· Game notes (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO — UTSA (6-19, 2-10 SLC) hits the road for a pair of Southland Conference games, facing McNeese State (11-15, 6-6 SLC) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (20-5, 11-1 SLC) at noon on Saturday, Feb. 24.
UTSA Roadrunners (6-19, 2-10) at McNeese State Cowboys (11-15, 6-6)
Thursday, Feb. 22 • 7 p.m.
Burton Coliseum (8,000) • Lake Charles, La.
Audio: KKYX-680 AM/goUTSA.com
Series Record: UTSA leads, 19-14
Last Meeting: UTSA 100, McNeese 75 (Feb. 9, 2006)
UTSA Roadrunners at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (20-5, 11-1*)
Saturday, Feb. 24 • Noon
American Bank Center (8,500) • Corpus Christi, Texas
* Texas A&M-Corpus Christi plays at Lamar on Thursday
Audio: KKYX-680 AM/goUTSA.com
Series Record: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leads, 4-1
Last Meeting: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 78, UTSA 63 (Jan. 27, 2007)
Tuning In: Both games will be aired live on KKYX-680 AM and will be available online at goUTSA.com through a Rowdy Zone subscription. Kyle Stephens (play-by-play) has the call.
SLC Tournament Race: UTSA still is mathematically alive for one of eight spots in the O’Reilly Auto Part/Southland Conference Tournament set for March 8-11 at the Campbell Center in Houston. The Roadrunners are chasing six-win teams in McNeese State and Texas-Arlington and five-win teams in Lamar and Nicholls State. With four games remaining, UTSA needs victories and help from other teams down the stretch to clinch a spot.
Last Time Out: Junior Andrew Francis led four Roadrunners in double figures, but Chris Agwumaro poured in 19 to help Texas State rally from eight down to score a 77-65 victory against UTSA last Saturday night at the Convocation Center. Francis scored 13 and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds, while senior Kurt Attaway added 12 points and five assists. Juniors Ryan Williams (11) and Isaiah Allen (10) also reached double digits, while Williams matched Francis with seven boards. Agwumaro knocked down 5-of-7 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line to help the Bobcats sweep the season series. UTSA led by as many as eight in the first half and held a 35- 30 advantage at the break behind 54.5-percent (12-22) shooting from the floor. The Roadrunners held a 46-38 lead after a pair of free throws from freshman Dezon Otis at the 16:08 mark and still led 53-47 with 12:03 to play following a Francis layup. Texas State began a furious run with a Holder jumper and a Dylan Mosley 3-pointer, pulling the Bobcats to within one with just under 11 minutes remaining. Williams answered with a trey of his own, but that would be the last field goal for the Roadrunners until the 6:04 mark, as the Bobcats went on a 15-3 run in taking a 67-59 lead with just under four minutes to play. A pair of Allen freebies cut the deficit to 67-61, but that is as close as UTSA would get down the stretch as the Bobcats ended the game on a 30-8 run and outscored UTSA, 47-30, in the half. Missed free throws hurt the Roadrunners for the second time this season against Texas State. UTSA was 16-of-36 from the line tonight, and combined with a 19-for-39 effort in the Jan. 20 loss in San Marcos, 35-of-75 against the Bobcats this season.
UTSA/McNeese State Series History: UTSA leads the all-time series with McNeese State, 19-14, and has won three of the last four meetings. The Roadrunners are 7-9 against the Cowboys in Lake Charles, including a 78-74 loss on Jan. 7, 2006.
Series Notes:
• This will be the 34th meeting between UTSA and McNeese State
• UTSA leads the series, 19-14, and has won three of the last four
• The Roadrunners are 7-9 against the Cowboys in Lake Charles
Scouting the Cowboys: McNeese State is 11-15 overall and 6-6 in the Southland Conference, good for third place in the East Division. The Cowboys have won two straight and three of their last four games, capped by a 58-55 win at Central Arkansas last Saturday. Jarvis Bradley leads the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg), while John Ford (11.6) and Quentin Gonzales (10.9) also score in double digits. Head coach Dave Simmons, a former Northwestern State assistant, is in his first year.
UTSA/TAMU-CC Series History: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leads the all-time series with UTSA, 4-1, and has won the last four since dropping the first-ever meeting, 95-80, on Nov. 27, 1999. The Islanders are 2-0 against the Roadrunners in Corpus Christi, including 91-83 overtime decision on Jan. 2, 2006.
Series Notes:
• This will be the sixth meeting between UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
• The Islanders lead the series, 4-1, and have won four straight
• TAMU-CC is 2-0 against UTSA in Corpus Christi
Scouting the Islanders: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is 20-5 overall and in first place in the Southland Conference West Division at 11-1 entering a Thursday night game at Lamar. The Islanders have won 14 of 15 since a 79-61 setback at Purdue on Dec. 22, 2006, the only blemish an 84-79 home loss to Sam Houston State. Chris Daniels leads the team in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) and is posting 18.2 points and 7.8 boards per contest in league play. Josh Washington (14.3), Cedric Smith (9.9), Scooby Johnson (9.7) and Josh Ervin (8.3) are the other top scorers. Head coach Ronnie Arrow is 128-89 in his seventh season at the helm.
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 55 of the latest Sagarin Ratings Index — Washington State (14), Gonzaga (53) and Oklahoma State (54). In the two major polls, Washington State also is currently ranked No. 11 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 and No. 9 in The Associated Press Top 25 this week, while Oklahoma State is receiving votes in both polls.
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 66.6 points per game. The Roadrunners are 4-0 this season when holding opponents to 49 points or less, but 0-9 when an opponent score 70 or more.
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 15 games in a Roadrunners uniform. The Alief Elsik High School product is averaging 10.6 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game, and has led UTSA in scoring four times and rebounding 10 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 fourth in the league in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and sixth in blocked shots (1.50).
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 21 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 leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg), field goals made (135) and minutes played (33.5 mpg) and has been the leading scorer for the Roadrunners 13 times this season. In SLC action, Smith’s 13.4 scoring average ranks 11th among league leaders.
That A Way, Attaway: Senior Kurt Attaway has relished in his role as the team’s floor general this season. Through 25 games (all starts), Attaway is averaging 7.2 points per game and has dished out a team-high 103 assists compared to only 64 turnovers (1.6 assist/turnover ratio). He also has a team-best 48 steals and is shooting 72.4 percent (42-58) from the free throw line. Attaway leads the SLC in steals (1.92) and ranks fourth in assists (4.12 apg).
Career Record Watch: With 103 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 354 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 150 steals, five behind President (155), and ranks 34th with 271 rebounds, one behind Clarence McGee (272). Attaway has scored 631 points in his career, which ranks 33rd all time. The 2003-04 Southland Conference (SLC) Freshman of the Year needs 12 points to catch Justin Harbert for 32nd (643).
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 175 rebounds and is averaging 7.0 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 (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 percent (8th/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 41 3-pointers and a 75.3-percent (61-81) free throw percentage and ranks second in scoring (10.6 ppg).
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.
Up Next: UTSA returns home to host Sam Houston State next Thursday, March 1, in the final home game for the senior class of Kurt Attaway and Dwain Hall. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
