UTSA Roadrunners (5-4) at SMU Mustangs (3-6)
Monday, Dec. 29 ? 7 p.m.Moody Coliseum (8,998) ? Dallas, Texas
Series History: SMU leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: SMU, 62-56 (Dec. 1, 2007)
SAN ANTONIO ? Fresh off a 60-48 win against Georgia State on Saturday, UTSA (5-4) returns to the road for the fifth time in six games this month to face SMU (3-6) on Monday, Dec. 29. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.
Tuning In: MetroSports will televise the game to Time Warner Cable customers in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, San Antonio (channel 50), Waco, Austin and San Marcos. The game will air live in the San Antonio area on 92.5 FM The Outlawbeginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m. Andy Everett has the call.Free live audio will be available online at goUTSA.com, which is provided courtesy of Yahoo! Sports. Live stats will be provided by SMU at smumustangs.com.
Fast Break Points:
? This is the fourth meeting between UTSA and SMU
? The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 2-1, including a 62-56 decision in the last meeting on Dec. 1, 2007, in San Antonio, which also marked UTSA’s last non-conference loss at the Convocation Center (won five straight since)
? SMU won the only previous meeting in Dallas, 88-86, on Jan. 9, 1990, while the Roadrunners’ lone victory (80-60) came on Dec. 30, 1991
? UTSA is 2-4 on the road this year and 5-5 in its last 10 road games overall
? The Roadrunners have drained seven or more 3-pointers in eight games and they lead the Southland Conference and rank in the top 10 nationally in threes per game (10.2)
? UTSA has made at least one 3-pointer in all 68 games under third-year head coach Brooks Thompson, including five or more treys 43 times (all nine games this year)
? UTSA also leads the league and ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA in both steals per game (10.6) and turnover margin (+6.6)
? The Roadrunners are forcing 20.6 turnovers per game
? Reigning NCAA steals champion sophomore Devin Gibson leads the conference and ranks in the top 10 nationally with 3.4 thefts per contest
? Junior Omar Johnson is firing at a 48.8-percent clip from behind the 3-point line, which stands fifth in the league and in the top 10 in the NCAA, and he is seventh in the conference in scoring (15.5)
UTSA/SMU Series History: SMU leads the all-time series, 2-1, including a 62-56 decision in the last meeting on Dec. 1, 2007, in San Antonio. That loss was UTSA’s last in a non-conference home game (has won five straight since). The Mustangs won the only previous meeting in Dallas, 88-86, on Jan. 9, 1990. The Roadrunners’ lone victory was an 80-60 final on Dec. 30, 1991. UTSA is 6-18 all-time against current members of Conference USA: Houston (1-5), Memphis, (0-1), Rice (4-2), SMU (1-2), Tulane (0-2), Tulsa (0-2) and UTEP (0-4).
Scouting SMU: The Mustangs have dropped three straight games and enter Monday’s contest at 3-6 on the season. Paul McCoy and Derek Williams leads the offense, averaging 12.7 and 11.0 points per game, respectively. Bamba Fall is pulling down a team-high 7.4 rebounds per contest and he also averages 8.3 points and 2.7 blocks per game. The Mustangs are shooting 44 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent from behind the 3-point line, but have struggled at the free throw line (58%). Head coach Matt Doherty, a former North Carolina head coach, is 13-26 in his second season.
Last Meeting: Travis Gabbidon scored 15 points, but SMU outscored UTSA, 37-25, in the second half en route to a 62-56 victory on Dec. 1, 2007, at the Convocation Center. Gabbidon’s 15 led all players, while Keith Spencer pulled down a career high-tying 12 rebounds, also a game high. Isaiah Allen poured in 12 points, but UTSA shot just 30.8 percent from the field for the game. The Roadrunners attempted 26 3-pointers, but made only six (23.1 percent). Mike Walker and Derrick Roberts led SMU with 13 and 10 points, respectively, while Paulius Ritter and Papa Dia grabbed eight boards apiece.
Last Time Out: Senior Travis Gabbidon led three Roadrunners in double figures with a game-high 16 points and UTSA held off a late rally in downing Georgia State, 60-48, on Saturday night at the Convocation Center in the first home game since Nov. 25. The Roadrunners led by as many as 24 points but shot just 19.2 percent (5-26) in the second half, as Georgia State rallied to within six points in the final three minutes. A 3-point play by junior Omar Johnson, who scored 13 points and added five assists and three steals, gave the Roadrunners a 51-21 lead at the 11:23 mark, but UTSA would make just one field goal ? a fadeaway jumper by junior Terry Fields ? for a 10-minute span from there. Meanwhile, Joe Dukes followed a three with a layup at the three-minute mark to pull the Panthers to within 54-43. Dante Curry then connected from downtown and Dukes was good again from the paint to make it a six-point game with 2:05 to play. Johnson made 1-of-2 free throws and then sophomore Devin Gibson rebounded a Dukes miss and found Gabbidon alone for a fast break slam dunk that put UTSA up, 57-48 with 50 seconds remaining. UTSA held on from there, getting three free throws and a pair of steals from Gibson, who finished with nine points and three thefts. The Panthers shot 42.9 percent from the floor, but were 0-for-6 from the charity stripe, marking the first time a UTSA opponent failed to convert a free throw. The Roadrunners came up with 10 steals and scored 28 points off 19 Georgia State turnovers. Junior Josh Bonney led all players with nine rebounds, equaling his season high for the third time, while Gabbidon pulled down seven to help UTSA out-rebound the Panthers, 37-32.
