SAN ANTONIO -- Coming off its first two-game road swing in conference play last week, UTSA will return to action on Thursday, playing host to Charlotte at the Convocation Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
The game will air on ESPN+ (subscription required). The game also can be heard live on Ticket 760 AM with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the Voice of the Roadrunners, Andy Everett, calling the action. The radio broadcast also can be heard live via the free iHeartRadio app and online at goUTSA.com/mbb_audio.
UTSA Roadrunners (10-9, 4-2 C-USA) vs. Charlotte (5-14, 2-4 C-USA)
7 p.m. • Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019
Convocation Center • San Antonio
Live video: ESPN+ | https://plus.espn.com
Radio: Ticket 760 AM | goUTSA.com/mbb_audio
Series vs. the 49ers: Charlotte leads, 6-2
Scouting the 49ers
• Charlotte is coming into the Thursday matchup at UTSA off a Martin Luther King Day 76-70 loss vs Old Dominion at home.
• The 49ers took a 34-24 lead into halftime, showcasing a stifling defense working at its best, holding ODU to a 8 of 23 mark from the field. The Monarchs were able to shoot 50 percent in the second stanza and got a pair of players in double figures in the comeback win, outscoring the 49ers 52-36 in the final 20 minutes.
• The 49ers are 5-13 and 2-5 in C-USA and own a 4-6 record at home and a 1-4 mark away from Halton Arena. Charlotte is led by first-year head coach Ron Sanchez, a native of the Dominican Republic, who served as an associate head coach and assistant at Virgina for the previous nine seasons, where he helped build the Hoos into one of the nation's best team's behind the pack-line defense. This leads to a steady approach through its half-court game, with Charlotte averaging 60.4 points per game and opponents scoring just 67.2 points.
• The elite scoring Jon Davis, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, leads the team with 21.4 points and five rebounds per game. Davis - the fastest player to 1,000 points in school history - is one of just three active NCAA DI players with 1,500 career points and 500 career assists. Davis hasn't cooled in league play, averaging 24 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
• The five-guard lineup for the 49ers includes sophomores Jaylan McGill (4.7 ppg) and 6-9 Milos Supica (8.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), with freshman Cooper Robb owning 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per outing. Supica, who averages 10.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in C-USA play, had a career-best 23 points vs. Marshall. Six-foot-7 freshman Brandon Younger has averaged 6.4 points per outing and 6-6 freshman guard Malik Martin has added 9.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game off the bench.
• Charlotte opened the league slate with a loss to Western Kentucky and a one-point setback to Marshall at home before splitting its Florida trip, with a three-point loss at FIU and a five-point win at FAU. Last week, the 49ers fell by just three points vs. Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech earned a 55-40 win on Saturday. The 49ers were led by a 30-point outing on Monday afternoon vs. ODU, with the junior guard connecting on 10 of 11 from the charity stripe in 37 minutes. Milos Supica (11 points, 8 rebounds) and Malik Martin (12 points) joined Davis in double figures.
• The big win of the 49ers preseason slate game in a 66-44 result over Oklahoma State at Halton Arena. The OSU Cowboys are a common non-league foe with UTSA, who fell 82-60 in the to OK State four days later in Stillwater.
Series history
• Charlotte leads the all-time series with UTSA, 6-2, including a 2-1 mark in games played in San Antonio.
• UTSA won the first meeting in the series in 2013-14 when the teams were league foes and snapped a three-game losing streak with an eight-point overtime win in Charlotte last season.
• The two teams have played a pair of overtime games, including a double-overtime 114-108 Charlotte win in 2016.
• In the meeting last year, UTSA got a 30-point outburst from Jhivvan Jackson in the overtime win, with Keaton Wallace adding 17 on a 5 of 5 shooting night from 3-point land. Byron Frohnen had 15 points and Nick Allen had nine points and three boards. UTSA shot a robust 61 percent, holding the 49ers to 43.1 percent from the field.
A win would ...
• Improve UTSA to 11-8 and 5-2 in C-USA play
• Give UTSA two straight wins in the series vs. Charlotte
• Give UTSA eight wins in its last 10 games
• Stretch a home winning streak to seven
Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers Week
• UTSA's coaching staff will be participating in the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week. The promotion is a nationwide event aimed at one common purpose – saving lives from cancer. Coaches from across the nation wear sneakers with gameday suits to raise awareness and funds, and encouraging people to educate themselves about cancer prevention, screening and early detection.
Jhivvan the microwave
• UTSA's scoring punch has been power for a second consecutive year by dynamic guard Jhivvan Jackson. A six-foot scoring machine, Jackson - the 2017-18 Conference USA Freshman of the Year - suffered a season-ending injury late in the season a year ago. He missed the first three games of the year and returned on a minute-restriction for the following eight contests.
