UTSA Roadrunners (6-8, 0-1) vs. Central Arkansas Bears (11-5, 1-1)
Thursday, Jan. 17 ? 7 p.m.
Convocation Center (4,080) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series Record: Central Arkansas leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Central Arkansas, 59-49 (Jan. 11, 2007)
Opening Tip: UTSA (6-8, 0-1) looks to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts Central Arkansas (11-5, 1-1) in the Southland Conference home opener this Thursday, Jan. 17. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest.
Tuning In: The game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest. Carter Blackburn (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (color) will call the action. Please check your local listings for availability in your area. Live audio will be available to Rowdy Zone subscribers at goUTSA.com. Andy Everett has the call. Live stats will be provided by UTSA at goUTSA.com. Due to exclusive broadcast rights owned by FOX Sports Net, live video will not be available.
Fast Break Points:
? This is just the second meeting between UTSA and Central Arkansas
? The Bears won the only meeting, 59-49, on Jan. 11, 2007, in Conway, Ark.
? The Roadrunners are 15-6 all-time in home conference openers (11-5 SLC/4-1 TAAC)
? UTSA’s last league-opening home win was a 69-56 victory against Louisiana-Monroe on Jan. 14, 2006
? The Roadrunners are 5-1 at the Convocation Center this season and 11-9 under second-year head coach Brooks Thompson
UTSA/Central Arkansas Series History: This is just the second meeting between UTSA and Central Arkansas, a second-year member of the Southland Conference located in Conway, Ark. The Bears won the first-ever meeting, 59-49, on Jan. 11, 2007, in Conway.
Last Meeting: Andrew Francis and Melvin Smith scored 12 points apiece, but Nate Bowie poured in a game-high 14, as Central Arkansas fended off a furious second-half rally and outlasted UTSA, 59-49, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools on Jan. 11, 2007, at the Farris Center. Francis and Smith combined for 16 points in the second half and helped UTSA fight back from a 17-point deficit to within six with less than three minutes to play. Keith Spencer added 11 points and eight boards. UCA led by nine, 32-23, at the break and quickly extended the lead to 15 with a 7-1 run to start the second half. A Marcus Pillow trey made it 46-29 in favor of the Bears with 9:35 remaining. UTSA cut the deficit to single digits as Kurt Attaway capped a 10-0 run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the 5:15 mark. Spencer made it a six-point game on a layup with just over two minutes to play and a pair of Francis free throws had UTSA within 53-47 with 58 ticks left. However, UCA made 6-of-7 free throws from there and held on for the win. Both teams struggled early offensively, as UTSA missed its first six shots from the field. The Roadrunners held a 12-11 lead after a monster dunk by Francis at the 8:37 mark, but that would be the last lead of the game for UTSA. UCA heated up over the final three minutes of the first half, draining a pair of 3-pointers including a trey at the buzzer by Fred Campbell, for a 32-23 lead at the half.
Scouting Central Arkansas: The Bears split a pair of Southland Conference games at home last week, upending UT Arlington, 70-68, in overtime on Thursday, and falling to Texas State, 78-72, on Saturday. UCA enters Thursday’s game at 11-5 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Bears are 2-4 on the road, winning at UT Martin, 78-75, and at Jacksonville State, 82-68. Senior guard Nate Bowie and sophomore guard Marcus Pillow form a solid one-two punch in scoring on the perimeter, averaging 14.8 and 14.3 points per game, respectively. Junior guard York Sims pitches in with 11.1 points per game, while senior forward Durrell Nevels posts 10.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest. Head coach Rand Chappell is 82-53 in his fifth season at the helm.
