UTSA Roadrunners (12-13, 6-6) vs. McNeese State Cowboys (11-13, 5-7)
Wednesday, Feb. 27 ? 7 p.m. ? Convocation Center (4,080) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series Record: UTSA leads, 19-15
Last Meeting: McNeese State, 63-57 (Feb. 22, 2007)
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA (12-13, 6-6 SLC) will put its season-long four-game winning streak on the line against McNeese State (11-13, 5-7 SLC) on Wednesday, Feb. 27. 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 35th meeting between UTSA and McNeese State
? UTSA leads the all-time series, 19-15, and has won three of the last five meetings
? The Roadrunners are 11-5 against the Cowboys in San Antonio
? UTSA is 8-3 at the Convocation Center this season
? The Roadrunners have forced 14 opponents into 20 or more turnovers this season
? UTSA’s four-game winning streak is the longest since the 2003-04 squad won seven straight contests until falling to No. 1 Stanford in the NCAA First Round (March 18, 2004)
? Freshman Devin Gibson, who earned SLC Player of the Week honors on Monday, leads the NCAA with 3.48 steals per game
? Senior Melvin Smith is averaging 11.0 points per game in SLC play
UTSA/McNeese State Series History: This will be the 35th meeting between UTSA and McNeese State. The Roadrunners lead the all-time series, 19-15, and have won three of the past five meetings. UTSA is 11-5 against the Cowboys in San Antonio. McNeese State last won at the Convocation Center, 66-51, on Jan. 18, 2003.
Last Meeting: Keith Spencer posted 14 points and 12 rebounds, but Jarvis Bradley had a double-double of his own as McNeese State held off a furious rally in a 63-57 victory over UTSA on Feb. 22, 2007, at Burton Coliseum. Spencer was 7-for-7 from the floor in scoring 14 points, while also pulling down a team-high 12 rebounds. Melvin Smith added 10 points for the Roadrunners, who shot just 38.8 percent for the game. Bradley scored a game-high 20 points and matched Spencer’s 12 boards, while John Pinchon (15), John Ford (12) and Quentin Gonzales (11) also reached double-digit scoring for the Cowboys. The Roadrunners trailed by as many as 15 points with just over four minutes remaining, but rallied to within a basket in the final minute behind a 14-1 run. Ford was 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 40 seconds as the Cowboys held on for the win.
Scouting McNeese State: The Cowboys have won three of their last four games and enter Wednesday’s game at 11-13 overall and 5-7 in league play. Senior forward Jarvis Bradley leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.1), while senior guard John Ford is pitching in with 9.9 points and 3.1 assists per contest. Senior center Kleon Penn has blocked an SLC-high 93 shots this season, as McNeese State averages 6.17 swats per game. The Cowboys also ranks second in the league in free throw percentage (69.2), but are second to last in turnover margin (-4.25). Head coach Dave Simmons is 26-30 in his second season at the helm.
Last Time Out: Freshman Devin Gibson scored a season-high 27 points and senior Melvin Smith added 19 to help lead UTSA to a 103-96 overtime victory over Texas State on Saturday night at Strahan Coliseum. Junior Antoine Dade posted his first double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while senior Isaiah Allen and freshman JohnMark Ludwick pitched in 13 points apiece as five Roadrunners reached double figures for the first time since Nov. 26, 2007, against Paul Quinn. UTSA led 77-69 after a pair of Gibson free throws with 1:04 to play. The Bobcats rallied to within four at 80-76 after two Brandon Bush freebies with 23 ticks left. Gibson converted 1-of-2 from the line, but a Dylan Moseley 3-pointer with 19 seconds remaining made it a one possession game. Texas State was forced to foul and UTSA missed both free throws, giving the Bobacts another chance. However, Moseley missed a trey and Gibson appeared to grab the clinching rebound with three seconds on the clock, but he was called for traveling as he fell to the floor with the ball. The Bobcats found Bush on the ensuing inbound play and he was fouled, converting both free throws with two seconds left to send the game to overtime tied at 81. Two free throws and a trey by Gibson ? who also posted five steals, four assists and four rebounds in 41 minutes of action ? helped UTSA get out to an 88-83 lead to start the extra period. Ryan White cut the deficit to one on an old-fashioned 3-point play off of Gibson’s fifth foul with 2:24 to play. Bush then came up with a steal and went in for a fast-break slam dunk but was whistled for a technical for hanging on the rim. Smith converted both free throws for the Roadrunners to put them back on top, 91-90. Ludwick then was fouled and made both freebies to push the advantage to 93-90, but White quickly answered with a layup with 1:22 to play. Smith and Ty Gough traded baskets, but a Spencer layup and a big rebound from Dade off a missed 3-pointer by White helped seal it for UTSA, as the Roadrunners went 6-for-6 from the line in the final 28 seconds to ice it.
SLC Player of the Week: Freshman Devin Gibson was named SLC Player of the Week on Feb. 25 after averaging 26.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.5 steals in victories over UT Arlington and Texas State. It marked his first career honor and the first Roadrunner to win the award since Andre Owens on Feb. 27, 2006.
