UTSA Roadrunners (8-4, 0-0) vs. McNeese State Cowboys (6-7, 0-0)
Saturday, Jan. 10 ? 4 p.m. ? Convocation Center (4,080) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 19-16
Last Meeting: McNeese, 74-53 (Feb. 27, 2008)
SAN ANTONIO ? Riding a five-game winning streak, UTSA (8-4) will hostMcNeese State (6-7) in the Southland Conference opener for both teamsthis Saturday, Jan. 10. Tip is set for 4 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Tuning In: The game will air live in the San Antonio area on 92.5 FM The Outlawbeginning with the pregame show at 3:45 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 at goUTSA.com. Rowdy Zone subscribers also can watch a live video stream at goUTSA.com.
Fast Break Points:
? This will be the 36th meeting between UTSA and McNeese State
? The Roadrunners lead the all-time series, 19-16, but the Cowboys have won three of the last four meetings, including a 74-53 decision at the Convo on Feb. 27, 2008
? UTSA’s five-game winning streak ? the longest active streak in the Southland Conference ? is the best since the 2003-04 squad won seven straight (Feb. 25-March 12)
? The Roadrunners are 5-0 at the Convocation Center this season and have won seven of their last nine games at the facility dating back to last February
? UTSA is 12-5 in Southland Conference home openers and 7-10 in SLC openers overall
? Including the Trans America Athletic Conference days, the Roadrunners are 12-10 in league openers and 16-6 in conference home openers
? UTSA’s eight non-conference wins this season are tied for the most in school history (1989-90, 1990-91)
? The Roadrunners have drained seven or more 3-pointers in 11 games and they lead the Southland Conference and rank fifth in the NCAA in threes per game (10.1)
? UTSA has made at least one 3-pointer in all 71 games under third-year head coach Brooks Thompson, including five or more treys 46 times (all 12 games this year)
? The Roadrunners are posting an SLC-best 10.4 steals (6th/NCAA) and forcing 20.2 turnovers per contest
? UTSA leads the league and ranks 14th nationally in turnover margin (+5.5)
? Reigning NCAA steals champion sophomore Devin Gibson leads the conference and ranks second nationally (3.8/Travis Holmes, VMI) with 3.5 thefts per contest
UTSA/McNeese State Series History: UTSA leads the all-time series against McNeese State, 19-16, including an 11-6 mark in games played in San Antonio. The Cowboys have won the last two meetings and three of the past four overall, but the Roadrunners have claimed two of the last three contests at the Convocation Center.
Last Meeting: Isaiah Allen led three Roadrunners in double figures with 14 points, but UTSA shot just 25.4 percent from the field in falling to McNeese State, 74-53, on Feb. 27, 2008, at the Convocation Center. The loss snapped a season-long four-game winning streak for the Roadrunners. Allen drained four 3-pointers in tying his season-high scoring output, while JohnMark Ludwick also nailed four treys for 12 points. Devin Gibson added 10 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists, while Melvin Smith scored nine. Jarvis Bradley led four Cowboys in double figures with 15 points, also pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds. John Ford (14), Kleon Penn (12) and Diego Kapelan (10) also helped McNeese shoot 54.2 percent from the floor and 81.8 percent from the free throw line. UTSA made just 16-of-63 from the floor for the game, including 3-of-32 (9.4 percent) in the second half, and were out-rebounded, 47-25. The Roadrunners only turned the ball over five times and forced 18 McNeese miscues, nine of those steals.
Scouting McNeese State: The Cowboys improved to 6-7 on the season with an 84-75 victory against Wiley College on Wednesday night in Lake Charles. That win snapped a four-game losing streak that included narrow losses to LSU (62-59) and Texas A&M (57-52). Junior guard Diego Kapelan leads the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game, while senior forward John Pichon is adding 10.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. Sophomore forward P.J. Alawoya is posting 9.6 points and a team-best 8.5 boards per game, while senior center Kleon Penn has tallied a team-high 45 blocks (3.5 bpg) to go along with 8.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Head coach Dave Simmons is 34-40 in his third season at the helm.
