UTSA Roadrunners (6-5) at Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-5)
Wednesday, Jan. 2 ? 7 p.m. ? Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) ? Stillwater, Okla.
Series Record: OSU leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: Oklahoma State, 84-47 (Dec. 20, 2006)
SAN ANTONIO ? Following a 77-56 victory against McMurray last Friday,UTSA (6-5) returns to action this Wednesday, Jan. 2, against OklahomaState (7-5). Tip is set for 7 p.m. at Gallagher-Iba Arena inStillwater, Okla.
Tuning In: Live stats will be provided by Oklahoma State atokstate.com. Live audio and video (provided by Oklahoma State) will beavailable to Rowdy Zone subscribers at goUTSA.com. The game originallywas scheduled to air on the Cowboy Sports Network and ESPN Full Court,but television coverage has been dropped.
Fast Break Points:
? This is the fifth meeting between UTSA and Oklahoma State
? The Cowboys lead the all-time series, 4-0, with all four contests held at Gallagher-Iba
? UTSA is 0-1 (Texas) this season and 6-36 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference
? UTSA head coach Brooks Thompson was an All-Big Eight player atOklahoma State in 1992-94, an undergraduate assistant coach in 1998-99and director of basketball operations in 2000-01, all under thelegendary Eddie Sutton
? The Roadrunners are 0-4 on the road this season
UTSA/Oklahoma State Series History: This will be the fifth meetingbetween UTSA and Oklahoma State, with the Cowboys owning a 4-0 recordin the series. All four contests have been held at Gallagher-Iba Arenain Stillwater, Okla., including last year’s 84-47 decision. TheRoadrunners are 0-1 this season (L, 37-58 at Texas ? Nov. 12) and 6-36all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference.
Scouting Oklahoma State: The Cowboys improved to 7-5 on the season withan 82-36 thumping of Northwestern State on Monday afternoon inStillwater. That win marked the second consecutive victory against aSouthland Conference school following a 69-64 decision over UTArlington on Dec. 22. Freshman guard James Anderson leads the Cowboysin scoring with 17.5 points per game, while junior guard Terrel Harris(11.2) and senior forward Marcus Dove (10.4) also are scoring in doublefigures. Dove is the leading rebounder with 5.0 boards per contest,while junior guard Byron Eaton has a team-high 38 assists and 29steals. Head coach Sean Sutton, the son of Eddie Sutton, is 29-18 inhis second season at the helm.
Stillwater Ties: UTSA second-year head coach Brooks Thompson hasseveral ties with the storied Oklahoma State basketball program. TheLittleton, Colo., native was an All-Big Eight player in 1992-93 and1993-94 under legendary head coach Eddie Sutton and was one of eightNBA Draft First Round selections to come out of Oklahoma State.Thompson still holds the school record for steals in a season with 99in 1993-94 and finished his two-year career with averages of 15.8points (No. 9 all-time), 2.70 3-pointers (No. 2), 5.4 assists (No. 3)and 2.7 steals (No. 1) per game. Thompson also served as anundergraduate assistant coach in 1998-99 and as director of basketballoperations in 2000-01, both under Eddie Sutton. Thompson also has tieswith Eddie Sutton’s sons, Sean and Scott. He played with Scott, thecurrent head coach at Oral Roberts, in 1992-94,. while Sean, aletterwinner in 1990-92, was an assistant coach during those twoseasons.
Last Time Out: Junior Joey Shank poured in a game-high 22 points tohelp guide UTSA past McMurry, 77-56, last Friday night at theConvocation Center. Shank drained a season high-tying six 3-pointers enroute to his second 20-point outing of the year, while junior TravisGabbidon added 14 points and matched junior Antoine Dade with ateam-best eight rebounds as the Roadrunners improved to 6-5 on theseason. UTSA broke open a close game late in the first half, outscoringMcMurry, 17-2, over the final five minutes to take a 37-23 lead intothe locker room. Gabbidon keyed a 10-2 stretch to begin the second halfas the Roadrunners’ 26-4 run over an 8:40 span put the game out ofreach. Shank was red-hot to start the game, nailing his first fourattempts from downtown to help stake the Roadrunners to a 13-10 leadthrough the first eight minutes. He finished 6-of-10 from behind thearc, while UTSA made a season-high 10 3-pointers as a team. SeniorIsaiah Allen and freshman JohnMark Ludwick contributed eight pointsapiece, while freshman Devin Gibson posted nine assists ? one shy ofhis season high ? and five steals. UTSA forced 19 turnovers in thefirst half, the most in a half by an opponent this season, as McMurrycommitted an opponent-high 30 miscues for the game, 14 of those steals.The Roadrunners scored 33 points off turnovers, including eight on fastbreaks.
Tough Slate: UTSA will face one of its toughest schedules in recenthistory this season. Texas is ranked No. 14 in both The AssociatedPress and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Polls this week. Southland Conferencerivals Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin are receiving votes in The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Polls, respectively.Also on the slate are traditional powers Arkansas and Oklahoma State,Navy and SMU.
A Good Beginning: With a 4-1 start through its first five games thisyear, UTSA matched the best five-game start in school history whichalso was accomplished in the 1988-89 and 2001-02 seasons.
Closing In On 400: UTSA is closing in on victory No. 400 for theprogram. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 391-358 (.522).
