UTSA Roadrunners (8-13, 2-6) at Southeastern Louisiana Lions (13-9, 5-4)
Thursday, Feb. 14 ? 7 p.m. ? University Center (7,500) ? Hammond, La.
Series Record: Southeastern Louisiana leads, 12-11
Last Meeting: Southeastern Louisiana, 64-57 (Feb. 8, 2007)
UTSA Roadrunners at Nicholls State Colonels (7-17, 2-7)
Saturday, Feb. 16 ? 5 p.m. ? Stopher Gym (3,800) ? Thibodaux, La.
Series Record: UTSA leads, 21-17
Last Meeting: Nicholls State, 65-54 [OT] (Feb. 10, 2007)
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA (8-13, 2-6 SLC) heads to the Bayou State to faceSoutheastern Louisiana (13-9, 5-4 SLC) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14,in Hammond, La., and Nicholls State (7-17, 2-7 SLC) at 5 p.m. onSaturday, Feb. 16, in Thibodaux, La.
Tuning In: Live audio will be available to Rowdy Zone subscribers at goUTSA.com. Live stats will be provided for the Southeastern Louisiana game here and for the Nicholls State contest here.
Fast Break Points:
? This will be the 24th meeting between UTSA and Southeastern Louisiana and the 39th battle between UTSA and Nicholls State
? Freshman Devin Gibson leads the NCAA with 3.58 steals per game
? The Roadrunners have forced 12 opponents into 20 or more turnovers this season
? UTSA is 0-10 in true road games this season
UTSA/Southeastern Louisiana Series History: This will be the 24th meeting between UTSA and Southeastern Louisiana. The Lions lead the all-time series, 12-11, and are 7-3 against the Roadrunners in Hammond. SLU has won five consecutive meetings, including a 64-57 decision in San Antonio on Feb. 8, 2007. UTSA last defeated the Lions, 87-85, on March 10, 2004, in the semifinal round of the SLC Tournament in Hammond.
Last Meeting: Keith Spencer posted his fourth double-double of the season, but Daryl Cohen and Quennell Green combined for 28 points to lead Southeastern Louisiana past UTSA, 64-57, on Feb. 8, 2007, at the Convocation Center. Spencer scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Roadrunners, while Melvin Smith poured in 15, his 17th double-digit outing of the season. Cohen drained 4-of-9 from downtown en route to 15 points, while Green was 6-of-9 from the floor in posting 13 for the Lions. UTSA overcame an early five-point deficit and built a 25-21 lead at the break behind 55.6 shooting (10-18 FGs) from the field. Spencer had seven to lead the Roadrunners, who held the Lions to just one 3-pointer in the half. The Roadrunners pushed the lead to 31-26 on an Attaway layup at the 16:44 mark. The Lions answered with a 13-0 run over the next 3:36 behind a pair of 3-pointers from Cohen and one from Green. SLU’s lead grew to as many 10 with 8:33 to play. UTSA responded with an 8-1 run, pulling to within 52-49 on an Isaiah Allen trey with just under five minutes remaining. Spencer answered a Joseph Polite jumper with a tip-in to make it 54-51 with three minutes to play, but that wass as close as UTSA would get. SLU was 2-for-2 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch, holding on for the seven-point victory.
Scouting Southeastern Louisiana: The Lions fell to 13-9 overall and 5-4 in league play after an 88-74 loss at Lamar on Saturday. SLU boasts a 9-2 mark at home, but both losses have come to SLC foes (Northwestern State, Stephen F. Austin). Four players score in double figures, led by senior forward Kevyn Green’s 15.4 average. Junior forward Warrell Span posts 12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while sophomore center Patrick Sullivan averages 10.4 points and 7.0 boards per contest. Senior forward Tavaris Nance adds 10.2 points per game, while senior guard Dekyron Nicks has dished out a team-high 90 assists (4.1 apg) this season. Head coach Jim Yarbrough is 45-35 in his third season at the helm.
UTSA/Nicholls State Series History: This will be the 39th meeting between UTSA and Nicholls State. The Roadrunners lead the all-time series, 21-17, but the Colonels hold a 10-7 advantage in games played in Thibodaux. UTSA has won 10 of the past 11 meetings with the only loss a 65-54 overtime setback in San Antonio on Feb. 10, 2007. The Roadrunners have won four straight in Thibodaux.