Statistical Comparison
Last Time Out: Senior Keith Spencer registered his third double-double of the season and junior Joey Shank poured in a game-high 17 points, but Currye Todd led four players in double figures with 16, as Lamar downed UTSA, 81-56, in the Southland Conference opener for both teams Saturday night at the Montagne Center. Spencer pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds and scored 10 points for his ninth double-double in a Roadrunner uniform. Shank drained five 3-pointers, his eighth game with at least three treys, while junior Travis Gabbidon, who left the game early in the second half with an injury, added 10 points, as UTSA fell to 6-8 overall. The Roadrunners played without point guards Devin Gibson, Omar Johnson and Orrin Greer and forward Andrew Francis, who were out due to injury. Currye nailed four of Lamar’s 10 3-pointers on the evening as the Cardinals shot 56.9 percent from the floor as a team in improving to 7-7 and 1-0. Lamar Sanders posted 15 points and eight boards, while Darren Hopkins (15) and Matthew Barrow (14) also reached double digits. UTSA and Lamar traded leads seven times in the first half. Lamar jumped out to an early five-point advantage, but UTSA took its first lead, 14-11, on a Shank trey at the 10:52 mark. The Roadrunners held a 30-29 lead with just under two minutes showing on the clock, but Lamar closed the half on a 6-2 run. The Roadrunners blitzed out of the locker room with a 5-0 run through the first 1:03 of the second half to take a 36-35 lead. Lamar responded with 10 unanswered and eventually went on a 19-2 run over a seven minute span to break the game open. The lead would grow to as many 28 in the final minutes as the Cardinals won for the sixth consecutive time in the series.
Injury Bug: UTSA has been bitten by the injury bug this season. Seven players have missed a combined 38 games through the first 14 contests, including junior guard Omar Johnson, who has yet to play due to a stress reaction in his lower leg. Senior forward Andrew Francis injured his knee in the second half of the season opener on Nov. 9 and has not returned, while freshman center Russ Permenter broke his right (shooting) hand in the first half of the opener and missed the next five games. Junior forward Antoine Dade missed the first game due to an ankle sprain, senior forward Keith Spencer missed the first two games due to a concussion sustained in practice on Nov. 8 and freshman guard Devin Gibson has missed the last two games due to a concussion suffered in practice on Jan. 6. Junior guard Orrin Greer is out indefinitely after hurting his knee in the second minute of the Texas-Pan American on Jan. 8. Junior forward Travis Gabbidon now is out indefinitely after injuring his foot in the second half of the Lamar game on Jan. 12.
Tough Slate: UTSA is facing one of its toughest schedules in recent history this season. Texas is ranked No. 19 and Arkansas is receiving votes in both The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Polls this week. Southland Conference rivals Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin have received votes in both polls earlier this season. Also on the slate are Oklahoma State, Navy and SMU.
A Good Beginning: With a 4-1 start through its first five games this year, UTSA matched the best five-game start in school history, which also was accomplished in the 1988-89 and 2001-02 seasons.
Home Sweet Home: The Convocation Center has been a tough place for opponents to play. The Roadrunners are 237-106 (.691) all-time at home, including 5-1 at this year.
Comfy Confines: The Roadrunners enjoy playing in the comfy confines of the Convocation Center and the results show up in the stats. UTSA is 5-1 in the Convo and is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 73-60. All five home victories have been by at least 12 points, while the only loss is a 62-56 blemish to SMU. The Roadrunners are forcing 23.8 turnovers per game at home and have come up with 11.7 steals per contest.
Closing In On 400: UTSA is closing in on victory No. 400 for the program. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 391-361 (.520).
New Faces: UTSA returned five letterwinners, each of whom earned one letter apiece, from last year’s team which marked the least returning NCAA Division I experience in the nation entering this season. A talented group of first-year players has joined forces with the returnees and their contributions are being felt immediately. UTSA’s top three scorers ? junior Travis Gabbidon (13.9), freshman Devin Gibson (11.8) and junior Joey Shank (11.4) ? are each in their first season of action, while Gabbidon (5.8), Gibson (3.9) and junior Antoine Dade (3.8) rank as three of the team’s top four rebounders.
Turnover Feast: A big key to UTSA’s early-season success can be contributed to its ability to force turnovers. Opponents have turned the ball over 270 times through 14 games, an average of 19.3 per game, and seven teams have committed at least 20 turnovers, including a season-high 30 by McMurry on Dec. 28. UTSA ranks second in the Southland Conference and in 25th in the NCAA in steals per game (9.5) and are third in the league in turnover margin (+2.64). Individually, freshman Devin Gibson tops the league and is third nationally with 3.25 steals per game.
