UTSA Roadrunners (7-8, 1-1) vs. Northwestern State Demons (7-10, 3-0)
Saturday, Jan. 19 ? 2 p.m.
Convocation Center (4,080) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series Record: UTSA leads, 19-15
Last Meeting: Northwestern State, 82-62 (Jan. 13, 2007)
SAN ANTONIO ? Fresh off an 81-77 win over Central Arkansas on Thursdaynight, UTSA (7-8, 1-1 SLC) hosts Southland Conference East Divisionleaders Northwestern State (7-10, 3-0 SLC) on Saturday, Jan. 19. Tip isset for 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Tuning In: Live audio and video 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.
Fast Break Points:
? This is the 35th meeting between UTSA and Northwestern State
? The Roadrunners are 13-3 against the Demons at the Convocation Center
? Northwestern State won the last meeting, 82-62, on Jan. 13, 2007, in Natchitoches, La.
? UTSA’s last victory in the series was an 86-78 decision on Jan. 22, 2005, in San Antonio
? The Roadrunners are 6-1 at the Convocation Center this season and 12-9 under second-year head coach Brooks Thompson
? UTSA forced 22 Central Arkansas turnovers on Thursday, the eighth opponent to commit 20 or more this season
UTSA/Northwestern State Series History: This will be the 35th meeting between UTSA and Northwestern State and the 17th in San Antonio. UTSA leads the series, 19-15, and is 13-3 against the Demons at the Convocation Center. Northwestern State has won the last four and five of the past six meetings, including an 82-62 decision on Jan. 13, 2007, in Natchitoches, La. UTSA’s last victory in the series was an 86-78 decision on Jan. 22, 2005, in San Antonio.
Last Meeting: Andrew Francis posted his first double-double in a Roadrunner uniform, but Gerrell Thomas and Kennan Jones combined for 32 points to lead Northwestern State past UTSA, 82-62, on Jan. 13, 2007, at Prather Coliseum. Francis scored 16 points and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds to lead the Roadrunners. Melvin Smith scored 18 on 7-of-11 shooting, while Isaiah Allen added 12 points. UTSA outrebounded the Demons, 40-29, and shot 38.3 percent (18-47) from the field. Jones and Thomas scored 16 apiece for the Demons, who shot 50 percent (27-54) for the game. Fouls played a large role, as the two teams combined for 64 whistles. UTSA was called for 35 fouls and five different players fouled out, including Allen, Smith and senior Dwain Hall. UTSA led 20-19 on a Smith layup at the 8:53 mark of the first half, but a 7-0 run broke open a tight game, as Northwestern State took a 30-22 lead on a Trey Gilder layup with 3:52 remaining in the half. The Demons increased the advantage to as many as 16 points, closing the half with a 21-6 stretch for a 44-28 lead. UTSA got to within 13 points after a pair of Francis freebies at the 8:33 mark, but the Demons pulled away with a 12-4 run the next 4:31 and ran away for the 20-point victory.
Scouting Northwestern State: The Demons moved to 3-0 in Southland Conference play and 7-10 overall with a 67-58 win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night. Northwestern State entered league play on a five-game losing streak, but now sit atop the East Division. Senior forward Trey Gilder leads a balanced scoring attack with 16.3 points per game, while senior forward Colby Bargeman posts 10.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Keithan Hancock and sophomore guard Damon Jones are tied for the team lead with 23 3-pointers apiece, while sophomore guard Michael McConathy has dished out a team-best 62 assists. The Demons are scoring 74.5 points per game, but are allowing 84.6 points and committing 20.8 turnovers per contest. Head coach Mike McConathy is 137-127 in his ninth season at the helm.
