Rodgers tipped in an Owens miss with 1.4 seconds left to force the extra frame. TAMU-CC scored the first four points in overtime and Mintz took a steal all the way for a layup to put the Islanders up, 82-77, at the 2:42 mark. Mintz nailed a three from the left side to push the advantage to 85-77, but Eric Young answered with a three of his own from the left wing with 1:31 left to cut the deficit to five. Following a White free throw, Nkem Ojougboh’s layup pulled UTSA to within 86-82, but that is as close as the Roadrunners would get as the Islanders made their free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 91-83 victory.
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 — Washington State (18), Oklahoma State (20) and Gonzaga (38). In the two major polls, Oklahoma State also is currently ranked No. 16 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, while Washington State is No. 18 this week. In the Associated Press Top 25, Oklahoma State is 13th and Washington State is 20th.
Tough At Home: The UTSA Convocation Center has been a tough place for opponents to play. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 231-100 (.698) 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 10.3 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game, and has led UTSA in scoring twice and rebounding six times. He has turned in double-doubles in two of his last three 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 9.2 rebounds per contest and 17th in scoring at 12.4 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 13 of the last 14 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 14.9 points per game and is shooting 48 percent (84-177) from the floor. The Dodge City (Kan.) Community College transfer leads the team in scoring (13.3 ppg), field goals made (98) and minutes played (33.2 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 18 games (all starts), Attaway is averaging a career-best 7.2 points per game and has dished out a team-high 70 assists compared to only 41 turnovers. He also has a team-best 31 steals and is shooting 72.3 percent (34-47) from the free throw line. Attaway ranks fourth in the SLC in steals (1.72 spg) and assists (3.89 apg).
Career Record Watch: With 96 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 321 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 tied with Raymond Briggs for 37th with 257 rebounds, five behind Rob Wallace (262). Attaway has scored 582 points in his career, which ranks 36th all time. The 2003-04 Southland Conference (SLC) Freshman of the Year needs 18 points to surpass David President (597).
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. Attaway recently was named an honorable mention candidate for the John Wooden Citizenship Cup Award.
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 18 games, the San Diego, Calif., native has pulled down 130 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 60.5 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 10 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 22 in the loss at Gonzaga, and has reached double figures in scoring 10 times. Allen posted a season-high 25 points, draining 6-of-8 3-pointers in the 72-64 victory over UTA on Jan. 22. He leads the team with 32 3-pointers, ranks second in scoring (11.1 ppg) and is shooting 70.8 percent (34-48) 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 383-344 (.527), 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 travels to Huntsville to face Sam Houston State next Thursday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.
