SAN ANTONIO — Four regular-season contests remain in the 2016-17 season for UTSA with the final two coming this Thursday and Saturday. The Roadrunners will host FIU at 7 p.m. on Thursday before welcoming Florida Atlantic for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday for Senior Day.
The Roadrunners (11-14, 7-7 C-USA) head into the weekend riding a four-game losing streak – its longest of the 2016-17 campaign. UTSA has slipped in the Conference USA standings and are now tied with Rice for eighth. Despite the losses this weekend, the Roadrunners clinched a spot at the tournament that is scheduled for March 8-11 in Birmingham, Ala.
In the Roadrunners final home series of the season, UTSA will face familiar competition after meeting with the two in January in the Sunshine State and collecting the victories.
Thursday's game against FIU will be designated as the Military Appreciation Game. Veterans and active military personnel receive free admission with ID while family enters at a $5 rate.
With an even 7-7 mark in conference, the Roadrunners own the fourth-best scoring offense putting up 72.6 points a game, but they are allowing opponents to score just as many with 71 a night. The team also ranks in the top five in C-USA only contests in free throw percentage (72.5), rebounding offense (37.1) and steals (8.3).
Since last facing the Roadrunners in Miami, FIU has won just one contest (Florida Atlantic) and dropped its last six overall. FIU is 5-20 overall and 3-11 in conference play, tying with UTEP for 12th place. The Panthers still have a chance to earn a berth to the conference tournament with four games remaining.
As a team, the Panthers are shooting 37 percent from the floor and are averaging 55.8 points a game, but are shooting nearly 70 percent from the free throw line, best for fourth overall.
Kristian Hudson, who lifted the Panthers to a victory over UTEP in triple overtime back in January, leads the team with 12.8 points per game and adds 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Hudson is the only player to have appeared and started all 25 games.
Florida Atlantic (4-21, 0-14 C-USA) seeks its first win in conference play and first since Dec. 16, 2016, when the Owls hosted Jackson State.
The Owls are being outscored by an 11-point margin and are shooting nearly 38 percent from the floor. Sasha Cedeno leads the Florida Atlantic offense with 9.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. She leads the team with 18 steals and is second with 13 blocks.
UTSA will recognize its two seniors on Saturday prior to tipoff. Head women's coach Lubomyr Lichonczak will honor San Antonio product Tesha Smith and Kasia Kiejdrowska.