New Faces: UTSA returned five letterwinners, each of whom earned oneletter apiece, from last year’s team which marked the least returningNCAA Division I experience in the nation entering this season. Atalented group of first-year players has joined forces with thereturnees and their contributions are being felt immediately. UTSA’stop three scorers ? junior Travis Gabbidon (12.5), freshman DevinGibson (11.1) and junior Joey Shank (10.8) ? are each in their firstseason of action, while Gabbidon (5.9), Gibson (3.9) and junior AntoineDade (4.3) rank as three of the team’s top four rebounders.
Record-Setting Defense: UTSA broke three school records in back-to-backgames last season. In a 64-49 victory against San Diego on Nov. 26, theRoadrunners limited the Toreros to 13-of-53 shooting from the floor, or24.5 percent, which broke the school record for lowest field goalpercentage by an opponent previously held by Howard Payne (26.9%) in1988. The 13 field goals also were the fewest allowed since Texas Statemade 14 in 1996. One game later, UTSA held Henderson State to 36points, breaking the previous fewest-points record of 42 set by TexasState in 1996. The Roadrunners surrendered just 649 field goals for theseason, also a new school record, and ranked second in the league inscoring defense (66.3 points per game). That trademark tough defensiveapproach has continued into this season as UTSA limited Hardin-Simmonsto just 47 points, including 19 in the first half, in the seasonopener. The Roadrunners held Texas to its lowest point total (58) sincea 46-43 loss at Texas A&M on March 1, 2006. UTSA held Paul Quinn to17 points below its scoring average and limited UMKC, which wasaveraging 9.8 3-point field goals made per game, to just five. TheRoadrunners held Texas Wesleyan to 54 points on Dec. 19, 16 below itsseason average entering that game.
Turnover Feast: A big key to UTSA’s early-season success can becontributed to its ability to force turnovers. Opponents have turnedthe ball over 228 times through 11 games, an average of 20.7 per game,and six teams have committed at least 20 turnovers, including aseason-high 30 by McMurry on Dec. 28. UTSA leads the SouthlandConference in steals per game (9.91) and turnover margin (+3.91).Individually, freshman Devin Gibson tops the league with 3.18 stealsper game. Additionally, the Roadrunners are 28th nationally in stealsper game, while Gibson is seventh according to the latest NCAA statsreleased Dec. 17.
Double-Double Tracker: Freshman Devin Gibson registered his firstcareer double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the loss at No.15 Texas. Senior Keith Spencer posted UTSA’s second double-double ofthe season with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the 93-79 win over PaulQuinn. Spencer recorded his second of the year and eighth of his UTSAcareer with 12 points and 10 boards in the 76-71 overtime loss atGeorgia State. Junior Travis Gabbidon posted his first double-doublewith game-highs of 21 points and 14 rebounds in the 70-54 win overTexas Wesleyan.
Gabbidon Gearing Up: Junior Travis Gabbidon has been a consistentscorer and rebounder for UTSA throughout the first part of his debutseason. The Phoenix, Ariz., native averaged 11.3 points and 4.8rebounds through the first eight games, scoring at least 11 points insix of those contests. He exploded for 21 points and 14 boards ? bothseason highs ? in the 70-54 win over Texas Wesleyan on Dec. 19, andfollowed that with 13 points and five rebounds at San Diego (Dec. 22)and 14 points and eight boards in the win over McMurry (Dec. 28). TheCollege of Southern Idaho transfer ranks 14th in scoring (14.5), 16thin rebounding (5.9), ninth in free throw percentage (.738) and seventh(2.82) in offensive boards among SLC players.
No Shank Shot Here: Junior Joey Shank has emerged as one of theleague’s top 3-point shooters this season. The Folsom, Calif., nativehas drained 30-of-70 from behind the arc for 42.9 percent, and isshooting 46 percent (40-of-87) from the floor overall. Shank also is aperfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line and is averaging 10.8 pointsper game. The American River College product ranks third in theSouthland Conference in 3-point field goals made per game with 2.73 andfifth in 3-point field goal percentage (42.9%). Shank drained four3-pointers en route to 16 points in the Paul Quinn victory and for anencore exploded with six treys en route to a game-high 23 points in the73-61 win over UMKC one game later. Shank buried 6 treys ? four in thefirst eight minutes ? in scoring 22 in the McMurry victory.
Second-Half Shooting The Key: In its six victories this season, UTSA isoutscoring its opponents by an average margin of 42-34 in the secondhalf. The Roadrunners have topped 40 points in the second half in fiveof the six wins, including a Brooks Thompson era-best 53 in the PaulQuinn victory. Hot shooting has been a major key to the post-halftimesuccess as UTSA is shooting 51.6 percent in the second stanza,including 63 percent against UMKC and 62.1 percent versus Paul Quinn,and has converted 21-of-50 (42.0%) from behind the arc. In its fivelosses, the Roadrunners have been outscored by an average margin of33-25 and have shot just 38.1 percent as a team, including just 9-of-42(21.4%) from behind the 3-point line.
Fall Signing Class: UTSA signed Richie Frolich (Oldendorf,Germany/Citrus College) and Leslie Jackson (Bryan, Texas/Blinn College)to National Letters of Intent for the 2008-09 season.
Next Up: UTSA travels to Edinburg to face Texas-Pan American onTuesday, Jan. 8. Tip has been moved from 7:30 to 7 p.m. at UTPAFieldhouse.