• A two-time C-USA Player of the Week in 2018-19, Jackson has been a force, leading the team with 21.1 points per game in 16 games with 11 starts.
• Jackson's 40-minute averages are staggering: 30.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He is averaging 0.76 points per minute.
• Jackson is averaging 32 minutes, 23 points and 4.5 rebounds per game since returning to the starting lineup.
• He had a streak of eight straight games with at least 20 points, the second-longest streak in program history, just shy of Derrick Gervin's nine straight in 1984-85. His current streak stands at 20-or-more points in 12 of the last 14 games.
• Over the last five games, Jackson is averaging 23 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Over his last 10 games, Jackson is averaging 22.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per outing, with 17 steals.
• In league play, Jackson averages 21.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
• Jackson made his return from injury at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 19-21. The sophomore guard averaged 13.7 points in limited minutes (15.0 mpg) in the three neutral-site contests. Jackson drained nine 3-pointers and dished out five assists to help the Roadrunners to a 1-2 record, including scoring 21 on the strength of five treys to help UTSA to a 76-65 victory over Florida Gulf Coast on the final day of the tournament.
• In UTSA's win at Houston Baptist, Jackson went up to 21 minutes, collecting 21 points on a career-high 11 free throws. Days later in a rivalry matchup with Texas State, Jackson got off to a sluggish start but finished with a flourish, owning a team-high 22 points and connecting on five 3-pointers. In a non-conference win over Mid-America Christian, Jackson poured in 28 points.
• With UTSA off to a sluggish, post-Christmas-break start vs. SE Oklahoma State, Jackson put together career highs in points (32) and rebounds (10) in his first career double-double, earning C-USA Player of the Week accolades. He earned his second player of the week honors after splashing a game-winning vs. previously league-unbeaten UNT.
• The second-team all-conference selection set the UTSA freshman scoring record with 534 points and led the team with 18.4 per game. He shot 43.1 percent from the field for the season and tallied three 30-point, 14 20-point and 25 double-figure scoring performances.
Elite guard play
• UTSA's two dynamic sophomore guards, Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace have shouldered the scoring load in 2018-19. Wallace has been a fixture in the lineup, with team highs in minutes (34.3) and ranking second in points per game (18.9). Jackson returned from injury to come off the bench in five straight games before making the last 11 consecutive starts as his minutes restriction has been lifted.
• Since Jackson's return to the playing rotation on Nov. 19 vs. UC Irvine – the fourth game of the season – Wallace is averaging 20.1 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per outing, with the pair combining for 53 percent of UTSA's scoring punch over the last 16 games.
• In addition to the scoring duo of Jackson and Wallace, junior guard Giovanni De Nicolao is a veteran leading the offensive attack. De Nicolao ranks ninth in UTSA history in games started. De Nicolao is averaging 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
• The dynamic guard play is old hat for UTSA coach Steve Henson, who has mentored some of the top scoring guards in college basketball history, including former national player of the year Buddy Hield while at Oklahoma.
Wallace emerging as do-everything threat
• Sophomore guard Keaton Wallace has emerged as a steady all-around weapon for UTSA through the first 19 games this season. While his scoring punch was a known commodity through the first 54 games of his career, it has been his emergence as an above-the-rim contributor during a breakout sophomore season that has been spurred into a weapon on the UTSA roster.
• The 6-foot-3 Wallace has led UTSA in rebounding in conference play with 7.7 rebounds per game, while averaging 20.5 points, connecting from 36 percent from 3-point land and hitting 17 of 19 free-throws. He enters UTSA's matchup vs. Charlotte just a Saturday rebound shy of sporting three consecutive double-doubles.
• Last week, Wallace was a dynamic threat, combining for 28.5 points per game over two outings, with 9.5 rebounds and two steals per game.
• Wallace was blistering hot in a win over Mid-America Christian on Dec. 8, setting career highs in points (35), 3-pointers (nine), rebounds (nine) and blocks (three). His nine treys marked the second-most in UTSA single-game history.
• In a matchup with rival Texas State on Dec. 1, Wallace logged a career-high 39 minutes, collecting 19 points.
• In a pair of wins over UTEP to open league play, Wallace posted a game-high 23 points on Jan. 3, with eight rebounds and a career-high four blocks, before going for 16 points and four boards in the win on Jan. 5.
• Wallace earned his first career double-double in a win over North Texas, collecting 11 points and 10 rebounds. He followed that with his second consecutive double-double, collecting 24 points and 10 boards at Middle Tennessee.
