UTSA Roadrunners (8-9, 2-2) vs. Texas State Bobcats (9-9, 2-3)
Saturday, Jan. 26 ? 7 p.m.
Convocation Center (4,080) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series Record: UTSA leads, 27-16
Last Meeting: Texas State, 77-65 (Feb. 17, 2007)
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA (8-9, 2-2 SLC) looks to get back on the winningtrack against I-35 rival Texas State (9-9, 2-3 SLC) in a SouthlandConference battle this Saturday, Jan. 26. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at theConvocation 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 at goUTSA.com.
Fast Break Points:
? This will be the 44th meeting between UTSA and Texas State, the second most-played series for the Roadrunners
? UTSA leads the all-time series, 27-16, and is 13-9 against the Bobcats in San Antonio
? Texas State swept both meetings last season and the teams have split the last 10
? UTSA’s last home win against the Bobcats was an 88-69 decision on Feb. 12, 2005
? Freshman JohnMark Ludwick has drained 14-of-27 3-pointers over the last three games
? Freshman Devin Gibson has dished out 21 assists and posted 11 steals over the past three contests
UTSA/Texas State Series History: This will be the 44th meeting between UTSA and Texas State, the second most-played series for the Roadrunners behind UT Arlington (54 meetings). The Roadrunners lead the all-time series, 27-16, and are 13-9 against the Bobcats in San Antonio. Texas State swept both games last season and the teams have split the last 10 meetings with the Bobcats on a three-game winning streak in the series.
Last Meeting: Andrew Francis led four Roadrunners in double figures, but Chris Agwumaro poured in 19 to help Texas State rally from eight down to score a 77-65 victory against UTSA on Feb. 17, 2007, at the Convocation Center. Francis scored 13 and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds to lead the Roadrunners, while Kurt Attaway added 12 points and five assists. Agwumaro knocked down 5-of-7 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line to help the Bobcats sweep the season series from the Roadrunners. UTSA led by as many as eight in the first half and held a 35-30 advantage at the break behind 54.5-percent (12-22) shooting from the floor. The Roadrunners held a 46-38 lead after a pair of free throws from Dezon Otis at the 16:08 mark and still led 53-47 with 12:03 to play following a Francis layup. Texas State began a furious run with a Holder jumper and a Dylan Mosley 3-pointer, pulling the Bobcats to within one with just under 11 minutes remaining. Williams answered with a trey of his own, but that would be the last field goal for the Roadrunners until the 6:04 mark, as the Bobcats went on a 15-3 run in taking a 67-59 lead with just under four minutes to play. A pair of Allen freebies cut the deficit to 67-61, but that is as close as UTSA would get down the stretch as the Bobcats ended the game on a 30-8 run and outscored UTSA, 47-30, in the half. Missed free throws hurt the Roadrunners for the second time against Texas State. UTSA was 16-of-36 from the line tonight, and combined with a 19-for-39 effort in the Jan. 20 loss in San Marcos, 35-of-75 against the Bobcats in 2007.
Scouting Texas State: The Bobcats fell to 9-9 overall and 2-3 in SLC play with an 82-69 home loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night. Junior guard Brandon Bush is scoring a team-best 15.6 points per game, while junior guard Brent Benson is adding 12.8 points per contest. Bush also leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game, while junior guard Corey Jefferson has dished out a team-high 71 assists. The Bobcats lead the conference in scoring with 84.9 points per game, but allow a conference-worst 84.4 points by opponents. Second-year head coach Doug Davalos, the son of Rudy Davalos ? UTSA’s first-ever Director of Athletics ? is 18-29.
Last Time Out: Freshman JohnMark Ludwick drained five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 15 points, but Rog’er Guignard led three Mavericks in double figures with 13, as UT Arlington nipped UTSA, 56-50, on Wednesday night in Southland Conference action at Texas Hall. Ludwick was 5-for-10 from downtown in reaching double digits for the second time in the past three games and the San Antonio Reagan High product now has 14 treys over his last three contests. Senior Melvin Smith added nine points, while freshman Devin Gibson dished out eight assists to go along with six points, five rebounds and four steals. UTSA turned the ball over only 12 times, and held UT Arlington to just 38.1-percent shooting ? well below its 50-percent season average ? but was 8-of-28 from behind the arc and shot just 32.1 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from the free throw line. Guignard made three 3-pointers in scoring 13 to lead the Mavs, while Cardell Hunter was 10-for-11 from the free throw line as part of his 12 points. Anthony Vereen scored 10, including a 6-for-7 performance at the charity stripe as UT Arlington made 20-of-27 (74.1 percent) as a team. The Roadrunners launched 14 3-pointers in the first half, making five in a tightly-contested 20 minutes. Ludwick was 3-for-4 from downtown before having to sit the last 10 minutes due to foul trouble. UTSA took a 25-22 lead into the locker room thanks to a long trey by senior Isaiah Allen at the buzzer. UTSA increased the lead to 28-22 out of the gate on another Ludwick trey, but the Mavs answered with an 8-0 run over the next 2:49. UTSA quickly tied it at 30-30 on a layup by Allen, but a pair of free throws by Hunter gave the Mavs a lead they would never relinquish. The Roadrunners cut an eight-point deficit to 46-45 on a pair of Gibson freebies with 3:31 to play, but UT Arlington responded with eight unanswered points and made 6-of-6 from the line in the final 1:11 to hold on for the six-point victory.