Last Meeting: Ryan Bathie made 1-of-3 free throws with less one second remaining to force overtime and Adonis Gray poured in 23 points to lead Nicholls State to a come-from-behind 65-54 victory over UTSA on Feb. 10, 2007, at the Convocation Center. Bathie finished with 16 points, while Melvin Smith and Ryan Williams led UTSA with 11 points apiece and Keith Spencer pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Trailing 49-46 with just over seven minutes to play, UTSA rallied to take a 50-49 lead behind a 3-point play from Smith. Back-to-back baskets from Gray gave the Colonels a 53-50 advantage with 3:36 left. The Roadrunners quickly responded with a layup by Andrew Francis at the 3:18 mark. Smith then ended a two-minute scoring drought by both teams with a 15-foot jumper to give UTSA the lead, 54-53. Attaway then came up with a big steal to give the Roadrunners the ball back with 42 ticks remaining. UTSA launched a long-range shot as the shot clock buzzer sounded and came up with the offensive rebound with time running out. However, officials stopped the clock to look at a replay on the television monitor courtside and determined the ball had not left the UTSA player’s hand before the shot clock expired, giving Nicholls possession with 6.5 seconds remaining. Bathie launched a 3-pointer from the corner in front of the Colonels’ bench that missed, but was fouled as time expired, giving him three chances to knot the score. Bathie drained the first freebie, but missed the next two with the UTSA crowd in full force to force overtime. Nicholls stormed out to a 58-54 lead in the extra period and never looked back, holding UTSA scoreless en route to the 65-54 victory.
Scouting Nicholls State: The Colonels snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 74-71 overtime victory at McNeese State on Saturday. Nicholls State, which faces Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday in Thibodaux, has played three straight and four overall extra-period contests this season and is 2-2 in OT. The Colonels have played just seven of their 24 games at Stopher Gym and own a 4-3 mark at home. Junior forward Ryan Bathie leads the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game, while sophomore guard Michael Czepil and freshman guard Anatoly Bose add 11.6 and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Bose is the top rebounder with 4.4 boards per outing, while junior guard Justin Payne hands out 2.8 assists per game. Nicholls State leads the SLC in 3-pointers per game (8.29) behind Bathie’s 63 treys. Head coach J.P. Piper is 30-78 in his third season at the helm.
Three-Ball: In seven Southland Conference games, junior Joey Shank and freshman JohnMark Ludwick are a combined 42-of-104 (40.4 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, Ludwick and Shank rank fifth (2.75) and sixth (2.50), respectively, in the SLC in 3-pointers made per contest, while Ludwick is second in the league with a 46.8-percent 3-point field goal percentage. As a team, UTSA ranks fourth in the SLC with 7.38 3-pointers made per game.
Injury Bug: UTSA has been bitten by the injury bug this season. Nine players have missed game time this season, including junior guard Omar Johnson, who is out for the year due to a stress reaction in his lower leg, and leading scorer Travis Gabbidon, who broke his foot in the Lamar game on Jan. 12 and is out for the remainder of the season. Senior forward Andrew Francis injured his knee in the second half of the season opener on Nov. 9 and missed 13 games until his return 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 game on Jan. 8. Freshman Cody Dotson-Lara has missed the past two games.
Tough Slate: UTSA is facing one of its toughest schedules in recent history this season. Texas is ranked No. 11 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.
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 415 times through 21 games, an average of 19.8 per game, and 12 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 20th in the NCAA in steals per game (9.29) and is second in the league in turnover margin (+3.38). Individually, freshman Devin Gibson leads the nation with 3.58 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.
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 NCAA in steals per game (3.58), and he ranks second in the league and 35th nationally in assists per game (5.53) and sixth in the SLC in assist/turnover ratio (1.33). Gibson is UTSA’s leading active scorer and is 18th overall and tops among SLC freshmen at 12.4 points per game. He has led UTSA in scoring in nine games 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 13.4 points, 6.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 4.1 steals in SLC play. He already is tied for third on UTSA’s single-season steals list with 68 ? the best freshman season in school annals ? and with at least eight games left on the schedule, is within striking distance of Ronnie Ellison’s school-record of 97 set in 1990-91.
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 6.2 rebounds per game, including 6.6 in league play, and has led the squad in rebounding 10 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 his fourth double-double of the year with 10 points and a career-best 15 boards in the overtime win over Northwestern State. He ranks 13th in the SLC in rebounding and is sixth with 2.74 offensive rebounds per game. Spencer has 324 career boards and ranks 25th all-time and seventh among players who played two years or less.
No Shank Shot Here: Junior Joey Shank has emerged as one of the league’s top 3-point shooters this season, despite struggling over the last two weeks. The Folsom, Calif., native has drained 57-of-144 from behind the arc for 40 percent and is 12-for-13 (92.3 percent) from the free throw line in averaging 10.2 points per game. The American River College product is second in the Southland Conference in 3-point field goals made per game with 2.71 and ranks eighth 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.
New Addition: UTSA announced on Jan. 14 that Seigongar Paye has transferred to the program from Louisiana-Monroe. Originally from Houston Strake Jesuit High School, 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 Convocation Center to host UT Arlington at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
