UTSA Roadrunners (1-2) vs. McMurry (0-0)
Tuesday, Nov. 25 ? 7 p.m.
Convocation Center (4,080) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: UTSA, 77-56 (Dec. 27, 2007)
Opening Tip: Fresh off a record-setting 136-68 victory against East Central on Saturday night, UTSA (1-2) will aim for the program’s 400th victory when it hosts McMurry (0-0) on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Tuning In: The game will air live in the San Antonio area on 92.5 FM The Outlaw beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m. Andy Everett has the call. Free live audio and stats will be available online at goUTSA.com. Live video will be available to Rowdy Zone subscribers at goUTSA.com.
Fast Break Points:
? UTSA is 3-0 all-time against McMurry, an NCAA Division III member of the American Southwest Conference
? McMurry does not use an official nickname after the NCAA forced the school to stop using Indians in 2006
? In the 136-68 victory against East Central on Saturday, the Roadrunners set school records for points in a game (136), margin of victory (68), 3-pointers (17), rebounds (65), field goal attempts (97) and 3-point field goal attempts (43)
? Led by senior Joey Shank and junior Omar Johnson, who have drained nine threes apiece, UTSA leads the Southland Conference in 3-pointers per game (12.0)
? UTSA also leads the league in scoring (86.7) and ranks second in free throw percentage (.745), 3-point field goal percentage (.409) and steals (11.33)
? Sophomore Devin Gibson, the 2007-08 NCAA steals champion, is a preseason first-team All-Southland Conference selection and is one of 31 players on the Bob Cousy Award preseason watch list
UTSA/McMurry Series History: UTSA leads the all-time series against McMurry, 3-0. The Roadrunners won last year’s matchup, 77-56, on Dec. 28, 2007, in their first meeting since 1982. UTSA owns an average winning margin of 21.3 in the three victories. The Roadrunners are 26-3 all-time against current members of the American Southwest Conference: Hardin-Simmons (13-3), Howard Payne (1-0), McMurry (3-0), Schreiner (3-0), Sul Ross State (3-0), Texas Lutheran (1-0) and UT-Tyler (2-0).
Last Meeting: Joey Shank poured in a game-high 22 points to help guide UTSA past McMurry, 77-56, on Dec. 28, 2007, at the Convocation Center. Shank drained six 3-pointers, while Travis Gabbidon added 14 points and a team-best eight rebounds. UTSA broke open a close game late in the first half, outscoring McMurry, 17-2, over the final five minutes to take a 37-23 lead into the locker room. Gabbidon keyed a 10-2 stretch to begin the second half as the Roadrunners’ 26-4 run over an 8:40 span put the game out of reach. Shank was red-hot to start the game, nailing his first four attempts from downtown to help stake the Roadrunners to a 13-10 lead through the first eight minutes. He finished 6-of-10 from behind the arc, while UTSA made a season-high 10 3-pointers as a team. UTSA forced 19 turnovers in the first half, as McMurry committed 30 miscues for the game, 14 of those steals.
Scouting McMurry: McMurry returns five lettermen, including two starters, from last season’s 12-13 squad (its first losing season since 1992-93) that finished 8-12 in the American Southwest Conference. All-ASC West Division honorable mention selection DeWayne Hall is the top returning scorer after averaging 11.8 points per game last season. Tuesday’s game is the season opener for McMurry. Head coach Ron Holmes enters his 19th season at the helm with a 311-167 career record.
Closing In On 400: UTSA can achieve victory No. 400 for the program against McMurry on Tuesday night. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 399-372 (.518) in now their 28th season.
Last Time Out: Senior Joey Shank led seven Roadrunners in double figures, as UTSA set six school records and blasted East Central, 136-68, on Saturday night at the Convocation Center. The game only counted as an exhibition for East Central, which dropped a 167-115 decision at Texas Tech on Thursday night, but it was the Roadrunners (1-2) putting on the exhibition in the team’s first home game of the season. UTSA set or tied school records for points in a game (136), margin of victory (68), 3-pointers (17), rebounds (65), field goal attempts (97) and 3-point field goal attempts (43). Shank drained six shots from behind the arc and was 9-of-18 from the floor overall in scoring a game-high 24 points. Junior Morris Smith IV poured in 21 behind a 5-for-8 night from downtown, while junior Omar Johnson added 18 points, including four treys. Senior Travis Gabbidon (15), juniors Chris Allen (14), Josh Bonney (12) and Demarco Stepter (12) also reached double digits.
