UTSA Roadrunners (13-14, 7-7) at Sam Houston State Bearkats (21-6, 9-5)
Wednesday, March 5 ? 7 p.m.
Johnson Coliseum (6,100) ? Huntsville, Texas
Series Record: UTSA leads, 18-14
Last Meeting: SHSU, 70-54 (Feb. 6, 2008)
SAN ANTONIO ? Fresh off a 65-51 win over A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday, UTSA (13-14, 7-7 SLC) hits the road to face Sam Houston State (21-6, 9-5 SLC) on Wednesday, March 5. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville.
Tuning In: Live audio and video (provided by Sam Houston State) will be available to Rowdy Zone subscribers at goUTSA.com. Live stats will be provided at gobearkats.com.
Fast Break Points:
? This will be the 33rd meeting between UTSA and Sam Houston State
? The Roadrunners lead the all-time series, 18-14, but the Bearkats have won six straight
? UTSA has won three straight road games after starting the season 0-10, but have not won in Huntsville since Feb. 14, 2004 (68-65)
? UTSA can clinch a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament with a win or a loss by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (plays at Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday night)
? The Roadrunners have forced 15 opponents into 20 or more turnovers this season
? Freshman Devin Gibson leads the NCAA with 3.48 steals per game and in conference play, he leads all players in steals (3.69) and assists (5.62) and is fifth in scoring (16.0)
? Senior Melvin Smith is averaging 10.8 points per game in SLC games
? Freshman JohnMark Ludwick is shooting 47.1 percent (33-of-70) from behind the 3-point line in SLC play and 50 percent from the floor overall
UTSA/Sam Houston State Series History: This will be the 33rd meeting between UTSA and Sam Houston State. The Roadrunners lead the all-time series, 18-14, but the Bearkats have won six straight. UTSA is 9-6 against Sam Houston in Huntsville, but have not won at Johnson Coliseum since a 68-65 decision on Feb. 14, 2004.
Last Meeting: Freshman Devin Gibson scored 12 points, but Shamir McDaniel led four Sam Houston State players in double figures with 13, as the Bearkats shot 59.3 percent en route to a 70-54 victory against UTSA on Feb. 6 at the Convocation Center. Gibson posted all 12 of his points in the first half and added six assists and five steals for the Roadrunners. Senior Isaiah Allen pitched in with nine points, while senior Melvin Smith, junior Joey Shank and freshman Russ Permenter ? in his first start ? contributed seven apiece. UTSA forced 24 Sam Houston turnovers and recorded 14 steals but shot only 35.2 percent and were outrebounded, 42-18. Ryan Bright posted 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds to lead the Bearkats, who shot 59.3 percent for the game.
Scouting Sam Houston State: The Bearkats improved to 21-6 overall and 9-5 in league play with an 80-74 win over Texas State on Saturday. Sam Houston State has secured a spot in the SLC Tournament and can still clinch a share of the West Division title with wins over UTSA and A&M-Corpus Christi combined with two Stephen F. Austin losses to the same two teams this week.
Last Time Out: Freshman Devin Gibson scored a game-high 20 points, including 14 in the second half, as UTSA ran away from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 65-51, on Saturday night before a season-high crowd of 3,050 at the Convocation Center. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak to the A&M-Corpus Christi dating back to the first-ever meeting on Nov. 27, 1999. Gibson, who was UTSA’s leading scorer for the 14th time this season, was 6-of-8 from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers, and 6-for-6 from the free throw line in reaching 20 points for the sixth time. UTSA broke open a close game at the half (27-25 lead) with a 9-2 run out of the gates behind five points from Gibson. The Islanders chipped away at the lead and fought back to within 42-39 on a 3-pointer by Antonio Topps at the 11:14 mark. The Roadrunners responded with eight unanswered points behind 3-pointers from junior Joey Shank, who scored 11, and Gibson to make it 50-39 with just over nine minutes remaining. A&M-Corpus Christi made it a nine-point game on Filip Toncinic jumper, but that was as close as the Islanders would get the rest of the way as UTSA built as much as a 17-point lead down the stretch in running away with its fifth win in the past six games.
SLC Tournament Logjam: With a 7-7 record in Southland Conference play, UTSA currently is in sole possession of third place in the West Division and is tied for fifth with McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana in the overall standings, while UT Arlington is just behind at 7-8. Lamar (12-2), Stephen F. Austin (11-3), Sam Houston State (9-5) and Northwestern State (8-7) all have secured berths for the SLC Tournament to be held March 13-16 in Katy, Texas. UTSA can clinch a spot with a win or a loss by A&M-Corpus Christi this week in either of the teams’ remaining two games. A&M-Corpus Christi (5-9) must win both games this week and have several other things fall into place to earn one of the eight postseason spots.
Closing In On 400: UTSA is closing in on victory No. 400 for the program. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 398-367 (.520).
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.
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).
Three-Ball Twosome: In Southland Conference play, junior Joey Shank and freshman JohnMark Ludwick have combined for 61 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 and McNeese State loss, 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 (2.36) and ninth (2.15), respectively, in 3-pointers made per contest, while Ludwick is second in the league with a 47.1-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 27 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. 9 in both The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Polls. Arkansas has been ranked 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.
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 540 times through 27 games, an average of 20.0 per game, and 15 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 (9.22) and is second in the league in turnover margin (+4.33). 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 (387-583) as a team and are even better in conference play at 68.6 percent (221-322). Individually, junior Joey Shank (89.5) and freshman JohnMark Ludwick (83.3) are both above 80 percent for the season, while seniors Melvin Smith (74.1) and Isaiah Allen (71.0) and freshman Devin Gibson (72.6) all are above 70 percent. Gibson has attempted 201 freebies (or 139 more than the next closest active player), converted 95-of-119 (79.8 percent) in league action and made 72-of-84 (85.7 percent) over the past nine games.
Record Watch: Several UTSA players are moving up the school’s single-season or career record lists. Senior Keith Spencer has pulled down 348 career rebounds, which ranks 19th all-time and fifth among players who played two years or less. Senior Melvin Smith has scored 591 career points, which ranks him 37th all-time and 12th among players who played two years or less. Senior Isaiah Allen’s 495 career points makes him 45th and 17th, respectively. Freshman Devin Gibson is second on the single-season steals list with 87 (a freshman record), tied for fourth with 131 assists and fifth with 146 free throws. Junior Joey Shank is eighth with 65 3-pointers.
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.
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 42nd nationally in assists per game (5.24) and seventh in the SLC in assist/turnover ratio (1.30). Gibson is UTSA’s leading scorer and is eighth overall and tops among SLC freshmen at 14.0 points per game. He has led UTSA in scoring in 14 games ? including eight of the last nine ? and rebounding seven 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 95-of-119 (.798) from the free throw line in league play. Gibson is averaging 16.0 points, 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 steals in SLC action and is scoring 19.0 per game over the last six contests.
Smith Stepping Up: Senior Melvin Smith, UTSA’s leading scorer last season with 12.9 points per game, has played in all 27 contests this year. The Covington, Tenn., native averaged 5.4 points through the first 14 games, but has increased his scoring average to 8.1 ppg, thanks to a 10.8 clip 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 5.7 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 Stephen F. Austin in the regular season finale at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
