2007 Tulane Doubletree Classic
UTSA (6-2) vs. Virginia Tech (8-2)
Thursday, Dec. 20 ? 8 p.m.
Fogelman Arena (3,600)
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA looks to snap its two-game losing this week at the 2007 Tulane Doubletree Classic on Dec. 20-21, in New Orleans, La. The Roadrunners will face ACC member Virginia Tech on Thursday at 8 p.m.
On the Web: Fans can listen to the game (Rowdy Zone subscription) at www.goutsa.com. Providing play-by-play announcing is Assistant Sports Information Director Carlos Valdez. Live stats will be provided by Tulane at www.tulanegreenwave.com.
Rippetoe-Blair’s quick start: UTSA’s 6-2 record is the best start for head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair during her eight year tenure with the Roadrunners.
Series meeting: UTSA and VT meet for the first time. The Roadrunners are 0-1 against schools from the Atlantic Coast Conference. UTSA’s llost to Duke (71-68) on Dec. 7, 1990, at the SWT Jowers Jamboree in San Marcos.
Scouting the opponent: Virginia Tech is 8-2 on the season and has won five of its last six contests. The Hokies are 1-1 in neutral sites games this year. VT suffered its second loss of the season at UNC Charlotte (76-55) on Dec. 16. The Hokies are led by Brittany Cook’s 17.8 points per game, while Andrea Barbour ranks second on the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and Drye Utahya stands third (10.1 ppg).
Last time out: Florida International broke open a 28-all contest with a 17-0 second-half run and cruised to a 68-57 victory against UTSA on Dec. 14 at Pharmed Arena. Onika Anderson, playing her first game as a Roadrunner, led UTSA with 11 points and she also grabbed eight rebounds. Junior Monica Gibbs added nine points and game-highs of 12 boards and seven assists. The preseason first-team All-SLC choice also recorded a career-best six steals, the sixth-best single-game total in school history, and a pair of blocks. Freshman Jordan Stark scored nine points, all in the first half, on three shots behind the arc.
Anderson has huge debut: Junior Onika Anderson made her Roadrunner debut at Florida International on Dec. 14. The Pine Bluff, Ark., native led the team in scoring with 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
Postseason experience: UTSA’s 2007-08 schedule has them pinned up against five teams that advanced to postseason play last season, including three teams (Belmont, Robert Morris and UT Arlington) that went to the NCAA Tournament. The Roadrunners will face VT, who last year participated in the WNIT, on Thursday night and a possible match up against either Tulane (WNIT participant) or Robert Morris (NCAA participant). The Roadrunners will play their final postseason participant, UT Arlington, in conference action.
Shooting struggles: UTSA has lost its shooting touch over its last three games. Since making a season-high 51 percent against Georgia Southern on Nov. 24, the Roadrunners are shooting 25.1 percent from the field. In the past two contests, UTSA recorded a 20-percent outing and a 25-percent shooting performance.
Davis set new mark: Senior Terrie Davis broke UTSA’s all-time 3-point record on her first attempt at Tulsa on Dec. 1. The Houston native has made a school-record 124 treys. Davis connected on three 3-pointers in the win against Belmont on Nov. 11.
Cleaning the glass: Senior Amanda Foster stands second on the team with 8.0 rebounds per game this season and ranks fourth in the conference. She collected a career-high 12 rebounds against Belmont on Nov. 11.
Runners in the SLC: Senior Terrie Davis leads the team in scoring and ranks ninth in the league at 12.6 points per game. Freshman Jordan Stark is 19th with 10.3 points per contest, while freshman Whitney York’s 10.0 points per outing stands 23rd in the conference. Junior Monica Gibbs is second with 9.0 boards per contest, while dishing out a league-best 5.1 assists per game. Gibbs also ranks fourth in the conference in steals (3.0 spg). Senior Amanda Foster is fourth in the SLC averaging 8.0 rebounds per contest.
Offensive explosion: UTSA’s 67.8 points per game stands second in the SLC in scoring offense. The Roadrunners also lead the conference in scoring margin (+8.0).
Defensive hold: UTSA ranks second in scoring defense at 59.8 points per game and stands fourth in field goal percentage defense at 38.3 percent.
Stark collects SLC POW honors: Freshman Jordan Stark, who averaged a double-double against Missouri State and Tulsa, collected Southland Conference Player of the Week honors on Dec. 3. The Weatherford, Okla., native averaged 14.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game en route to collecting the weekly honor. She joins freshman two-time honoree Whitney York as UTSA has collected three weekly awards this season.
Stark’s doubling up: 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 Nov. 29. She then registered her second straight double-double with 15 points and 12 boards against Tulsa on Dec. 1.
York earns consecutive SLC honors: Freshman 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 Nov. 18. 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 Roadrunners 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 last season. She currently ranks fifth on UTSA’s all-time assists chart with 318 and sits 10th with 47 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 119 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 226-136 in 11 plus years as a head coach.
Next on tap: UTSA ends its five-game road trip against either Robert Morris or Tulane in the consolation or championship game of the 2007 Tulane Doubletree Classic at 5 or 7 p.m., in New Orleans, La.