Last Time Out: Sophomore Devin Gibson led four Roadrunners in double figures with 14 points and UTSA blasted Texas Wesleyan, 98-67, to extend its winning streak to five games on Monday night at the Convocation Center. Gibson scored all 14 of his points in the first half and added six rebounds and five steals. Senior Joey Shank drained a pair of 3-pointers en route to 12 points, while senior Travis Gabbidon and junior Morris Smith IV contributed 11 and 10, respectively. All 13 Roadrunners scored and UTSA got 51 points from its bench, including junior Richie Frohlich’s near double-double of nine points and team-best eight rebounds. Junior Chris Allen tacked on eight points, as UTSA shot a season-high 55.4 percent (31-of-56) from the floor. The Roadrunners made 10 threes, the 11th game this season with at least seven, and shot 70.3 percent (26-of-37) from the free throw line. Gibson’s five steals helped UTSA post 16 thefts and force 23 Texas Wesleyan turnovers.
Senior Snags SLC Honor: Senior Travis Gabbidon was named Southland Conference Player of the Week on Monday, Jan. 5, after he averaged 19.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game to help lead UTSA to a 2-0 record against SMU and Colgate. In the Roadrunners’ 80-75 win at SMU Dec. 29 ? the second road victory against a Conference USA team this season ? Gabbidon was 6-for-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line in scoring a team-high 18 points and he added seven rebounds. The senior from Phoenix, Ariz., broke a school record with a 10-for-10 performance from the free throw line en route to a season-high 20 points and contributed four boards and a block in the 76-66 victory over Colgate on Jan. 2. For the week, Gabbidon shot 50 percent (10-of-20) from the floor and 93.8 percent (15-of-16) from the charity stripe.
UTSA In Conference Openers: UTSA has a 12-10 all-time record in conference openers and a 16-6 mark in league home openers. The Roadrunners are 12-5 in Southland Conference home openers and 7-10 in SLC openers overall. UTSA has dropped its past three league openers with the last victory coming against Louisiana-Monroe on Jan. 6, 2005 (80-65). The Roadrunners are 1-1 in conference home openers under third-year head coach Brooks Thompson, beating Central Arkansas, 81-77, on Jan. 17, 2008, and falling to Lamar, 71-59, on Jan. 6, 2007.
Let’s Go Streaking: UTSA currently is riding a season-long five-game winning streak dating back to the 76-72 win at UMKC on Dec. 22 and has won six of its past seven contests. The streak is the longest active in the Southland Conference and is one shy of Stephen F. Austin’s season-long of six. The five-game stretch is the longest at UTSA since the 2003-04 squad won seven straight from Feb. 25-March 12. The 1983-84 team won a school-record 13 consecutive games from Jan. 14-Feb. 27.
Home Court Advantage: UTSA totes an all-time record of 246-110 (.691 winning percentage) in the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners are 5-0 at home this season and have won seven of their past nine at the facility dating back to last February. UTSA is 14-3 under Thompson in non-conference contests at the Convo, winning seven straight and 12 of the past 13.
Road Warriors: The Roadrunners played seven of their first 10 games away from the Convocation Center, but finished that stretch with a 3-4 record. Dating back to last February, UTSA is 6-5 in its past 11 true road games.
Non-Conference Success: UTSA has churned out an 8-4 non-conference record so far this season. The eight wins equal the school record first registered by the 1989-90 and 1990-91 teams (excludes neutral site and postseason contests) and the Roadrunners still have one non-conference game remaining on the regular season schedule (Jan. 21 vs. Texas-Pan American). The Roadrunners have recorded five wins against Division I teams ? Rice, UMKC, Georgia State, SMU, Colgate ? which is the most out of league play since the 2001-02 squad also posted five. The 1990-91 squad has the record with eight DI victories, while the 1989-90 team won six. Three of the non-conference DI victories have come on the road, the most since UTSA joined a conference (Trans America Athletic) in 1986-87.
Roadrunners In The Rankings: UTSA picked up its first vote in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Poll, which ranks the top 25 teams from mid-major conferences around the country. Fellow Southland member Stephen F. Austin is ranked No. 21, while Lamar is receiving 14 votes. In the RealTimeRPI.com simulated RPI rankings, UTSA is ranked No. 121 out of 343 Division I teams and third among SLC schools behind SFA (63) and Lamar (72). In that Web site’s Team Power Ratings, the Roadrunners are 161st.
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 406-374 (.521) 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 20.2 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 10.8 steals per contest (sixth/NCAA). Led by 2007-08 NCAA steals champion Devin Gibson, a sophomore who is averaging 3.5 thefts per game (2nd/NCAA) despite going steal-less against Oklahoma State and Navy, all 13 Roadrunners have teamed up to record 130 steals this year. That number includes 75 in five home games (15.0 spg), led by a Brooks Thompson era best of 20 against East Central on Nov. 22.
