· Game notes (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO — UTSA will look to rebound from a tough 64-57 loss to Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday night as the Roadrunners (6-16, 2-7 SLC) host Nicholls State (4-20, 3-7 SLC) on Saturday. Tip is set for 6 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
UTSA Roadrunners (6-16, 2-7) vs. Nicholls State Colonels (4-20, 3-7)
Saturday, Feb. 10 • 6 p.m.
Convocation Center (4,500) • San Antonio, Texas
TV: Time Warner Cable, Channel 50
Audio: KKYX-680 AM/goUTSA.com
Series Record: UTSA leads, 21-16
Last Meeting: UTSA 67, Nicholls State 50 (Feb. 2, 2006)
Tuning In: The game will be televised live in the San Antonio area on Time Warner Cable channel 50. Jason Minnix (play-by-play) and Dan Hughes (color) will call the action. The game also will air on KKYX-680 AM and will be available online at goUTSA.com. Stu Paul (play-by-play) and Edward Endicott (color) have the call. Due to the television broadcast, live video will not be available.
Last Time Out: Junior Keith Spencer posted his fourth double-double of the season, but Daryl Cohen and Quennell Green combined for 28 points to lead Southeastern Louisiana past UTSA, 64-57, on Thursday night at the Convocation Center. Spencer scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Roadrunners, while junior Melvin Smith poured in 15, his 17th double-digit outing of the season. Senior Kurt Attaway added 10 points and five assists. Cohen, who leads the league in 3-point field goals, drained 4-of-9 from downtown en route to 15 points, while Green was 6-of-9 from the floor in posting 13 for the Lions. UTSA overcame an early five-point deficit and built a 25-21 lead at the break behind 55.6 shooting (10-18 FGs) from the field. Spencer had seven to lead the Roadrunners, who held the Lions to just one 3-pointer in the half. The Roadrunners pushed the lead to 31-26 on an Attaway layup at the 16:44 mark. The Lions answered with a 13-0 run over the next 3:36 behind a pair of 3-pointers from Cohen and one from Green. SLU’s lead grew to as many 10 with 8:33 to play.UTSA responded with an 8-1 run, pulling to within 52-49 on an Isaiah Allen trey with just under five minutes remaining. Spencer answered a Joseph Polite jumper with a tip-in to make it 54-51 with three minutes to play, but that is as close as UTSA would get. SLU was 2-for-2 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch, holding on for the seven-point victory.
UTSA/Nicholls State Series History: UTSA leads the all-time series with Nicholls State, 21-16, and has won the last 10 meetings. The Roadrunners are 12-4 against the Colonels in the Convocation Center. Nicholls State last defeated UTSA, 67-59, on Jan. 6, 2001, in Thibodaux, La., and last won at the Convo, 104-99, in double-overtime on Feb. 13, 1999.
Series Notes:
• This will be the 38th meeting between UTSA and Nicholls State
• The Roadrunners have won the last 10 meetings and lead the series, 21-16
• UTSA is 12-4 against the Colonels in the Convocation Center
• The last win for Nicholls State was a 67-59 decision on Jan. 6, 2001
Scouting the Colonels: Nicholls State (4-20, 3-7 SLC) features the league’s leading scorer, senior guard Stefan Blaszczynski, who is averaging a team-high 19.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Senior guard Adonis Gray (13.5) and Ryan Bathie (11.6) also score in double figures. The Colonels drained 21 3-pointers in a 107-91 loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night and have made a league-best 206 (8.6 per game) this season. Head coach J.P. Piper is 19-59 in his fourth season.
Last Meeting: Eric Young posted a double-double as UTSA built a big lead early and held on for a 67-50 victory against Nicholls State on Feb. 2, 2006, at the Convocation Center. Young scored 16 points and added 11 rebounds, while Abe Donlon registered 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and nine boards. Andre Owens and Kyile Byrd pitched in 12 points apiece. UTSA dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Colonels, 50-27. The Roadrunners also shot 41.8 percent from the floor while holding Nicholls to 30.9. Ryan Bathie led the Colonels with 14 points. UTSA jumped out to a 14-4 lead through the first 6:37 behind seven early points from Young. He continued to pile on the points as his trey from the right wing gave him 15 and UTSA a 27-12 lead with 6:44 to play in the half. The Roadrunners were 7-of-11 from behind the arc in the half, pushing the lead to 41-22 on a Byrd 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:14 left. Byrd added a long jumper just before the buzzer to make the score 43-25. UTSA used a 6-0 run to start the second half to extend the lead to 49-25 with 14:40 remaining. The Colonels cut it to 59-40 on a 3-pointer from Justin Payne, but UTSA quickly answered with back-to-back lay-ups by Donlon and Owens. Bathie drained a long trey from the left wing to bring Nicholls to within 65-48 with 2:51 to play, and the Colonels eventually cut the deficit to 15 in the final minute, but it was all too late as UTSA held on for the 67-50 victory.
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 65.5 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 232-102 (.695) 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 12 games in a Roadrunners uniform. The Alief Elsik High School product is averaging 11.2 points and a team-high 7.9 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 14th in scoring (12.7 ppg).
Smith Stepping Up: Junior guard Melvin Smith has stepped up his game and emerged as a solid mid-range shooter. The Covington, Tenn., native has scored in double digits in 17 of the last 18 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 nearly 15 points per game and is shooting 45 percent (108-240) from the floor. The Dodge City (Kan.) Community College transfer leads the team in scoring (13.7 ppg), field goals made (122) and minutes played (33.5 mpg) and has been the leading scorer for the Roadrunners 11 times this season. In SLC action, Smith’s 14.7 scoring average is tied for fourth among league leaders.
That A Way, Attaway: Senior Kurt Attaway has relished in his role as the team’s floor general this season. Through 22 games (all starts), Attaway is averaging a career-best 7.1 points per game and has dished out a team-high 91 assists compared to only 51 turnovers. He also has a team-best 38 steals and is shooting 74.1 percent (40-54) from the free throw line. Attaway ranks fourth in the SLC in assists (4.14 apg) and steals (1.73).
Career Record Watch: With 100 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 David President into fourth place on UTSA’s career chart five assists against Southeastern Louisiana. Attaway now has 342 career assists and could catch Thaddeus Wordlaw for second place (388) this season. Lloyd Williams holds the school record with 536 dimes. Attaway also is seventh with 140 steals, four behind Preston Ivory for sixth (144), and is 37th with 261 rebounds, one behind Rob Wallace (262). Attaway has scored 609 points in his career, which ranks 35th all time. The 2003-04 Southland Conference (SLC) Freshman of the Year needs five 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 22 games, the San Diego, Calif., native has pulled down a team-high 157 rebounds and is averaging 7.1 boards per contest, good for sixth 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 (Dec. 30). His fourth double-double (14/11) came in the loss to Southeastern Louisiana (Feb. 8). Spencer, who also is shooting a team-high 59.4 percent (4th/SLC) from the floor this season, has reached double-digit rebounds six times this year. He grabbed a season-best 12 boards at Washington State and has led the Roadrunners in rebounding in 12 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 37 3-pointers and a 75.8-percent (50-66) free throw percentage and ranks third in scoring (10.9 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 63.6 percent in SLC action. UTSA is shooting 75.6 percent (65-86) over the past five games and is above 60 percent (60.3) for the first time this year.
Forecasting 400: In its 26th year, UTSA owns an all-time record of 384-345 (.525), 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 returns to the road next Thursday, Feb. 15, at Texas-Arlington. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at Texas Hall.
