UTSA Roadrunners (10-13, 4-6) vs. UT Arlington Mavericks (16-8, 5-6)
Wednesday, Feb. 20 ? 7 p.m. ? Convocation Center (4,080) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series Record: UTSA leads, 30-24
Last Meeting: UT Arlington, 56-50 (Jan. 23, 2008)
SAN ANTONIO ? Coming off a pair of road wins last week, UTSA(10-13, 4-6 SLC) returns home to host UT Arlington (16-8, 5-6 SLC) onWednesday, Feb. 20. Tip is set for 7 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 at goUTSA.com.
Fast Break Points:
? This will be the 55th meeting between UTSA and UT Arlington, the most-played series in school history
? The Roadrunners lead the series, 30-24, and have won four of the past six meetings, including the last two at the Convocation Center
? The Roadrunners have forced 13 opponents into 20 or more turnovers this season
? UTSA is 7-3 at the Convocation Center this season
? Freshman Devin Gibson leads the NCAA with 3.48 steals per game
UTSA/UT Arlington Series History: This will be the 55th meeting between UTSA and UT Arlington, making it the most-played series in school history. The Roadrunners lead the all-time series, 30-24, and are 14-10 against the Mavericks at the Convocation Center. UTSA has won four of the past six meetings, but UT Arlington has won two straight, including a 56-50 decision on Jan. 23 in Arlington.
Last Meeting: 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 Jan. 23 at Texas Hall. Ludwick was 5-for-10 from downtown in reaching double digits for the second time in the past three games. 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 just 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. Jermaine Griffin pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. 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.
Scouting UT Arlington: The Mavericks fell to 16-8 overall and 5-6 in Southland Conference play after dropping a 74-69 home game to McNeese State on Saturday. UT Arlington leads the SLC in field goal percentage (.477) and is outscoring its opponents, 72.7-65.7, for the season. Senior forward Jermaine Griffin and sophomore guard Ro’ger Guignard lead a balanced scoring attack, averaging 12.7 and 12.4 points, respectively, while Griffin is pulling down a team-high 7.9 rebounds per contest. Junior forward Anthony Vereen contributes 12.2 points and 6.3 boards per game. Head coach Scott Cross is 29-24 in his second season at the helm.
Week In Review: UTSA scored a pair of road wins last week, defeating Southeastern Louisiana, 61-57, last Thursday, and Nicholls State, 54-52, on Saturday. Senior Isaiah Allen converted two free throws with nine seconds remaining to help stave off a late Southeastern Louisiana rally in the final three minutes, while freshman Devin Gibson drained two free throws with one-half second remaining to help UTSA rally from 12 down in the second half for the win at Nicholls State.
Three-Ball: In nine Southland Conference games, junior Joey Shank and freshman JohnMark Ludwick are a combined 46-of-114 (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, Shank and Ludwick rank fourth (2.86) and eighth (2.30), respectively, in the SLC in 3-pointers made per contest, while Ludwick is third in the league with a 45.1-percent 3-point field goal percentage. As a team, UTSA ranks fifth in the SLC with 6.60 3-pointers made per game.
Injury Bug: UTSA has been bitten by the injury bug this season. Only two players (seniors Isaiah Allen and Melvin Smith) have played in all 23 games, while 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 four games.
Closing In On 400: UTSA is closing in on victory No. 400 for the program. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 395-366 (.519).
Home Sweet Home: The Convocation Center has been a tough place for opponents to play. The Roadrunners are 239-108 (.689) all-time at home, including 7-3 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 7-3 in the Convo and is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 73-66. Five of the seven home victories have been by at least 12 points, including a 69-47 rout of Hardin-Simmons. The Roadrunners are forcing 24 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. 11 in both The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Polls, while Arkansas is receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll 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.
Record Watch: Several UTSA players are moving up the school’s single-season or career record lists. Senior Keith Spencer has pulled down 330 career rebounds, which ranks 24th all-time and seventh among players who played two years or less. Senior Melvin Smith has scored 537 career points, which ranks him 42nd all-time and 16th among players who played two years or less. Senior Isaiah Allen’s 462 career points makes him 48th and 21st, respectively. Freshman Devin Gibson is tied for second on the single-season steals list with 73 and ranks eighth with 114 free throws. He can move into 10th place (117) on the assists list with four dimes. With two 3-pointers, junior Joey Shank can move into ninth place on the single-season chart.
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 457 times through 23 games, an average of 19.9 per game, and 13 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 (9.17) and is second in the league in turnover margin (+3.52). Individually, freshman Devin Gibson leads the nation with 3.48 steals per game.
Improvement At The Line: UTSA has shown a marked improvement at the free throw line from last season’s 58.9 percent effort. The Roadrunners are shooting 65.5 percent (306-467) as a team and are even better in conference play at 68 percent (140-206). Individually, junior Joey Shank (86.7) and freshman JohnMark Ludwick (85.7) are both above 80 percent for the season, while senior Isaiah Allen is firing at a 74.5-percent clip. Freshman Devin Gibson, who for the season has attempted 165 freebies (or 118 more than the next closest active player), has converted 63-of-83 (75.9 percent) in league action and has made 40-of-48 (83.3 percent) over the past five games.
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 (3.48), and he ranks second in the league and 35th nationally in assists per game (5.38) and sixth in the SLC in assist/turnover ratio (1.30). Gibson is UTSA’s leading active scorer and is 14th overall and tops among SLC freshmen at 12.7 points per game. He has led UTSA in scoring in 11 games and rebounding five 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. He drained the game-winning free throws with one-half second remaining in UTSA’s 54-52 victory at Nicholls State and is 63-of-83 (.759) from the free throw line in league play. Gibson is averaging 13.9 points, 6.1 assists, 3.8 steals and 3.6 rebounds in SLC action, and is scoring 15.3 points per game over the last six contests.
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 5.9 rebounds per game 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 17th in the SLC in rebounding and is ninth with 2.52 offensive rebounds per game.
Smith Stepping Up: Senior Melvin Smith, UTSA’s leading scorer last season with 12.9 points per game, has played in all 23 contests this year. The Covington, Tenn., native averaged 5.4 points through the first 14 games, but has increased his average to 7.1 ppg, including 9.7 in league play. Smith posted a pair of 20-point outings in January, going 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 poured in 16 in the 61-57 win at Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 14.
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 60-of-150 from behind the arc for 40 percent and is 13-for-15 (86.7 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 2.73 and ranks seventh in the league in 3-point field goal percentage. Shank has drained three or more 3-pointers in a game 10 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 faces Texas State on Saturday, Feb. 23, in San Marcos. Tip is set for 7 p.m. Strahan Coliseum.
