· Game notes (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO — Coming off a 48-45 win against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, UTSA continues a three-game homestand against Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday, Feb. 8. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
UTSA Roadrunners (6-15, 2-6) vs. Southeastern Louisiana Lions (14-8, 6-3)
Thursday, Feb. 8 • 7 p.m.
Convocation Center (4,500) • San Antonio, Texas
Audio: KKYX-680 AM/goUTSA.com
Video: goUTSA.com
Series Record: Tied, 11-11
Last Meeting: Southeastern Louisiana 95, UTSA 82 (Feb. 4, 2006)
Tuning In: The game will be aired live in the San Antonio listening area on KKYX-680 AM and will be available online at 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 also will be available online at goUTSA.com.
Last Time Out: Senior Kurt Attaway’s off-balance layup with 55 seconds remaining helped lift UTSA to a 48-45 victory against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday night at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but found themselves trailing 45-44 with less than a minute to play. Attaway drove the left baseline and banked in an off-balance layup – his only basket of the night – to give UTSA the lead. Following a missed 3-pointer by the Lumberjacks with less than two ticks on the clock, Attaway tipped away an SFA inbounds pass near midcourt to seal it for the Roadrunners. Juniors Andrew Francis and Melvin Smith supplied most of the offense, as Francis recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds, his third double-double of the season, and Smith poured in 19 points, his 16th double-digit outing of the year. Defensively, UTSA held the Lumberjacks to just 45 points, one shy of their season low, and to 31.8 percent (14-44) shooting from the floor, 16 percentage points below their season average. UTSA overcame an early seven-point deficit and held a 24-21 lead at the break. The lead grew as Francis drove baseline for a two-handed slam and freshman Dezon Otis drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to give UTSA its largest lead, 42-32, and force an SFA timeout with 10:57 to play. SFA answered with 11 straight points over the next 4:55 to retake the lead, 43-42, with just over six minutes remaining. Smith converted a pair of free throws at the 4:30 mark to end the drought. UTSA did not hit another field goal until Attaway’s winning lay-up, a 10-minute stretch without a basket.
UTSA/Southeastern Louisiana Series History: The all-time series between UTSA and Southeastern Louisiana is tied, 11-11. The Lions have won the last four meetings and five of the last seven. SLU won the last meeting, 95-82, on Feb. 4, 2006, at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners’ last victory was an 87-85 thriller on the road in the semifinal round of the 2004 Southland Conference Tournament. Just five days prior, UTSA pounded SLU, 106-86, to secure a three-way tie with the Lions and Texas-Arlington for the SLC Regular Season Championship.
Series Notes:
• This will be the 23rd meeting between UTSA and Southeastern Louisiana
• The all-time series is tied, 11-11
• Southeastern Louisiana has won the last four meetings
• UTSA is 8-4 against the Lions in the Convocation Center with the last win a 106-86 decision on March 5, 2004
• The Lions won the last meeting in the Convocation Center, 95-82, on Feb. 4, 2006
• UTSA head coach Brooks Thompson was an assistant coach at Southeastern Louisiana for the 2000-01 season.
Scouting the Lions: Southeastern Louisiana enters Thursday’s game at 14-8 overall and in second place in the Southland Conference East Division with a 6-3 league mark. Senior guard Daryl Cohen, the reigning SLC Player of the Week, leads the Lions in scoring at 16.3 points per game and has made a league-best 84 3-pointers this season. Senior forward Quennell Green and senior guard Terry Bryant add 13.1 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Senior center Joseph Polite is the leading rebounder at 5.2 boards per contest, while Bryant has dished out 115 assists (5.2 apg) on the season. Head coach Jim Yarbough is 30-20 in his second season at the helm.