Home Court Advantage: UTSA totes an all-time record of 244-110 (.689 winning percentage) in the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners are 3-0 at home this season and 12-3 under Thompson in non-conference contests at the Convo, winning five consecutive and nine of the past 10.
Road Warriors: The Roadrunners have played six of their first eight games on the road and eventually will be away from the Convocation Center for seven of their first 10 contests after the SMU contest in Dallas on Monday night. Dating back to last February, UTSA is 5-5 in its past 10 true road games.
Victory No. 400: UTSA claimed victory No. 400 for the program with an 80-55 decision against McMurry on Nov. 25. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 403-374 (.519) in now their 28th season.
Record-Setting Night: UTSA set six school records in the 136-68 victory against East Central on Nov. 22, as the Roadrunners improved to 24-4 all-time and 3-0 under third-year head coach Brooks Thompson in home openers. Following is a list of the broken records:
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)]
Additionally, UTSA set Southland Conference season highs for points, margin of victory, field goals (51), field goal attempts, 3-point field goals, 3-point field goal attempts, rebounds and assists (29) in that contest.
Creating Havoc: The Roadrunners are forcing their opponents into an average of 20.6 turnovers per game this season. A large reason for UTSA’s success in creating opponent miscues is the fact that the team is coming up with a league-best 10.6 steals per contest (seventh/NCAA). Led by 2007-08 NCAA steals champion Devin Gibson, a sophomore who is averaging 3.4 thefts per game despite going steal-less against Oklahoma State and Navy, 10 different Roadrunners have teamed up to record 95 steals this year. That number includes 81 in the past seven games (11.6 spg), led by a Brooks Thompson era best of 20 against East Central on Nov. 22.
Hitting The Trifecta: The Roadrunners have been productive from beyond the 3-point line through the first nine 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. Led by senior Joey Shank (27) and juniors Omar Johnson (21) and Morris Smith IV (18), the Roadrunners have drained 92 threes for a conference-leading 10.2 per-game average, as 10 different Roadrunners have contributed from behind the arc this season. UTSA has made at least one 3-pointer in all 68 games under third-year head coach Brooks Thompson, including five or more 43 times and seven or more in eight games this season. UTSA had made at least one three in 428 consecutive contests dating back to Jan. 5, 1994 (vs. Texas).
Balanced Attack: Led by junior Omar Johnson (15.5), seniors Travis Gabbidon (11.7) and Joey Shank (10.8) and sophomore Devin Gibson (10.3), UTSA has displayed a balanced scoring attack this season. Five other Roadrunners are averaging at least 4.1 points per contest: Juniors Morris Smith IV (8.2), Josh Bonney (5.4), Demarco Stepter (4.7), Chris Allen (4.6) and Terry Fields (4.1).
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 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.4 steals (seventh/NCAA) per game this season.
Moving On Up: Sophomore Devin Gibson is making his way up a pair of UTSA career charts. The Houston native currently has 124 steals in just 37 career games (3.4 spg), which is eighth on the school’s career chart. Gibson also has tallied 489 points, ranking him 46th. He is on pace to appear on the school’s top-10 career lists for free throws (190, 10th=211), free throw percentage (.699, needs 200 made) and assists (177, 10th=214) 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 two of the team’s top scorers 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. Gabbidon is averaging 11.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season. 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 eight contests (missed UTPA game with concussion). He leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game behind 21-of-43 (48.8%) shooting from beyond the 3-point line and has dished out a team-best 40 assists (5.0 avg).
Model Of Consistency: Senior Travis Gabbidon has been one of UTSA’s most consistent players in his two-year career. In his 23 games with the Roadrunners, the Phoenix native has reached double figures in scoring 19 times, including a career-best 31 against Texas-Pan American last January. He also has grabbed five or more rebounds 12 times, including a career high of 14 against Texas Wesleyan last December.
Pinpoint Accuracy: Junior Omar Johnson has displayed pinpoint accuracy from behind the 3-point line in his first eight games with the Roadrunners. The Simon Gratz High product has connected on 21-of-43 (48.8%) from downtown and is shooting 44.2 percent (42-95) from the floor overall. He ranks seventh in the Southland Conference in scoring (15.5 ppg), fifth in the league and ninth in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (48.8%) and ninth in the SLC in 3-pointers made per game (2.6). Additionally, Johnson’s 5.0 assists per game stand fourth among all league players.
No Shank Shots: Senior Joey Shank has been a consistent threat from behind the arc in his 37 games with the Roadrunners. Last year, the Folsom, Calif., native drained 67 threes, the sixth-best season in school history, and made three or more in a game 12 times. He put his name next to the program’s single-game record with eight treys in a win over Northwestern State last January and he nearly matched that effort with seven against Rice on Dec. 4 of this season, tallying a career-best 26 points in both contests. Shank, who has made six or more trifectas in five career games, has connected on 27-of-57 3-pointers (47.4%) this year. He ranks sixth in the Southland Conference in 3-pointers made per game (3.0) and in 3-point field goal percentage (.474).
Wiping The Glass: The junior duo of Josh Bonney and Demarco Stepter has made an immediate impact on the glass this season. Bonney, a native of White Castle, La., has grabbed a season-high nine rebounds in three games this season (all at home) and is averaging 5.2 boards per contest. Stepter, who hails from Memphis, Tenn., leads the team with 57 rebounds and a 5.7 average. He has tallied a pair of double-doubles with 12 points and 11 rebounds against East Central and a season-high 15 points to go along with 11 boards against UMKC.
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 hosts Colgate at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 2.