Record-Setting Day From Downtown: UTSA enjoyed a record-setting day from behind the 3-point line in the 81-78 overtime win over Northwestern State on Jan. 19. Junior Joey Shank tied a school record with eight treys, while the Roadrunners sank 15 of their school-record 37 3-point field goal attempts. Shank matched the single-game record also held by Keith Horne (1991), Marlon Anderson (1995) and Roderic Hall (1997), while the 37 team attempts bettered the previous mark of 35 posted against Drake (1994) and Sam Houston State (1999). The 15 makes were just two shy of the UTSA mark of 17 set against Stephen F. Austin in 1997.
Three-Ball: In four Southland Conference games, the Roadrunners have taken 103 3-pointers, making 39 (37.9 percent). Junior Joey Shank and freshman JohnMark Ludwick are responsible for most of the damage from downtown as the duo has combined to go 30-of-67 (44.8 percent). Ludwick drained 6-of-6 in the Central Arkansas win and added five in the loss at UT Arlington, while Shank drilled a UTSA-record eight in the Northwestern State victory. Ludwick and Shank rank second (.457) and fifth (.419), respectively, in the SLC in 3-point field goal percentage.
Injury Bug: UTSA has been bitten by the injury bug this season. Seven players have missed game 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.
Home Sweet Home: The Convocation Center has been a tough place for opponents to play. The Roadrunners are 239-106 (.693) all-time at home, including 7-1 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 7-1 in the Convo and is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 75-64. Five of the seven home victories have been by at least 12 points, while the only loss is a 62-56 blemish to SMU. The Roadrunners are forcing 23.9 turnovers per game and have come up with 11.3 steals per contest at home.
Tough Slate: UTSA is facing one of its toughest schedules in recent history this season. Texas is ranked No. 12 in both The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Polls this week. Arkansas and 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.
Closing In On 400: UTSA is closing in on victory No. 400 for the program. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 393-362 (.521).
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 331 times through 17 games, an average of 19.5 per game, and nine 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 23rd in the NCAA in steals per game (9.29) and is fourth in the league in turnover margin (+2.59). Individually, freshman Devin Gibson tops the league and is third nationally with 3.33 steals per game.
Double-Double Tracker: UTSA has posted eight double-doubles this season, including four by senior forward Keith Spencer and three 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 52-of-124 from behind the arc for 41.9 percent, and is shooting 43.4 percent from the floor overall. Shank also is 10-11 (90.9 percent) from the free throw line and is averaging 11.4 points per game. The American River College product is second in the Southland Conference in 3-point field goals made per game with 3.06 and ranks fifth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage. Shank has drained three or more 3-pointers in a game nine times this season, including a school record-tying eight against Northwestern State, 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 (3.33), and he ranks second in the league in assists per game (5.93) 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 three times. He 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 missed two games in early January due to a concussion, but returned to post 10 points and a season-high 13 assists, one shy of the school record, in the Central Arkansas win, and followed that with 17 points and 10 dimes in the overtime win over Northwestern State one game later. Gibson posted eight assists and four steals in the loss at UT Arlington.
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 6.9 rebounds per game, including 9.5 in league play, and has led the squad in rebounding nine times. 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 on Nov. 26. He recorded 12 points and 10 boards in the overtime loss at Georgia State, 10 points and 13 rebounds in the loss at Lamar and 10 points and a career-best 15 boards in the overtime win over Northwestern State. He ranks 10th in the SLC in rebounding and is fourth with 3.07 offensive rebounds per game. Spencer has 309 career boards and ranks 26th all-time and seventh among players who played two years or less.
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 returns to the road to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next Saturday, Feb. 2. Tip is set for 2 p.m. at American Bank Center and the game will be televised on FOX Sports Southwest.