Double-Double Tracker: Freshman Devin Gibson registered his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the loss at No. 15 Texas. Senior Keith Spencer posted UTSA’s second double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the 93-79 win over Paul Quinn. Spencer recorded his second of the year with 12 points and 10 boards in the 76-71 overtime loss at Georgia State. Junior Travis Gabbidon posted his first double-double with game-highs of 21 points and 14 rebounds in the 70-54 win over Texas Wesleyan. Spencer added his ninth career double-double with 10 points and 13 boards in the loss at Lamar.
Gabbidon Gearing Up: Junior Travis Gabbidon has been a consistent scorer and rebounder for UTSA throughout the first part of his debut season. The Phoenix, Ariz., native averaged 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds through his first eight games, scoring at least 11 points in six of those contests. He exploded for 21 points and 14 boards in the 70-54 win over Texas Wesleyan and poured in 31 points ? including 19 in the first half ? and grabbed nine rebounds against Texas-Pan American. Gabbidon is averaging 17.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest over his last six games. The College of Southern Idaho transfer ranks in the top 25 among SLC players in eight different categories ? ninth in scoring (13.9), 15th in rebounding (5.8), eighth in free throw percentage (.759), 20th in 3-point field goal percentage (.353), 23rd in 3-point field goals made per game (1.29), 13th (2.36) in offensive boards, 3.43 in defensive rebounds and 21st in minutes per game (28.07).
30-Point Plateau: Junior Travis Gabbidon’s 31 points against Texas-Pan American on Jan. 8 marked the first time a Roadrunner topped the 30-point plateau since LeRoy Hurd scored 31 against Northwestern State on Jan. 24, 2004. Hurd also is the last Roadrunner to top 30 points twice in the same season as he posted 33 points against Sul Ross State on Dec. 15, 2003.
No Shank Shot Here: Junior Joey Shank has emerged as one of the league’s top 3-point shooters this season. The Folsom, Calif., native has drained 42-of-98 from behind the arc for 42.9 percent, and is shooting 44.6 percent (54-of-121) from the floor overall. Shank also is a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line and is averaging 11.4 points per game. The American River College product is tied for first in the Southland Conference (41st nationally) in 3-point field goals made per game with 3.00 and ranks fifth in the league and 44th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (42.9%). Shank has drained three or more 3-pointers in a game eight times this season, including six against UMKC and McMurry and five versus Lamar.
Freshman Phenom: Freshman Devin Gibson has stepped into the starter’s role at point guard and excelled on both ends of the floor in his first season with UTSA. The Cy-Falls High product leads the Southland Conference and is third in the NCAA in steals per game (3.25), and he ranks second in the league in assists per game (4.83) and eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.32). Gibson is UTSA’s second-leading scorer and the top SLC freshman (17th overall) at 11.8 points per game. He has led UTSA in scoring in six games ? including a season-high 23 in the Paul Quinn win ? and rebounding twice, and posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds in a head-to-head battle with Texas’ D.J. Augustin. In another meeting with a high-profile point guard ? Oklahoma State’s Byron Eaton ? Gibson posted 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals. He has missed the last two games due to a concussion but is expected to return against Central Arkansas.
Wiping the Glass: Senior Keith Spencer missed the first two regular season games but has returned to the lineup with a vengeance. The San Diego, Calif., native is averaging a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game. In his second game back, he posted his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 boards in the 93-79 win over Paul Quinn. He followed that with 14 points and seven rebounds in the UMKC victory and then grabbed 12 rebounds in the SMU loss, despite playing just 22 minutes due to foul trouble. He recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards in the overtime loss at Georgia State and posted his ninth career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the loss at Lamar. Spencer has been the team’s leading rebounder six times. Spencer led the squad with 206 rebounds last season and is pulling down 6.9 boards per outing for his UTSA career.
Second-Half Shooting The Key: In its six victories this season, UTSA is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 42-34 in the second half. The Roadrunners have topped 40 points in the second half in five of the six wins, including a Brooks Thompson era-best 53 in the Paul Quinn victory. Hot shooting has been a major key to the post-halftime success 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 and 68-of-100 (68%) from the charity stripe.
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 hosts Northwestern State on Saturday, Jan. 19. Tip is set for 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