Last Meeting: Andre Owens led four Roadrunners in double figures with 20 points, but Ricky Woods and Quennell Green combined for 47 to lead Southeastern Louisiana to a 95-82 victory over UTSA on Feb. 4, 2006, at the Convocation Center. Woods posted his 14th double-double of the season with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Green was 6-of-7 from behind the 3-point line en route to posting 20 points. Eric Young reached double digits for the third straight contest with 15 points, while Roderick Rodgers nearly posted his second double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Nkem Ojougboh added 10 points. The Lions shot a blistering 64.6 percent from the field, hitting 31-of-48 field goals including 9-of-14 from behind the arc. UTSA shot 56.7 percent from the field, draining 32-of-62 shots, but only hit 15-of-28 (53.6 percent) from the line.
Tough Slate: UTSA has faced one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the program’s recent history. The Roadrunners played three teams ranked in the top 50 of the latest Sagarin Ratings Index — Washington State (17), Oklahoma State (35) and Gonzaga (44). In the two major polls, Washington State also is currently ranked No. 14, Oklahoma State is No. 17 and Gonzaga is receiving votes in both the USA Today/ESPN Coaches and Associated Press Top 25 Polls this week.
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 second in the league in scoring defense, giving up 65.6 points per game. The Roadrunners are 4-0 this season when holding opponents to 49 points or less.
Tough At Home: The UTSA Convocation Center has been a tough place for opponents to play. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 232-101 (.697) in the facility dating back to the inaugural 1981-82 season.
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 11 games in a Roadrunners uniform. The Alief Elsik High School product is averaging 11.4 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game, and has led UTSA in scoring three times and rebounding nine times. A strong candidate for SLC Newcomer of the Year, he has turned in three double-doubles with 16 points and 14 rebounds against Northwestern State, 12 points and 10 boards at Texas State and 12 points and 13 rebounds against Stephen F. Austin. In conference play, Francis ranks second in the league in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and 11th in scoring (13.1 ppg).
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 16 of the last 17 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 ??? points per game and is shooting 45.9 percent (102-222) from the floor. The Dodge City (Kan.) Community College transfer leads the team in scoring (13.7 ppg), field goals made (116) and minutes played (33.3 mpg) and has been the leading scorer for the Roadrunners 10 times this season. In SLC action, Smith’s 14.6 scoring average is good for fifth among league leaders.
That A Way, Attaway: Senior Kurt Attaway has relished in his role as the team’s floor general this season. Through 21 games (all starts), Attaway is averaging a career-best 7.0 points per game and has dished out a team-high 86 assists compared to only 49 turnovers. He also has a team-best 36 steals and is shooting 73.5 percent (36-49) from the free throw line. Attaway ranks fourth in the SLC in assists (4.10 apg) and fifth in steals (1.71).
Career Record Watch: With 99 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 337 career dimes, he is on pace to catch David President (339) this week. He also is seventh with 138 steals, six behind Preston Ivory for sixth (144), and is 37th with 260 rebounds, two behind Rob Wallace (262). Attaway has scored 599 points in his career, which ranks 35th all time. The 2003-04 Southland Conference (SLC) Freshman of the Year needs 15 points to catch former NBA player Rick Doyle (614).
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 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 21 games, the San Diego, Calif., native has pulled down a team-high 146 rebounds and is averaging 7.0 boards per contest, good for eighth 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 59.2 percent (5th/SLC) 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 season.
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 11 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 followed that with 17 points — including three treys — in the loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 27. Allen leads the team with 36 3-pointers and a 74.2-percent (46-62) free throw percentage and ranks third in scoring (11.0 ppg).
Improvement At The Line: After getting off to a tough start at the free throw line to start the season, UTSA has shown drastic improvement over the last month. The Roadrunners were shooting just 57.2 percent from the line entering conference play, but have converted 62.2 percent in SLC action. UTSA is shooting 76.7 percent (46-60) over the past four games.
Forecasting 400: In its 26th year, UTSA owns an all-time record of 384-346 (.526), including nine seasons of 17 or more victories, the last coming in 2003-04 (19-14).
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 Nicholls State on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The game will be televised live in the San Antonio area on Time Warner Cable channel 50.
