? Game notes (.pdf)
UTSA at Tulsa
Saturday, Dec. 1? 1 p.m.
Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355)
SAN ANTONIO - UTSA posted a four-point (63-59) victory at Missouri State on Thursday to extend its winning streak to six in a row and tie the best start in school history since the 1996-97 season. The Roadrunners look to extend their winning ways this Saturday at Tulsa. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.
On the Web: Fans can listen to this weekend’s games (Rowdy Zone subscription) at www.goutsa.com. Providing play-by-play announcing for the Roadrunners is Stu Paul. Live stats will be provided by Tulsa (tulsahurricane.com) for Saturday’s game.
Strong start: The 6-0 start ties the best start since the 1996-97 season when the Roadrunners began the year winning the their first six games and finished 14-13 overall and 7-10 in SLC play.
Series meeting: UTSA and Tulsa tangle for the sixth time in series history. The Golden Hurricane lead the series, 4-1, and have won the last three meetings. Last season, Tulsa handed UTSA a four-point loss (61-57) on Nov. 25 in San Antonio. The Roadrunners are 1-1 in Tulsa.
Scouting the opponents: Tulsa fell to Arkansas-Little Rock 50-43 on Wednesday night in Tulsa, Okla. The Golden Hurricane picked up their first win of the season against Southland Conference foe Sam Houston State, 91-71, on Nov. 23. Teka Brooks and Tatum Beer rank one and two in points per game, respectively, at 9.9 ppg and 9.6 ppg. Meanwhile, Larrissa Williams is averaging a team-best 9.6 rebounds per contest.
Last time out: Freshman Jordan Stark posted her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to help the UTSA women’s basketball team to remain unbeaten with a 63-59 victory over Missouri State on Thursday night at the John Q. Hammons Student Center. With the win, the Roadrunners are tied for the best start in school history since the 1996-97 season.
Stark’s night out: Freshman Jordan Stark recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the win at Missouri State on Thursday night.
Returning home: A trio of UTSA players in Monica Gibbs, Kara McKay and Jordan Stark return to Oklahoma when the Roadrunners visit Tulsa on Saturday. Gibbs hails from Stillwater, Okla., and is only 70 miles and Stark is 177 West of Tulsa, while McKay lives 177 miles northeast from Tulsa.
Key to victory: In the win at Missouri State, UTSA was 21-of-25 from the free throw line, including 16-of-20 in the second the half.
Davis and Foster collect All-Classic honors: Seniors Terrie Davis and Amanda Foster led UTSA to a perfect 2-0 record last weekend. The duo combined for 31.0 points per game en route to collecting All-Classic honors. Davis averaged 17.5 points per contest, while Foster posted 13.5 points per game.
Davis 3-point watch: Senior Terrie Davis sits tied for first place with Philicia Ross on UTSA’s all-time chart with 121 career 3-pointers.
Cleaning the glass: Senior Amanda Foster stands second on the team with 7.8 rebounds per game this season and ranks fifth in the conference.
Sizzling on the court: UTSA shot a season-high 51 percent from the floor (26-of-51) against Georgia Southern on Nov 24. In four of their six games, the Roadrunners have shot 43 percent or better. Freshman Whitney York leads the way with a team-best 55.8 shooting percentage (21-of-34), which ranks second in the Southland.
Runners in the SLC: Senior Terrie Davis ranks fifth in the league in scoring (14.7 ppg), while Whitney York’s 12.0 points per game stands 15th in the conference. Junior Monica Gibbs is second with 8.7 boards per contest, while dishing out an SLC-best 5.10 assists per game. Senior Amanda Foster is fifth in the SLC averaging 7.8 rebounds per contest.
Offensive explosion: UTSA’s 71.5 points per game stands second in the SLC in scoring offense. The Roadrunners also lead the conference in scoring margin (+16.2) and shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and stand third.
Defensive hold: UTSA is holding opponents to a conference-best 55.3 points per game and ranks second in defensive field goal percentage at 36.1 percent.
York earns consecutive SLC honors: Freshman guard Whitney York became the first Roadrunner in school history to earn Southland Conference Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks. York posted a career-high 22 points and tallied five steals in the 68-60 win against Wichita State on Sunday. The Bryan native helped UTSA to a pair of wins against Huston-Tillotson (89-50) on Nov. 9 and Belmont (77-65) on Nov. 11. In her Roadrunner debut, she tallied 12 points and was 10-of-10 from the free throw line. York then chipped in with 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.
Birdcage dominance: UTSA has proven time after time that home court advantage can result in a successful season. The Roadrunners are an impressive 221-129 (.631) at the Convocation Center all-time, including 5-0 this season.
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.
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 226-134 in 11 plus years as a head coach.
Next on tap: UTSA travels to Miami, Fla., for a matchup against Florida International on Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. (CT).