SLC Tournament Logjam: With a 6-6 record in Southland Conference play, UTSA currently is in sole possession of third place in the West Division and is tied for fifth with Southeastern Louisiana in the overall standings. By virtue of the Roadrunners’ win against the Lions, UTSA currently holds down the No. 5 seed for the SLC Tournament to be held March 13-16 in Katy, Texas. In all, seven teams are separated by just two games in the loss column.
Magic Number: UTSA is 5-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points, most recently in a 103-96 overtime victory at Texas State on Feb. 23. The Roadrunners also topped 80 against Paul Quinn (93-79), Central Arkansas (81-77), Northwestern State (81-78) and UT Arlington (80-72).
Closing In On 400: UTSA is closing in on victory No. 400 for the program. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 397-366 (.520).
Home Sweet Home: The Convocation Center has been a tough place for opponents to play. The Roadrunners are 240-108 (.690) all-time at home, including 8-3 at this year.
Cozy Confines: The Roadrunners enjoy playing in the cozy confines of the Convocation Center and the results show up in the stats. UTSA is 8-3 in the Convo and is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 73-67. Five of the eight home victories have been by at least 12 points, including a 69-47 rout of Hardin-Simmons. UTSA is forcing 23.4 turnovers per game and have come up with 11.3 steals per contest at home.
Three-Ball Twosome: In Southland Conference play, junior Joey Shank and freshman JohnMark Ludwick have combined for 53 3-pointers, an average of 4.4 per game. Ludwick drained 6-of-6 in the Central Arkansas win, added five treys in the loss at UT Arlington and poured in four in the UT Arlington and Texas State victories, while Shank drilled a UTSA-record eight triples in the Northwestern State victory and five in the loss at Lamar. In league play, Ludwick and Shank rank fifth (2.33) and eighth (2.27), respectively, in 3-pointers made per contest, while Ludwick is tied for second in the league with a 45.9-percent 3-point field goal percentage.
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 25 games, while 10 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. Junior guard Orrin Greer is out indefinitely after injuring his knee in the Texas-Pan American game on Jan. 8. Senior forward Andrew Francis (13 games, knee), freshman center Russ Permenter (five, hand), freshman guard Cody Dotson-Lara (four, head), senior forward Keith Spencer (two, concussion), freshman guard Devin Gibson (two, concussion), junior guard Joey Shank (one, back) and junior forward Antoine Dade (one, ankle) also have missed playing time due to injuries.
Tough Slate: UTSA is facing one of its toughest schedules in recent history this season. Texas is ranked No. 5 in both The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Polls, while Stephen F. Austin is receiving votes in the The AP Top 25 Poll. Arkansas has been ranked and Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State 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 501 times through 25 games, an average of 20.0 per game, and 14 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 17th in the NCAA in steals per game (9.32) and is second in the league in turnover margin (+3.68). 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 66.4 percent (360-542) as a team and are even better in conference play at 69 percent (194-281). Individually, junior Joey Shank (88.2) and freshman JohnMark Ludwick (84.6) are both above 80 percent for the season, while seniors Melvin Smith (76.5) and Isaiah Allen (72.4) and freshman Devin Gibson (71.4) all are above 70 percent. Gibson has attempted 185 freebies (or 127 more than the next closest active player), converted 81-of-103 (78.6 percent) in league action and made 58-of-68 (85.3 percent) over the past seven games.
Double-Double Tracker: UTSA has posted nine double-doubles this season, including four by senior forward Keith Spencer and three by freshman guard Devin Gibson.
Record Watch: Several UTSA players are moving up the school’s single-season or career record lists. Senior Keith Spencer has pulled down 341 career rebounds, which ranks 22nd all-time and sixth among players who played two years or less. Senior Melvin Smith has scored 572 career points, which ranks him 38th all-time and 12th among players who played two years or less. Senior Isaiah Allen’s 478 career points makes him 46th and 18th, respectively. Freshman Devin Gibson is second on the single-season steals list with 80, eighth with 132 free throws and eighth with 123 assists. Junior Joey Shank is tied for ninth place on the single-season 3-pointers chart.
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 39th nationally in assists per game (5.35) and sixth in the SLC in assist/turnover ratio (1.28). Gibson is UTSA’s leading scorer and is eighth overall and tops among SLC freshmen at 13.9 points per game. He has led UTSA in scoring in 13 games ? including seven straight ? and rebounding six 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 scored 20 in the 61-57 win at Southeastern Louisiana, 26 in the 80-72 victory against UT Arlington and 27 in the 103-96 overtime victory at Texas State. He drained the game-winning free throws with one-half second remaining in UTSA’s 54-52 victory at Nicholls State and is 81-of-103 (.786) from the free throw line in league play. Gibson is averaging 16.2 points, 5.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 steals in SLC action, and is scoring 21.0 points per game during UTSA’s current four-game winning streak.
Smith Stepping Up: Senior Melvin Smith, UTSA’s leading scorer last season with 12.9 points per game, has played in all 25 contests this year. The Covington, Tenn., native averaged 5.4 points through the first 14 games, but has increased his average to 8.0 ppg, thanks to an 11.0 average 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, poured in 16 in both the 61-57 win at Southeastern Louisiana and in the 80-72 victory against UT Arlington and tallied 19 in the 103-96 overtime victory at Texas State.
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 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.
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/Blinn College) to National Letters of Intent for the 2008-09 season.
Next Up: UTSA hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the Homecoming Game this Saturday, March 1. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
