UTSA Roadrunners (8-10, 2-3) at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (5-13, 2-3)
Saturday, Feb. 2 ? 4 p.m. ? American Bank Center (8,600) ? Corpus Christi, Texas
Series Record: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leads, 5-1
Last Meeting: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 73-61 (Feb. 24, 2007)
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA (8-10, 2-3 SLC) looks to get back on the winningtrack at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-13, 2-3 SLC) this Saturday,Feb. 2. Tip is set for 4 p.m. at the American Bank Center in CorpusChristi. The game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest.
Tuning In: The game will be televised regionally on FOX Sports Southwest. Greg Lucas (play-by-play) and Jim Haller (color) will call the action. Live audio will be available to Rowdy Zone subscribers at goUTSA.com. Andy Everett has the call. Live stats will be provided at goislanders.com.
Fast Break Points:
? This will be the seventh meeting between UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
? The Islanders lead the all-time series, 5-1, and are 3-0 against the Roadrunners at home
? UTSA’s lone victory was a 95-80 decision on Nov. 27, 1999, in the first meeting
? The Roadrunners are searching for the first road win since defeating Stephen F. Austin, 54-49, on March 3, 2007, in Nacogdoches
? Freshman Devin Gibson ranks second in the NCAA with 3.44 steals per game
UTSA/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Series History: This will be the seventh meeting between UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Islanders lead the all-time series, 5-1, and are 3-0 against the Roadrunners in Corpus Christi. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won the last meeting, 75-59, on Feb. 24, 2007, at the American Bank Center. UTSA’s lone victory in the series was a 95-80 decision on Nov. 27, 1999, in the first meeting.
Last Meeting: Melvin Smith led three Roadrunners in double figures with 14 points, but Chris Daniels scored 16 to lead Texas A&M-Corpus Christi past UTSA, 75-59, on Feb. 24, 2007, at the American Bank Center. Smith reached double figures for the 22nd time this season, while Andrew Francis and Isaiah Allen pitched in 13 points apiece. Francis pulled down a team-high six rebounds and Kurt Attaway dished out a game-high six assists for the Roadrunners. Daniels added eight boards to lead all players, while Kevin Menifee and Taurean Mitchell added 14 and 10 points, respectively. The Islanders shot 58 percent (29-of-50) from the floor and used 10 steals to help force 18 Roadrunner turnovers. A Francis layup erased an early six-point deficit and made it 12-11 Islanders at the 14:14 mark. A&M-CC used a 13-0 run to help build a 16-point lead with 7:41 to play in the half. UTSA cut into the deficit with a 9-0 run, capped by a pair of Ryan Williams free throws at the 2:21 mark. Smith then tied the game at 35-35 on a leaning 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:41 left, but Daniels drained a turn-around jumper in the lane to put the Islanders up 37-35, at the half. Both teams shot well in the half with UTSA making 13-of-25 (52 percent) from the field and the Islanders draining 59.3 percent (16-of-27). A&M-CC charged out to a big lead midway through the second half, using a 15-7 run to build a 10-point lead with just under 14 minutes remaining. The lead grew to 64-44 on a Josh Washington trey at the 7:58 mark. A Smith jumper made it a 12-point game with just over two minutes left, capping a 5-0 run by UTSA. The Islanders responded, holding UTSA to just one free throw down the stretch in the 16-point win.
Scouting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: The Islanders are 5-13 overall and 2-3 in their second season of Southland Conference play. Senior center Chris Daniels leads the team in scoring (12.7 ppg), while freshman forward Justin Reynolds adds 11.8 points and 7.8 boards per contest. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, like UTSA, had a two-game conference winning streak snapped by UT Arlington in a 57-55 loss last Saturday. The Islanders are just 3-6 at home this season with wins over Detroit (70-55), Eastern Michigan (75-72) and Central Arkansas (76-69). Perry Clark, former head coach at Tulane and Miami, is in his first season at the helm.
