· Game notes (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO -- UTSA (6-18, 2-9 SLC) will try to snap a three-game losing streak as it hosts rival Texas State (8-17, 3-9 SLC) on Saturday, Feb. 17, in the Homecoming Game. Tip is set for 6 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
UTSA Roadrunners (6-18, 2-9) vs. Texas State Bobcats (8-17, 3-9)
Saturday, Feb. 17 • 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, 27-15
Last Meeting: Texas State 67, UTSA 63 (Jan. 20, 2007)
Tuning In: The game will be televised live in the San Antonio area on Time Warner Cable channel 50. Ron Thulin (play-by-play) and Eric Buskirk (color) will call the action. The game also will be aired live on KKYX-680 AM and will be available online at goUTSA.com through a Rowdy Zone subscription. Stu Paul (play-by-play) and Edward Endicott (color) have the call.
Last Time Out: Junior Melvin Smith reached double figures for the 21st time this season, but Larry Posey’s double-double helped lead Texas-Arlington to an 81-52 victory over UTSA on Thursday night at Texas Hall. Smith scored 11 points, his 19th double-digit outing in the past 20 games, and led the Roadrunners in scoring for the 13th time this season. Junior Isaiah Allen added nine, while freshman Dezon Otis and senior Dwain Hall both had a season-high seven. Posey had a double-double at the half and finished with game highs of 15 points and 15 rebounds. Cardell Hunter (11), Tommy Moffitt (10) and Ro’ger Guignard (10) also reached double figures in scoring for the Mavericks, who won their fifth straight game. UTSA struggled from the floor, shooting just 32.7 percent (17-52). Meanwhile, UTA shot 50.9 percent (29-57) and outrebounded the Roadrunners, 47-32. The Mavericks used a 14-4 run to break open a tight game early, building a 32-18 lead with just over two minutes to play in the first half. A 5-0 run to start the second half pushed the lead to 41-23, and an alley-oop dunk from Jermaine Griffin made it a 19-point game at the 15:58 mark. The lead would grow to as many as 36 in the second half as UTA made six 3-pointers and forced 12 UTSA turnovers in the half.
UTSA/Texas State Series History: UTSA leads the all-time series with Texas, 27-15, but the Bobcats have won the past two meetings including a 67-63 decision on Jan. 20 in San Marcos. The Roadrunners are 6-4 against the Bobcats over the last 10 meetings and have a 13-8 record in games played at the Convocation Center.
Series Notes:
• This will be the 43rd meeting between UTSA and Texas State
• The Bobcats have won two straight in the series, including a 67-63 decision on Jan. 20
• The Roadrunners have won six of the last 10 meetings
• UTSA is 13-8 against the Bobcats at the Convocation Center
• Texas State head coach Doug Davalos is the son of Rudy Davalos, UTSA’s first athletics director
Scouting the Bobcats: Texas State has lost six straight game since defeating UTSA, 67-63, on Jan. 20. The Bobcats are 8-17 overall and in fifth place in the Southland Conference West Division at 3-9. Texas State ranks third in the league in scoring at 77.2 points per game, but is last in scoring defense, giving up 85.8 points per outing. Sophomore guard Brandon Bush leads the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg), while junior guard Brent Holder adds 9.8 points per contest. Senior guard Antwoine Blanchard has dished out a team-high 85 assists against 75 turnovers. Head coach Doug Davalos is in his first season.
Last Meeting: 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 on Jan. 20 at Strahan Coliseum. Spencer led all Roadrunners with 18 points and added nine rebounds, while Smith poured in 16. Francis posted his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and junior Isaiah Allen added nine points. 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 fade-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.
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 (16), Oklahoma State (38) and Gonzaga (45). In the two major polls, Washington State also is currently ranked No. 11, Oklahoma State is No. 20 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25, while the Cougars are No. 10 and the Cowboys are No. 18 in Associated Press Top 25 this week.
Tough At Home: The UTSA Convocation Center has been a tough place for opponents to play. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 232-103 (.693) 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 66.1 points per game. The Roadrunners are 4-0 this season when holding opponents to 49 points or less.
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 14 games in a Roadrunners uniform. The Alief Elsik High School product is averaging 10.4 points and a team-high 7.6 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 (1/13), 12 points and 10 boards at Texas State (1/20) and 12 points and 13 rebounds against Stephen F. Austin (2/3). In conference play, Francis ranks third in the league in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and eighth in blocked shots (1.27).
Smith Stepping Up: Junior guard Melvin Smith has emerged as one of UTSA’s most consistent outside shooters this season. The Covington, Tenn., native has scored in double digits in 19 of the last 20 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 14 points per game and is shooting 43.5 percent (118-271) from the floor. The Dodge City (Kan.) Community College transfer leads the team in scoring (13.5 ppg), field goals made (132) and minutes played (33.8 mpg) and has been the leading scorer for the Roadrunners 13 times this season. In SLC action, Smith’s 14.0 scoring average ranks eighth among league leaders.
That A Way, Attaway: Senior Kurt Attaway has relished in his role as the team’s floor general this season. Through 24 games (all starts), Attaway is averaging 7.0 points per game and has dished out a team-high 98 assists compared to only 60 turnovers (1.60 assist/turnover ratio). He also has a team-best 47 steals and is shooting 73.7 percent (42-57) from the free throw line. Attaway leads the SLC in steals (1.96) and fourth in assists (4.08 apg).
Career Record Watch: With 102 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 with five assists against Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 8. Attaway now stands third with 349 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 sixth with 149 steals, six behind President (155), and ranks 34th with 270 rebounds, two behind Clarence McGee (272). Attaway has scored 619 points in his career, which ranks 34th all time. The 2003-04 Southland Conference (SLC) Freshman of the Year needs two points to catch Cody Johnson for 33rd (621).
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 was named an honorable mention candidate for the John Wooden Citizenship Cup Award in January. Attaway recently earned first-team ESPN The Magazine/Academic All-District VI honors for the third consecutive season and will appear on the Academic All-America ballot later this month.
Wiping The Glass: Junior Keith Spencer has quickly established himself as a force on the glass in his first season with the Roadrunners. The San Diego, Calif., native has pulled down a team-high 171 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 57.4 percent (7th/SLC) from the floor this season, has reached double-digit rebounds seven times this year. He grabbed a season-best 12 boards at Washington State and against Nicholls State and has led the Roadrunners in rebounding in 13 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 40 3-pointers and a 75-percent (54-72) free throw percentage and ranks second in scoring (10.6 ppg).
Up Next: UTSA hits the road for a pair of tough league games at McNeese State next Thursday, Feb. 22, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday, Feb. 24.
