UTSA Roadrunners (17-10, 8-6 SLC) at Texas State Bobcats (13-14, 6-8 SLC)
Wednesday, March 4 ? 7 p.m.
Strahan Coliseum (7,200) ? San Marcos, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 28-18
Last Meeting: UTSA, 86-76 (Jan. 28, 2009)
SAN ANTONIO ? With a spot in the State Farm Southland ConferenceTournament secured, UTSA (17-10, 8-6 SLC) will make the short trip upI-35 to San Marcos to face rival Texas State (13-14, 6-8 SLC) onWednesday, March 4. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. at Strahan Coliseum.
Tuning In: The game will air live in the San Antonio area on The Ticket 760 AMbeginning 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 also will be available at txstatebobcats.com.
Fast Break Points:
? This will be the 47th meeting between UTSA and Texas State
? The Roadrunners lead the all-time series, 28-18, including a 13-7 mark in San Marcos
? UTSA won the previous meeting this season, 86-76, on Jan. 28 at the Convocation Center and took a wild 103-96 overtime decision in the last meeting at Strahan Coliseum (2/23/08)
? The Roadrunners are 6-8 on the road this season, including 3-4 in SLC games
? UTSA has eight conference wins, the most league victories since the 2004-05 team posted a 10-6 ledger
? The Roadrunners’ 17 overall victories are the most since the 2003-04 squad won 19 games
? UTSA established a school record with nine non-conference wins this season
? UTSA is 10-0 when holding opponents to under 70 points
? The Roadrunners have drained six or more 3-pointers in 22 games and they lead the SLC and rank 13th in the NCAA in threes per game (8.6)
? UTSA has made at least one 3-pointer in all 86 games under third-year head coach Brooks Thompson, including five or more treys 61 times
? The Roadrunners are posting an SLC-best 9.9 steals per game (4th/NCAA) and forcing 19 turnovers per contest
? UTSA leads the league and ranks eighth nationally in turnover margin (+4.6)
? Sophomore guard Devin Gibson leads the NCAA in steals per game (3.5)
UTSA/Texas State Series History: The Roadrunners lead the all-time series with Texas State, 28-18, and have won 13 of the 20 meetings in San Marcos. UTSA has won the last two meetings, 86-76, on Jan. 28 at the Convocation Center and, 103-96, in overtime on Feb. 23, 2008 at Strahan Coliseum. The series is deadlocked at 5-5 over the past 10 games.
Last Meeting: Senior Travis Gabbidon posted his third double-double of the season and junior Josh Bonney poured in 17 points to lead UTSA past Texas State, 86-76, on Jan. 28 before 3,039 fans at the Convocation Center. Gabbidon and Bonney led six Roadrunners in double figures, while also Gabbidon grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Juniors Chris Allen and Omar Johnson scored 12 apiece, while senior Joey Shank and junior Morris Smith IV added 10 each, as UTSA shot 75.7 percent (28-37) from the free throw line. The Roadrunners outrebounded Texas State, 51-40, and converted 22 offensive boards into 27 second-chance points. UTSA also came up with eight steals as part of 16 Bobcats turnovers and held leading scorer, Brent Benson (16.2 ppg) to just five points. Brandon Bush led Texas State with a game-high 25 points. Bush converted a 3-point play at the 11:38 mark to give Texas State an early 21-14 lead. The Roadrunners answered with an 8-2 run to climb back to within 23-22 with 8:43 left in the first. Johnson drained a 3-pointer to break a 25-25 tie and kick start a 17-6 run by the Roadrunners that eventually led to a 47-35 halftime advantage. UTSA built a 16-point lead early in the second half and withstood several Texas State runs, not allowing the Bobcats any closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Scouting Texas State: The Bobcats have won three of their last four games and enter Wednesday’s game at 13-14 overall and 6-8 in league play. Brandon Bush and Brent Benson are both averaging 15 points per game. Bush leads the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg), while Benson has drained a team-best 83 3-pointers. Head coach Doug Davalos, the son of Rudy Davalos, UTSA’s first-ever athletics director, is 35-50 in his third season at the helm.