Last Time Out: Senior Melvin Smith came off the bench to pour in a game-high 20 points, but Ryan White led four Bobcats in double figures with 17, as Texas State used a strong second half to defeat UTSA, 79-73, in Southland Conference action on Saturday night in front of 2,296 fans at the Convocation Center. Smith topped 20 points for the second time in as many weeks to lead the Roadrunners in scoring for the first time this year. Meanwhile, freshman Devin Gibson ? who was battling a stomach virus ? added 15 points, a team-high seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. It was a tale of two halves, as Texas State outscored the Roadrunners, 50-43, in the second stanza on the strength of 53.3-percent shooting ? including four 3-pointers ? from the field. Meanwhile, UTSA led by as many as 12 in the first half but made just 6-of-26 from downtown, including 3-of-14 in the second half, and 13-of-22 from the free throw line for the game. A pair of Allen free throws at the 15:53 mark gave UTSA a 40-33 lead early in the second half. However, a Benson trey kick-started a 13-0 Texas State run over the next three minutes that put the Bobcats up by six. The lead grew to 12 points on a Benson jumper with just over five minutes remaining, but four points from Smith keyed a UTSA run that pulled the Roadrunners to within 67-63 with 2:47 left. Texas State responded with a 6-0 run to push the advantage to 10 with one minute remaining. A 3-point play by Smith and a pair of free throws from freshman Russ Permenter kept the Roadrunners within six with 25 ticks showing, but UTSA was forced to foul and the Bobcats made 3-of-4 from the line down the stretch to hold for a 79-73 victory, its fourth straight in the series. Smith made five of his first six shots from the field and Allen, freshman JohnMark Ludwick and junior Joey Shank struck from downtown to help give UTSA a 26-14 lead with four minutes left in the first half. The Bobcats took advantage of UTSA foul trouble ? Gibson and senior Keith Spencer played a combined 15 minutes ? and closed the half on a 15-4 run to make it a one-point game at the break. The Roadrunners held Texas State to 36.4 percent from the floor ? including 1-of-6 from behind the arc ? and 29 points, its second-lowest first-half scoring output this season.
Three-Ball: In five Southland Conference games, junior Joey Shank and freshman JohnMark Ludwick are a combined 34-of-79 (43.0 percent) from behind the 3-point line. Ludwick drained 6-of-6 in the Central Arkansas win and added five treys in the loss at UT Arlington, while Shank drilled a UTSA-record eight triples in the Northwestern State victory. In league play, Shank and Ludwick are tied for first with 3.4 3-pointers made per contest, while Ludwick is fifth with a 47.2 3-point field goal percentage. As a team, UTSA leads the SLC with 9.0 3-pointers made per game.
Record-Setting Day From Downtown: UTSA enjoyed a record-setting day from downtown 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.
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.
Tough Slate: UTSA is facing one of its toughest schedules in recent history this season. Texas is ranked No. 10 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 393-363 (.519).
Turnover Feast: UTSA has shown the ability to force turnovers this season thanks to a commitment to on-the-ball pressure defense. Opponents have turned the ball over 356 times through 18 games, an average of 19.8 per game, and 10 teams have committed at least 20 turnovers, including a season-high 30 by McMurry on Dec. 28. UTSA ranks third in the Southland Conference and 24th in the NCAA in steals per game (9.28) and is third in the league in turnover margin (+2.67). Individually, freshman Devin Gibson tops the league and is second nationally with 3.44 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 Devin Gibson.
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 second in the NCAA in steals per game (3.44), and he ranks second in the league in assists per game (5.88) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.34). Gibson is UTSA’s leading active scorer and is tied for first with Islanders forward Justin Reynolds among SLC freshmen 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 four 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 is averaging 12.0 points, 9.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals in SLC play.
Smith Stepping Up: Senior Melvin Smith, UTSA’s leading scorer last season with 12.9 points per game, has played in all 18 contests this year. The Covington, Tenn., native averaged 5.4 points through the first 14 games, but with the help of a pair of 20-point outings over the past two weeks has increased his average to 7.4 ppg. Smith was 9-of-12 from the floor in the 81-77 victory over Central Arkansas and 9-of-16 in the 79-73 loss to Texas State, and is averaging 14.3 points over the last four games.
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 54-of-130 from behind the arc for 41.5 percent, and is shooting 42.8 percent from the floor overall. Shank also is 10-11 (90.9 percent) from the free throw line and is averaging 11.1 points per game. The American River College product is second in the Southland Conference in 3-point field goals made per game with 3.0 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.
Wiping the Glass: Senior Keith Spencer missed the first two regular season games but has been a fixture on the glass since. The San Diego, Calif., native is averaging a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game, including 8.8 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 second with 3.06 offensive rebounds per game. Spencer has 315 career boards and ranks 26th all-time and seventh among players who played two years or less.
Put Your Dukes Up: Senior Isaiah “Duke” Allen is one of three players who has played in all 18 games and one of two with 17 starts. The Portland, Ore., native is averaging 7.4 points per game and is shooting 72.1 percent from the free throw line. Generally regarded as one of the team’s man-to-man defenders, Allen often draws the unenviable task of guarding the opponent’s best perimeter player and still has recorded 34 defensive rebounds and 19 steals.
New Addition: UTSA announced on Jan. 14 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 home to host Sam Houston State on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