Last Time Out: Freshman JohnMark Ludwick made his first career start a memorable one, draining 6-of-6 from behind the 3-point line en route to a season-high 23 points to help lead UTSA to an 81-77 victory over Central Arkansas on Thursday night at the Convocation Center. Ludwick, who started in place of the injured Travis Gabbidon, led four Roadrunners in double figures in the regionally-televised game on FOX Sports Southwest. Senior Melvin Smith poured in a season-high 20 points on 9-of-12 from the floor, while senior Isaiah Allen added 14 points on the strength of a 7-for-8 performance from the free throw line. Freshman Devin Gibson posted his second double-double of the season with 10 points and a season-high 13 assists, one shy of the school record. York Sims and Nate Bowie paced the Bears with 24 and 22 points, respectively, while Landrell Brewer and Brian Marks pulled down eight and seven rebounds, respectively. Neither team led by more than 10 points in a tightly-contested matchup that came down to the wire. Trailing 78-72 with 21 seconds left, Sims converted a pair of free throws and answered a UTSA freebie with a layup with 10 ticks remaining. On the ensuing inbounds play, UCA’s Ryan Williams came up with a steal and fed the ball to Bowie who missed a trey from the right wing. Williams then came up with the loose ball off the long rebound and was fouled with four seconds left. He made the first free throw, but his intentional miss on the second did not hit the cylinder, giving the ball to the Roadrunners. Smith was fouled on the inbounds and made 1-of-2 free throws to seal the win for UTSA. The Roadrunners built a 10-point lead midway through the second half as a jumper by senior Keith Spencer capped a 9-2 run. The Bears fought back to within 62-61 on a Sims jumper at the 5:51 mark, but never got any closer. UCA jumped out to a 7-2 lead early in the first half, but managed to tie the game just one time, 33-33 with 1:43 left in the half, the rest of the game
Injury Bug: UTSA has been bitten by the injury bug this season. Seven players have missed time this season, 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 finally returned on Jan. 17, 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 missed 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 for the remainder of the season 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 238-106 (.692) all-time at home, including 6-1 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 6-1 in the Convo and is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 74-62. Five of the six home victories have been by at least 12 points, while the only loss is a 62-56 blemish to SMU. The Roadrunners are forcing 23.6 turnovers per game and have come up with 11.3 steals per contest at home.
Closing In On 400: UTSA is closing in on victory No. 400 for the program. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 392-361 (.521).
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 (11.6) and junior Joey Shank (10.9) ? are each in their first season of action, while Gabbidon (5.8), Gibson (3.8) and junior Antoine Dade (3.6) 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 292 times through 15 games, an average of 19.5 per game, and eight 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 25th in the NCAA in steals per game (9.5) and is fourth in the league in turnover margin (+2.53). Individually, freshman Devin Gibson tops the league and is third nationally with 3.31 steals per game.
Second-Half Shooting The Key: In its seven victories this season, UTSA is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 42-35 in the second half. The Roadrunners have topped 40 points in the second half in six of the seven 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 52.5 percent in the second stanza, including 63 percent against UMKC and 62.1 percent versus Paul Quinn, and has converted 25-of-55 (45.5%) from behind the arc and 84-of-123 (68.3%) from the charity stripe.
Double-Double Tracker: UTSA has posted six double-doubles this season, including three by senior forward Keith Spencer and two by freshman guard Devin Gibson.
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 43-of-101 from behind the arc for 42.6 percent, and is shooting 44.8 percent (56-of-125) from the floor overall. Shank also is a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line and is averaging 10.9 points per game. The American River College product is second in the Southland Conference (41st nationally) in 3-point field goals made per game with 2.87 and ranks fourth in the league and 44th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (42.6%). 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 (3.31), and he ranks second in the league in assists per game (5.46) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.37). Gibson is UTSA’s second-leading scorer and ranks second among SLC freshmen at 11.6 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 posted his second double-double with 10 points and a season-high 13 assists, one shy of the school record, in the Central Arkansas win.
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 6.7 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 seven times. Spencer led the squad with 206 rebounds last season and is pulling down 7.0 boards per outing for his UTSA career.
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.
New Addition: UTSA announced that Seigongar Paye has transferred to the program from Louisiana-Monroe. Originally from Houston, Paye will be eligible to play as a sophomore following the 2008 fall semester.
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 goes to UT Arlington for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
