? Game notes (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO - UTSA concludes exhibition play on Sunday afternoon (4 p.m.) against the Dallas Diesel at the Convocation Center.
Runners cruise past Houston Jaguars: Junior Monica Gibbs posted a triple-double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to lead UTSA past the Houston Jaguars on Wednesday night. Sophomore Courtney Laing scored a game-high 23 points on 11-of-22 shooting, while senior Amanda Foster and freshman Amber Gregg chipped in with 14 points apiece. Meanwhile, freshman Jordan Stark hauled in 12 boards on the night.
Previous meeting: UTSA used a lethal combination of hot shooting and smothering defense en route to a 81-49 win over the Dallas Diesel last season. Vivian Ewalefo led four Roadrunners in double figures with 18 points, while Regan Burks added 15. Monica Gibbs and Ana Olievira poured in 17 and 11 points, respectively.
Preseason rankings: UTSA, which finished 14-16 overall and 9-7 in SLC play last season, was picked first and fourth, respectively, in this year’s Southland Conference Preseason Coaches and SIDs polls. The Roadrunners collected five first-places votes in the coaches rankings for a total of 52 points. In the SIDs poll, UTSA garnered 42 points.
Gibbs collects preseason honors: Junior Monica Gibbs was named to the 2007-08 SLC Preseason First Team. Gibbs, who was a second-team All-SLC pick a year ago, led the conference with 13 double-doubles in 29 games in 2006-07. The Stillwater, Okla., native led the team in rebounding (8.1) and assists (4.7) and her 12.9 points per game ranked second on the squad. She currently ranks sixth on UTSA’s all-time assists chart with 277 and sits 10th with 43 career blocks.
Davis 3-point watch: Senior Terrie Davis currently ranks second UTSA’s all-time chart with 113 career 3-pointers in 86 games. The Houston native is nine shy of surpassing Philicia Ross’ school record 121 career treys.
Head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair: Beginning her eighth season as head coach of the UTSA women’s basketball team, Rae Rippetoe-Blair has established herself as the winningest and longest-tenured head coach in UTSA history. Since her hiring in 2000, the Roadrunners have made the Southland Conference Tournament seven consecutive seasons, including two trips to the conference finals (2003 and 2006). She currently owns 113 wins at UTSA and her .557 winning percentage is second-best in school history. The Roadrunners have the second-most SLC wins (85) and second-best winning percentage (.685) since 2001. A two-time SLC Coach of the Year, Rippetoe-Blair has posted an overall mark of 220-134 in 11 plus years as a head coach.
Foster’s debut: Senior Amanda Foster, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, made her Roadrunners debut against the Houston Jaguars on Wednesday night. She scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in 19 minutes of action. The Utica, Kan., native transferred from Oklahoma State. She was named a WBCA/Kodak All-American and an honorable mention NJCAA All-America at Seward County College during 2004-05 season. In her one-year stint at Oklahoma State, Foster appeared in 27 games, including 15 Big 12 contests and averaged 2.6 points and 2.6 boards per game.
Laing pours it on against Jaguars: Sophomore Courtney Laing scored 23 points on 11-of-22 shooting and hauled in nine rebounds against the win against the Houston Jaguars. Lang posted two double-doubles, while appearing in 26 games in her rookie campaign. She averaged 4. 7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game a year ago.
Six newbies: UTSA welcomes six newcomers to this year’s team. Leading off this season’s recruiting class are a pair of junior transfers in Onika Anderson (Carl Albert CC) and Ryba Pawlaczyk (Casper College). Anderson was an All-America selection last season and a two-time NJCAA All-Region II honoree. She averaged a double-double with 17.9 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Pawlaczyk posted 14 points and 7.5 rebounds per game a year ago and was named honorable mention last season, then first-team All-Region in 2006 and ?07. A quartet of freshmen in Amber Gregg (McNeil HS), Cierra Martin (Pflugerville HS), Jordan Stark (Weatherford HS) and Whitney York (Bryan HS) round out this year’s class. Gregg averaged 17 points and 5.4 assists per game during her junior season. The Austin native is a three-time first-team District 15-5A honoree and she was voted as the team’s MVP the last two seasons. Martin averaged 13 points and eight rebounds per game while in high school. The Pflugerville native was named to the Texas Basketball Magazine all-state team last season. Stark averaged 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a senior. She also led the team in 3-point field goal percentage at 44 percent. York averaged 17 points and 5.4 assists per game as a senior. She was tabbed first-team all-state and academic all-state, was a McDonalds All-America nominee and named to the TABC All-Star team.
Next on tap: UTSA opens its 2007-08 regular season campaign on Friday, Nov. 9, against Huston-Tillotson at the Convocation Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