Last Time Out: Sophomore Devin Gibson led four Roadrunners in double figures with 17 points and UTSA secured a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament with a 79-72 victory over Lamar on Saturday night before a season-high 3,128 fans at the Convocation Center. Gibson was 5-for-8 from the floor ? including 2-of-3 from behind the 3-point line ? and converted 5-of-6 from the free throw line in leading the Roadrunners in scoring for the third time in the past four games. The NCAA steals leader also registered a pair of thefts to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Juniors Morris Smith IV (14) and Omar Johnson (11) and senior Joey Shank (11) joined Gibson in double figures, while Smith IV and junior Leslie Jackson shared the team lead with six rebounds apiece.
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. UTSA is 6-8 in road games this season, with the six victories two more than the past two seasons combined. Dating back to last February, UTSA is 9-9 in its past 18 true road contests, including winning at Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana in back-to-back seasons.
On The Tube: UTSA has played eight televised contests this season and has posted a 5-3 record in those games. The Roadrunners have defeated UMKC (Metro Sports), SMU (Time Warner Cable), Texas State (Time Warner Cable), Southeastern Louisiana (Southland TV) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Time Warner Cable) and have dropped TV games to Oklahoma State (Cowboy Sports Network), Iowa (Mediacom Connections) and UT Arlington (Southland TV).
Let’s Go Streaking: UTSA’s seven-game winning streak that began with a 76-72 win at UMKC on Dec. 22 and continued through a 62-55 victory at Nicholls on Jan. 14 is tied with Sam Houston State’s streak from Jan. 17-Feb. 7 for the longest in the Southland Conference this season. It also is the best at UTSA since the 2003-04 squad also won seven straight from Feb. 25-March 12. The Roadrunners now have won 14 of their last 20 contests, with four of those losses by a combined 11 points.
A Good Start: At 10-5, UTSA registered its best 15-game start since the 2001-02 team also began with a 10-5 mark. Five teams have started 10-5, which rank second only to 11-4 starts in 1989-90 and 1990-91. Now with 17 victories, UTSA already has surpassed last season’s win total of 13 and still has two regular season contests and the SLC Tournament remaining on the schedule. Additionally, the 17 wins are the most since the 2003-04 won 19, while the eight conference wins have surpassed last season’s tally of seven and are the most since the 2004-05 squad won 10.
Non-Conference Success: UTSA picked up its ninth non-conference victory of the regular season on Jan. 21 against Texas-Pan American, breaking the school record of eight set in 1990-91. The Roadrunners have recorded six wins against Division I teams ? Rice, UMKC, Georgia State, SMU, Colgate, Texas-Pan American ? which is the most out of league play since the 1989-90 team also won six. The 1990-91 squad won a school-record eight. Three of this year’s non-conference DI victories came on the road, the most since UTSA joined a conference (Trans America Athletic) in 1986-87.
Senior Snags Another SLC Honor: Senior Travis Gabbidon was named Southland Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 26, his second honor in four weeks. The Phoenix, Ariz., native averaged 24.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and four steals and shot 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from the field and 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the free throw line in games against Texas-Pan American and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Gabbidon also collected the weekly award on Jan. 5 after posting 19.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in victories against SMU and Colgate.
Keys To Success: UTSA has discovered several keys to success this season. The Roadrunners a perfect 10-0 when holding opponents to under 70 points and 15-3 when holding them to under 50-percent shooting from the floor (4-0 under 40 percent), as opposed to a 2-7 record when foes shoot above 50 percent. UTSA also is 10-1 when it outrebounds opponents, with the only loss a 74-72 decision at Texas-Pan American in a game that the Roadrunners held a slim 29-28 advantage on the glass. UTSA also is 14-3 when leading at the half.
Creating Havoc: The Roadrunners are forcing their opponents into an average of 19 turnovers per game this season. Ten opponents have committed 20 or more, led by a season-high 34 from East Central on Nov. 22. A large reason for UTSA’s success in creating opponent miscues is the fact that the team is coming up with a league-best 9.9 steals per contest (4th/NCAA). Led by 2007-08 NCAA steals champion Devin Gibson, a sophomore who leads the nation with 3.5 thefts per game, all 13 Roadrunners have teamed up to record 268 steals this year.
