· Game notes (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO - The UTSA women’s basketball team looks to end its Southland Conference two-game skid and seeks its first win at American Bank Center, as they hit the road again for a SLC game against newest league member Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Stu Paul will bring the action from courtside, with Assistant Sports Information Director Carlos Valdez providing color on the audio Web cast, while A&M-Corpus Christi will provide a live video feed on goUTSA.com.
Series meeting: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leads the all-time series 4-0 against UTSA. Last season, the Islanders took the only meeting by a score of 56-44, in Corpus Christi. The Roadrunners are 0-2 at American Bank Center.
About Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: The Islanders are 8-10 overall and 3-2 in SLC play. After opening conference play with three straight wins, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has dropped its last two league games. Senior Kirbria Lewis’ 14.6 points per game ranks first on the team, while senior Nicole Duncan stands second on the squad with 13.8 points per contest.
Last time out: Texas-Arlington handed the UTSA a 67-38 defeat in Southland Conference action at Texas Hall. The Roadrunners shot a season-low 29 percent from the floor and connected on just 13 field goals. UTSA dropped to 6-11 overall and 2-3 in SLC action, while the Mavericks improved to 11-8 and a perfect 6-0 in conference games. Senior Vivian Ewalefo led the Roadrunners with a game-high 19 points and hauled in 10 rebounds to record her fourth double-double of the season. Sophomore Monica Gibbs added 10 points.
Scoring sensation: Senior Vivian Ewalefo is averaging a career-best 16.1 points per game. The Las Vegas native has scored double figures in 15 games. She started the year with six straight double digit performance and has eclipse double figures in her last four games.
Road worries: The Roadrunners are 1-7 on the road this season and averaging 52.4 points per game, while opponents are averaging 68.4 points per contest. UTSA is shooting 36 percent from the floor on the road.
Cold night: Against UTA, UTSA shot a season-low 23 percent from the field and connected on 13 field goals. Senior Vivian Ewalefo and sophomore Monica Gibbs combined for 10 of the 13 baskets.
Vintage Roadrunners: UTSA’s defense held Northwestern State to a season-low 23 percent shooting from the floor (14-of-60). The Roadrunners also held the league’s top scorer Chassidy Jones below her season average of 19.6 points per game to 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting.
Climbing the charts: Junior Terrie Davis moved to fourth on UTSA’s chart with 90 career 3-pointers surpassing former Roadrunner Tammy Rogers. The Houston, Texas, sharpshooter is on pace to move into second place by end of the season and surpass last season’s total of 39 3-pointers. Davis is the third UTSA player to connect on 90 or more 3-pointers.
A First: Junior Terrie Davis and freshman Courtney Laing posted their first career double-double in the win against Central Arkansas on Jan. 11. Davis scored 13 points and grabbed a career high 10 rebounds, while Laing tied her career-best with 15 points and hauled in 10 rebounds.
Toughest test ahead: UTSA’s next three opponents are within the division and are a combined 12-2. UTA sports a 5-0 record, while Texas A&M-Corpus Christi stands 3-2 and Texas State has a 5-1 mark.
Rebounding machine: Senior Vivian Ewalefo set a career-high with 19 rebounds at Lamar on Jan. 6. The Las Vegas, Nev., native collected 11 boards in the first half alone. Her 8.6 rebounds per game this season ranks second in the Southland Conference.
Double digits: In the win against Central Arkansas, UTSA had four players score in double figures. Freshman Courtney Laing led the way with 15 points, while senior Vivian Ewalefo and junior Terrie Davis added 13 points apiece. Sophomore Tia Bogan chipped in with 10 points.
Double fever: Sophomore Monica Gibbs added two more double-doubles during the Wells Fargo New Year’s Classic to bring her season total to four. The Stillwater, Okla., native posted her first one against Eastern Washington with 20 points and 14 rebounds. At UALR, Gibbs had her second double-double of the year with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Freebies: UTSA tops the Southland Conference with a 73% free throw percentage. Against Texas State, UTSA connected on 18-of-20 free throws for a season-high 90%. The Roadrunners are on pace to break the school record of 71.5% set during the 1989-90 season.
Reaching a milestone: Head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair added another milestone to her coaching career, as she recorded her 100th UTSA victory on Nov. 24 against EWU.
UTSA inks four for the 2007-08 season: UTSA coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair announced the signing of Amber Gregg (Austin, Texas/McNeil HS), Cierra Martin (Pflugerville, Texas/Pflugerville HS), Magdalena Pawlaczyk (Wroclaw, Poland/Casper College) and Jordan Stark (Weatherford, Okla./Weatherford HS) to National Letters of Intent for the 2007-08 season.
UTSA picked third: UTSA was tabbed to finish in third place of both the Southland Conference coaches and SID polls in the West Division behind Texas-Arlington and Stephen F. Austin. The Roadrunners picked up two first-place votes in both polls.
Preseason honors: Senior Vivian Ewalefo received preseason Southland Conference first-team honors. Last season, Ewalefo led the UTSA in scoring (12.2) and rebounding (7.6) en route to garnering the 2005-06 SLC Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-conference accolades.