Taking Care Of The Rock: UTSA has been effective in taking care of the basketball this season. The Roadrunners are averaging 14.7 turnovers per game and boast the top turnover margin (+5.5) in the Southland Conference. UTSA has topped 20 turnovers in a game only once this season with 23 against Texas Wesleyan, yet it still forced 28 miscues in the 98-67 blowout win on Jan. 5. The season-low of seven came in the 76-72 win at UMKC on Dec. 22.
Hitting The Trifecta: The Roadrunners have been productive from beyond the 3-point line this season. Even with the arc moved one foot further from the basket, UTSA has shown it still can fill it up from downtown. Led by senior Joey Shank (30) and juniors Morris Smith IV (27) and Omar Johnson (25), the Roadrunners have drained 121 threes for a conference-leading 10.1 per-game average (5th/NCAA), as 10 different Roadrunners have contributed from behind the arc this season. UTSA has made at least one 3-pointer in all 71 games under third-year head coach Brooks Thompson, including five or more 46 times and seven or more in 11 games this season. UTSA had made at least one three in 431 consecutive contests dating back to Jan. 5, 1994 (vs. Texas).
Balanced Attack: Led by seniors Travis Gabbidon (12.8) and Joey Shank (9.3), juniors Omar Johnson (14.4) and Morris Smith IV (9.2) and sophomore Devin Gibson (10.9), UTSA has displayed a balanced scoring attack this season. Four other Roadrunners are averaging at least four points per contest: Juniors Demarco Stepter (5.3), Josh Bonney (4.8), Chris Allen (4.6) and Terry Fields (4.3).
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 10.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.5 steals (2nd/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 137 steals in 40 career games (3.4 spg), which is eighth on the school’s career chart and seven behind Preston Ivory for seventh (144). Gibson also has tallied 527 points (13.2 ppg), ranking him 43rd, and is eighth in free throw percentage (.702). He is on pace to appear on the school’s top-10 career lists for free throws (203, 10th=211) and assists (187, 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 2003-04 ? and grabbed nine boards against Texas-Pan American. Gabbidon is averaging 12.8 points (17th/SLC) and 4.8 rebounds (25th/SLC) per game this season, including 16.3 points over the last four contests, and is shooting 77.8 percent (42-of-54) from the free throw line (7th/SLC). 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 11 contests (missed UTPA game with concussion). He leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game (T-9th/SLC) behind 25-of-55 (44.5%) shooting from beyond the 3-point line and has dished out a team-best 55 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 26 games with the Roadrunners, the Phoenix native has reached double figures in scoring 22 times, including a career-best 31 against Texas-Pan American last season and a season-high 20 in the Colgate win on Jan. 2. He also has grabbed five or more rebounds 13 times, including a career high of 14 against Texas Wesleyan in 2007.
Pinpoint Accuracy: Junior Omar Johnson has displayed pinpoint accuracy from behind the 3-point line in his first 11 games with the Roadrunners. The Simon Gratz High product has connected on 25-of-55 (45.5%) from downtown and is shooting 44.5 percent (53-119) from the floor overall. He is in a three-way tie for ninth in the Southland Conference in scoring (14.4 ppg) and ranks fourth (12th/NCAA) in 3-point field goal percentage (45.5%) and ninth in 3-pointers made per game (2.3). Additionally, Johnson’s 5.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game stand third and eighth, respectively, among league players.
No Shank Shots: Senior Joey Shank has been a consistent threat from behind the arc in his 40 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 and has 97 career threes (10th=108), has connected on 30-of-68 3-pointers (44.1%) this year. He ranks sixth in the Southland Conference and 32nd in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (.441) and eighth in 3-pointers made per game (2.5).
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 4.4 boards per contest. Stepter, who hails from Memphis, Tenn., leads the team with 74 rebounds and a 6.2 average (13th/SLC). He is one of four league players with three or more double-doubles with 12 points and 11 rebounds against East Central, a season-high 15 points to go along with 11 boards against UMKC and 10 and 10 at SMU. He nearly posted his fourth with eight points and 11 rebounds in the Colgate victory.
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 Thibodaux, La., to face Nicholls at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