Taking Care Of The Rock: UTSA has been effective in taking care of the basketball this season. The Roadrunners are averaging 14.4 turnovers per game and boast the top turnover margin (+4.6) in the Southland Conference (8th/NCAA). UTSA, which boasts a 16-6 record when forcing more turnovers than it commits, has topped 20 turnovers in a game just three times this season but still forced more by two of those opponents in victories against Texas Wesleyan and Texas-Pan American. The season-low of seven miscues came in the 76-72 win at UMKC on Dec. 22 and in the 79-72 win over Lamar on Feb. 28.
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 (58) and juniors Morris Smith IV (53) and Omar Johnson (47), the Roadrunners have drained a conference-leading 233 threes for an SLC-best 8.6 per-game average (13th/NCAA). UTSA, which surpassed last season’s total of 191 treys in the Central Arkansas win, has made at least one 3-pointer in all 86 games under third-year head coach Brooks Thompson, including five or more 61 times and six or more in 22 games this season. UTSA had made at least one three in 446 consecutive contests dating back to Jan. 5, 1994 (vs. Texas).
Success At The Line: A pair of Roadrunners have broken the school record for free throw percentage in a game this season. Senior Travis Gabbidon drained 10-of-10 from the line in the Colgate victory on Jan. 2 to eclipse the previous standard (minimum of 10 attempts required) of 92 percent (12-13) set by Leon Watson against Texas College on Nov. 22, 1998. In the Central Arkansas win on Feb. 11, junior Omar Johnson matched Gabbidon’s effort with a 10-for-10 performance from the charity stripe to help the Roadrunners fire at a season-high 87.5-percent (21-24) clip. Additionally, sophomore Devin Gibson was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe against Northwestern State, but a minimum of 10 made is required for the record. As a team, UTSA is shooting 69.5 percent (440-633) from the line, a considerable improvement over last season’s 65.8 percent (424-644) mark, and stands at 70.7 percent (241-341) in SLC games.
Double-Double Tracker: UTSA has registered 11 double-doubles this year, including a team-bestfour by senior Travis Gabbidon and junior Demarco Stepter.
Demarco Stepter, East Central (Nov. 22): 12 points, 11 rebounds
Devin Gibson, Texas-Pan American (Dec. 18): 16 points, 10 assists
Demarco Stepter, UMKC (Dec. 22) : 15 points, 11 rebounds
Demarco Stepter, SMU (Dec. 29): 10 points, 10 rebounds
Josh Bonney, Nicholls (Jan. 14): 15 points, 13 rebounds
Richie Frohlich, UT Arlington (Jan. 17): 14 points, 10 rebounds
Travis Gabbidon, UT Arlington (Jan. 17): 23 points, 10 rebounds
Travis Gabbidon, UT Arlington (Jan. 24): 23 points, 12 rebounds
Travis Gabbidon, Texas State (Jan. 28): 18 points, 10 rebounds
Travis Gabbidon, Southeastern Louisiana (Feb. 7): 11 points, 12 rebounds
Demarco Stepter: Northwestern State (Feb. 25): 11 points, 11 rebounds
Balanced Attack: Led by senior Travis Gabbidon (13.0), junior Omar Johnson (12.7) and sophomore Devin Gibson (11.8), UTSA has displayed a balanced scoring attack this season. Six additional Roadrunners are averaging at least four points per contest: senior Joey Shank (8.7) and juniors Morris Smith IV (9.6), Josh Bonney (6.5), Demarco Stepter (6.3), Chris Allen (5.8) and Terry Fields (4.1).
Off The Bench: The Roadrunners’ bench has contributed in a big way this season. Led by juniors Chris Allen (5.8 ppg) and Demarco Stepter (6.3 ppg), who have yet to start a game but are combining for 12.1 points per contest, UTSA has seen an average of 24.4 points from its bench this year. In league play, Allen and Stepter have upped their contribution to 7.2 and 7.4 points per game, respectively. Over the last six games, UTSA’s bench has pitched in with a 32.3 scoring average, including 38 at Sam Houston State and 35 in the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi victory. The bench posted a season-high 64 points in the East Central win and 51 against Texas Wesleyan.
