SAN ANTONIO – UTSA women's basketball continues Conference USA action this week as it hosts Florida Atlantic (9-7, 3-2 C-USA) before making the trek to Hattiesburg, Miss. to take on Southern Miss (11-7, 3-2 C-USA). The Roadrunners (3-15, 1-5 C-USA) host FAU on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. and visit the Golden Eagles on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. Both contests will be streamed live on CUSA.tv.
Hoops for Troops
Thursday's game against FAU is "Hoops for Troops", UTSA's military appreciation night. All active and retired military will receive free entry to game with their military ID while their family members will receive a discounted ticket at five dollars.
Last time out
The Roadrunners have lost two straight, suffering losses at WKU and Old Dominion most recently. UTSA is led by Crystal Chidomere who is averaging 13.4 points per game this season. Marie Benson leads the Roadrunners on the rebounding front, averaging 9.5 boards per game.
FAU game overview
UTSA hosts its 19th game of the 2017-18 season Thursday evening with a conference matchup against FAU. The game will tip at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center. Thursday's game will feature free admission to all active and retired military and will be streamed on CUSA.tv with Stu Paul providing play-by-play.
UTSA, which went 0-2 last weekend on the road, is looking for its second C-USA win. The Roadrunners grabbed their first league win in their last home game on Jan. 13 against Old Dominion. In its most recent game, FAU defeated La Tech, 86-72 in Boca Raton, Fla.
Inside the series: UTSA leads 4-2
UTSA and FAU have met six previous times on the basketball court since the 2013-2014 season, when the Roadrunners joined Conference USA. UTSA paces the all-time series, 4-2, including three wins in the Convocation Center. A year ago, the Roadrunners swept the Owls in a pair of games, with a road 70-61 victory on Jan. 14 and a 69-55 triumph at home on Feb. 23.
Getting to know FAU
FAU comes into the game as the conference leader in rebounds per game with an average of 44.9, which is the ninth highest mark in the nation. They also lead the league in defensive boards, averaging 30 per game, 10th highest in the country. FAU is the only team in Conference USA with three players in the top 15 in the league in rebounds per game with Sasha Cedeño (8.6 rpg), Ra'Kyra Gabriel (7.7 rpg) and Raven Doyle (6.7 rpg).
Offensively, the Owls are averaging 71.7 points per game, which is third in C-USA and the highest for an FAU team since the 2013-14 season. Cedeño leads the team in scoring and is the second leading scorer in the league, averaging 18.7 points per game. Overall, the Owls have won seven of their last 10 games and have started conference play, 3-2, for their best start since the 2012-13 season.
Southern Miss game overview
UTSA plays its 20th contest of the 2017-18 season with a Saturday afternoon game at Southern Miss. The game will tip a 4 p.m. at the Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, Miss. Saturday's contest will stream on CUSA.tv and will air on goUTSA.com with Stu Paul providing play-by-play.
Inside the series: Southern Miss leads 1-6
UTSA and Southern Miss have played seven times on the hardwood since 2014. USM holds a 6-1 margin, claiming the last three meetings. UTSA upset the Lady Eagles in the Convocation Center on Jan. 30, 2016 by a 47-41 final.
Getting to know Southern Miss
With a 3-2 conference record, Southern Miss currently sits in a four way tie for fourth in the conference standings, but sits atop the statistical rankings in field goal percent defense and is second is field goal percentage, defensive rebound totals, rebounding margin, assists and offensive rebound percentage. The Black and Gold are holding their opponents to a .365 field goal percentage.
The Lady Eagles are fueled by Shonte Hailes, Jayla King, Megan Brown and Respect Leaphart, who averaged double-figures during USM's current three-game win streak. Hailes, the reigning C-USA Player of the Week, paces the team in scoring at 21.7 points per game.
Benson on the boards
• Sophomore forward Marie Benson leads UTSA and ranks third among league opponents with an average of 9.5 rebounds per game.
• Benson has totaled 285 total rebounds with 198 coming on the defensive end.
• The Texas native has led the Roadrunners on the glass in 12 games, including a season-high 16 rebounds against Texas A&M Commerce (12/29/17).
• Benson's 285 rebounds in 42 career games ranks 41st on the UTSA career list. She needs only four more to reach the top 40 and 57 to crack the top 30.
Top-20 scorer
• UTSA's Crystal Chidomere paces the Roadrunners with 13.4 points per game and has totaled 215 points this season.
• With a 843 career points the senior ranks 19th on the UTSA career list. She needs 88 points to reach the top 15 and 157 points to become the 15th Roadrunner in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
Up Next
UTSA returns to the Convocation Center to host North Texas on Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. and UTEP on Feb. 4 at 2 p.m.