A Closer Look At The Records: UTSA set six school records in the 136-68 victory against East Central on Nov. 22. Following is a list of the records broken:
Points (136/132, vs. Texas State, 11/24/90)
Winning Margin (68/58, vs. Georgia State, 2/10/90)
Field Goal Attempts (97/91, vs. Georgia State, 1/22/87)
Rebounds (65/64, vs. Jarvis Christian, 11/29/86)
3-Pointers (17/17, vs. Stephen F. Austin, 1/18/97)
3-Point Field Goal Attempts (43/37, vs. Northwestern State, 1/19/08)
UTSA Successful In Home Debuts: The Roadrunners improved to 24-4 all-time in home openers with the 136-68 thrashing of East Central on Saturday night. UTSA has not lost a season debut in the Convocation Center since a 73-47 decision against Illinois-Chicago on Nov. 29, 2003. Third-year head coach Brooks Thompson improved to 3-0 in UTSA home openers.
Home Court Advantage: UTSA totes an all-time record of 242-110 (.688 winning percentage) in the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners were 9-5 at home last season and have won nine of their last 11 non-conference contests at the Convo.
Hitting The Trifecta: The Roadrunners have been productive from beyond the 3-point line through the first three games this season. Even with the arc moved one foot further from the basket this year, UTSA has shown it still can fill it up from downtown. The Roadrunners have drained a Southland Conference-leading 36 3-pointers, an average of 12.0 per game. Senior Joey Shank, who led the team with 67 threes last season, and junior Omar Johnson have converted nine apiece, while Johnson is firing at a 64.3-percent clip to rank second in the league. Junior Morris Smith IV and senior Travis Gabbidon have made seven and six treys, respectively, as eight different Roadrunners have contributed from behind the arc this season.
Balanced Attack: Led by junior Omar Johnson’s 16.0 average, UTSA has displayed a balanced scoring attack through the first three games this season. The senior duo of Travis Gabbidon (13.7) and Joey Shank (11.0) join Johnson in double figures, while seven other Roadrunners are averaging more than five points per contest.
Gibson Up For Cousy Award: Sophomore Devin Gibson, the 2007-08 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, has been named a preseason nominee for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top point guard. The Cy-Falls High product is one of two SLC players (Kenny Dawkins, Lamar) and one of 31 nationally named to the watch list. Gibson, the 2007-08 NCAA steals leader (3.3 spg), is averaging 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game this season.
More Preseason Accolades: In addition to making the Cousy Award preseason list, Gibson also has been named preseason first-team all-conference and a CollegeHoops.net Preseason Mid-Major All-American.
Welcome Back: Senior Travis Gabbidon and junior Omar Johnson both were plagued with injuries last season, but have emerged as the team’s top two scorers through the first three games this year. Gabbidon, a Phoenix native and JUCO All-American at College of Southern Idaho, was UTSA’s leading scorer (13.9) and rebounder (5.8) until he went down with a season-ending injury at Lamar on Jan. 12. That happened one game after he scored 31 - the program’s first 30-point outing since 2003 - and grabbed nine boards against Texas-Pan American. Following a season-high 15-point outing against East Central, Gabbidon is averaging in 13.7 points and 5.0 boards per game, which rank second among players who have seen action in all three contests. Johnson, a Philadelphia native and JUCO All-American at Barton County, missed all of last season with a stress reaction, but has made an immediate impact in his first three games. He leads the team in scoring at 16.0 points per game behind 9-of-14 shooting from beyond the 3-point line and has dished out a team-best 16 assists.
SLC Preseason Polls: UTSA has been picked to finish third in the West Division of the Southland Conference by the league’s sports information directors and fourth by the head coaches in the preseason polls. The Roadrunners received two first-place votes and 43 points in the SIDs poll to rank behind UT Arlington and Lamar, while they tallied 39 points for fourth behind UT Arlington, Lamar and Sam Houston State in the coaches poll. Stephen F. Austin is the unanimous choice to win the East.
Up Next: UTSA travels to Annapolis, Md., to face Navy on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Tip is set for 6 p.m. Central time at Alumni Hall on the U.S. Naval Academy campus.