King of Steals: Sophomore Devin Gibson, the 2007-08 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and a preseason nominee for the Bob Cousy Award, has emerged as one of the nation’s top steals man over the past two seasons. The Cypress Falls High product became just the third freshman in history ? Jason Kidd is one of the other two ? to lead the NCAA in steals with 93 in 28 games last season for a 3.3 average. This year, despite missing five games with a back injury, he has tallied 76 steals for an NCAA-leading 3.5 per-game average. His 93 steals in 2007-08 rank second on the school’s single-season list behind Ronnie Ellison’s school-record 97 in 1990-91, while his 76 this season already stand third. Gibson is contributing in a number of other important statistical categories, averaging 11.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists 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 169 steals in 50 career games (3.4 spg), which is fourth all-time. No other Roadrunner has recorded more thefts than Gibson in less than two full seasons. He also has tallied 656 points (13.1 ppg), ranking him 32nd, and he stands sixth with 251 free throws, eighth in free throw percentage (.713) and 10th in assists (219). He also is on pace to appear on the school’s top 50 chart for rebounds (184, 50th=199).
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. This season, Gabbidon is averaging 13 points (T-13th/SLC) and 6.2 rebounds (T-13th/SLC) per game this season, including 12.4 points (T-16th/SLC) and seven boards (T-8th/SLC) in conference play. 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 26 contests (missed Dec. 18 UTPA game with concussion). He ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game (17th/SLC) and has dished out a team-best 114 assists (4.4 avg; 3rd/SLC).
Model of Consistency: Senior Travis Gabbidon has been one of UTSA’s most consistent players in his two-year career. In his 41 games with the Roadrunners, the Phoenix native has reached double figures in scoring 32 times, including a career-best 31 against Texas-Pan American last year and a season-high 25 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He also has grabbed five or more rebounds 25 times, including a career high of 14 against Texas Wesleyan in 2007 and a season-high 12 versus Texas-Pan American on Jan. 21 and Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 7. His 545 career points rank 43rd and his 249 career rebounds stand 41st on UTSA’s all-time list. Gabbidon, who has posted four double-doubles this season, has been named Southland Conference Player of the Week twice this year (Jan. 5/Jan. 26).
Smith Finds His Stroke: Junior guard Morris Smith IV has found his shooting stroke from downtown over the past month. The St. Louis native drained seven 3-pointers in the 67-66 win at Lamar on Jan. 31 and has made 23 trifectas while averaging 13.4 points per game in the last nine contests. Earlier this season, he enjoyed a seven-game stretch from Dec. 18-Jan. 10 in which he connected 19 times from behind the arc, including four long balls in the SMU win on Dec. 29.
No Shank Shots: The most experienced player on a young squad with 55 career games at the Division I level, senior Joey Shank has been a consistent threat from behind the arc 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 connected from downtown 58 times this year, is eighth on UTSA’s career chart with 123 threes (3rd among two-year players). Additionally, he ranks 48th all-time with 492 career points and his 36.8 career 3-point field goal percentage stands fifth. This year, Shank is ninth in the Southland Conference in 3-pointers made per game (2.1).
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., posted his first double-double in a UTSA uniform with 15 points and a season-high 13 rebounds in the 62-55 win at Nicholls and is averaging 4.6 boards per contest. He is posting 7.5 points and 4.9 boards in SLC games. Stepter, who hails from Memphis, Tenn., ranks second on the team with a 6.0 rebounding average (T-15th/SLC). He is one of two Roadrunners (Travis Gabbidon) with four double-doubles this 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 and rebounds in that contest.
Up Next: UTSA will host Stephen F. Austin in the regular season finale on Saturday, March 7. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center and the two seniors ? Travis Gabbidon and Joey Shank ? will be honored prior to the game.
