? Game notes (.pdf)
UTSA vs. Wichita State
Sunday, Nov. 11 ? 7 p.m.
UTSA Convocation Center (4,080)
SAN ANTONIO - UTSA opened its 2007-08 season with a pair of convincing wins last weekend at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners continue their season-opening five-game home stand this Sunday against Wichita State at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
On the Web: Fans can watch and listen to all of the UTSA women’s basketball games (Rowdy Zone subscription) and follow the Roadrunners through live stats free of charge this season at www.goutsa.com. Providing play-by-play announcing for the Roadrunners is Stu Paul.
Series meeting: Wichita State and UTSA are meeting for the third time in series history and the Shockers hold a 2-0 lead over the Roadrunners. In their last meeting, the Shockers collected the 63-54 victory on Nov. 3, 2003, in San Antonio.
Scouting the opponents: Wichita State is coming off a 57-40 win against Texas Southern on Monday night in Wichita, Kan. Despite a cold shooting performance in the first half (18 percent), the Shockers shot 53 percent and outscored Texas Southern 39-19 in the second frame. Leading the way for WSU was Marcy Frazier, who posted game-high honors with 16 points, while Kyrie Kinder recorded a game-best 11 rebounds.
Last time out: UTSA opened its regular season with a 39-point rout against Huston-Tillotson on Friday, then handed Belmont a 77-65 loss two days later at the Convo. Sophomore Courtney Laing recorded her first double-double of the season with career-highs of 23 points and 11 rebounds against H-T. In the win versus the Bruins, senior Terrie Davis’ 20-point effort led three Roadrunners in double-figures scoring.
Laing’s top 20: Sophomore Courtney Laing began the season just like she ended the preseason scoring 20-plus points in the home opener against Huston-Tillotson. In her two exhibition games, she posted 23 against the Houston Jaguars on Oct. 31 and 29 versus the Dallas Diesel on Nov. 4. The Abilene native tallied a career-high 23 points on Friday night and hauled in 11 rebounds en route to her first double-double of the season.
Freshmen sensation: The trio of Amber Gregg, Jordan Stark and Whitney York showcased their skills in their UTSA debut on Friday night. Gregg scored seven points and was a perfect 2-of-2 from the 3-point line, while Stark came off the bench and poured in a career-high 20 points and connected on four 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Whitney York made her first career start as a Roadrunner and responded with 12 points in the win versus H-T.
York earns SLC honors: Freshman guard Whitney York earned Southland Conference Player of the Week honors on Tuesday. York, who started both games over the weekend, helped UTSA to a pair of season-opening wins against Huston-Tillotson (89-50) on Friday and Belmont (77-65) on Sunday. In her Roadrunner debut, the Bryan native tallied 12 points and was 10-of-10 from the free throw line. York then chipped in with a career-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, while grabbing a career-best eight boards and dishing out four assists in the 12-point victory against Belmont.
Clearing the glass: Senior Amanda Foster has collected a team-best 22 rebounds (11.0 rpg) this season. Foster pulled down 10 rebounds against Huston-Tillotson, then followed that with a career-high 12 boards versus Belmont on Sunday.
Davis 3-point watch: Senior Terrie Davis currently ranks second on UTSA’s all-time chart with 116 career 3-pointers in 88 games. The Houston native connected on three 3-pointers against Belmont and is six shy of surpassing Philicia Ross’ school-record 121 career treys.
Birdcage dominance: UTSA has proven time after time that home court advantage can result in a successful season. The Roadrunners are an impressive 218-129 (.628) at the Convocation Center all-time.
Deja vu start: This is the second time in head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair’s tenure that the Roadrunners have gotton off to a 2-0 start. The last time UTSA began the season 2-0 was during the 2005-06 season that resulted in a trip to the SLC Conference Finals.
Gibbs’ sees triple and double: Junior Monica Gibbs recorded a triple-double (19 pts, 12 rbs, 10 ast) against the Houston Jaguars on Oct. 31, and followed that effort with a double-double (14 pts, 15 rbs) versus the Dallas Diesel on Nov. 4.
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 288 and sits 10th with 43 career blocks.
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 and was a two-time first-team All-Region honoree. 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 McDonald’s All-America nominee and TABC All-Star team member.
Head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair: In 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 school 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 115 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 222-134 in 11 plus years as a head coach.
Next on tap: UTSA concludes its home stand when it hosts the annual UTSA Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 23-24 at the Convocation Center.