• He followed that performance with a 33-point game at UAB, including a career-high tying nine 3-pointers. He just missed a third straight double-double with nine rebounds.
• A 2017-18 Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection, Wallace averaged 11.4 points last year.
Allen more than muscle
• Nick Allen has emerged as a threat from virtually anywhere on the floor, as the Surprise, Ariz., native is averaging 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game to go along with 21 assists through the first 19 contests. The 6-foot-8 forward is third on the team with 23-pointers and he is shooting at a 64-percent clip at the free-throw line.
• He turned in the best outing of his career in a win over Rice, totaling a career-best 20 points, including a career-high four threes, with five rebounds. In his career, Allen has 502 career rebounds in 117 games, ranking ninth in program history.
• Allen opened the campaign with 15 points and eight rebounds against St. Edward's and he also has scored in double figures against Oklahoma (15), South Dakota State (12), Florida Gulf Coast (13), Bethany (12), SE Oklahoma State (12), UTEP (11) and on the road at UTEP (14), Rice (20) and North Texas (16). He had a streak of five straight games - including the first four in C-USA play - with double figures.
School-record start to league play
• UTSA opened the 2018-19 Conference USA slate with four consecutive wins, equaling the best conference start in program history.
• UTSA earned consecutive wins over UTEP, before topping Rice in a 16-point win. A jumper with 1.6 seconds left from Jhivvan Jackson lifted UTSA past previously league-unbeaten North Texas to push UTSA to a 4-0 start.
• The Roadrunners had their roaring league opening snapped by a three-point loss at Middle Tennessee the following week, with UTSA taking a 14-point hole into half but a 55-point second stanza wasn't enough to complete the comeback.
• UTSA is averaging 78.7 points, 39 rebounds, 14 assists, 10.3 turnovers, 7.3 steals and 3.2 blocks per game in league play. Jackson leads the team with 21.3 points per game, with Keaton Wallace adding 20.5 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game. Nick Allen averages 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds, with Giovanni De Nicolao sporting 7.8 points and six rebounds. Byron Frohnen averages 5.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Win streak snapped at seven
• UTSA had its win streak snapped at seven games after a loss at Middle Tennessee on Jan. 17.
• It equaled the longest winning streak for the Roadrunners in 30 years.
Defending home court
• Under head coach Steve Henson, UTSA has posted a 28-10 record at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners went 11-3 at home in 2016-17 and 12-4 in 2017-18.
• In 2018-19, UTSA is 6-3 at The Convo and has won six consecutive games at home.
• Prior to the last two seasons, UTSA last posted consecutive 11-win home seasons when the program went 11-3 in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 as members of the Southland Conference.
• The 1991-92 team was the last Roadrunners squad to win more than 12 games at home, finishing 14-1.
Trio among the Most-used players in school history
• Senior Nick Allen is leaving a large mark on the program over the course of his career. He has played in 118 games and started 88 in his career, ranking eighth in starts and third in games played.
• Juniors Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao also rank among the tops in program history in starts, checking in ninth.
Maestro runs the point
• Junior point guard Giovanni De Nicolao is a veteran at the top of the UTSA offensive attack. The Italian has made 87 consecutive starts to open his career and has been a consistent, steady weapon for the Roadrunners.
• On Saturday at UAB, De Nicolao grabbed a career high 14 rebounds, the most for a UTSA player in 2018-19.
• De Nicolao recorded his first career double-double in his 70th career game as the Italian scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Oklahoma on Nov. 12. De Nicolao made four shots from the field, including two threes, and connected twice from the free-throw line. His 10 rebounds consisted of two offensive boards and eight on the defensive glass.
• De Nicolao posted a season-high 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds in a win over Rice, adding a career-best two blocks and a steal.
• In a win at UTEP, De Nicolao was a well-rounded force with eight rebounds, seven points and three assists.
• De Nicolao is averaging 7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and a team-high 3.8 assists per game this season.
• In C-USA action, he is posting 7.8 points, 6.0 boards and 4.1 dimes per contest.
Scoring in the final minutes
• At the charity stripe when the game is on the line, over the last five minutes and in overtime, Jhivvan Jackson is 16-for-17 and Keaton Wallace is 12-of-13. Jackson has 60 points (3.8 points per final five minutes) and Wallace 64 (3.4 points per final five) over the final five minutes in 2018-19. In their two-year careers, Jackson is 49 of 61 (89 percent) and Wallace is 37 of 44 (84 percent) from the charity stripe in the final five minutes and overtime.
• Junior Atem Bior has gone 8-of-9 at the charity stripe over the last five minutes during the year.
Topping the century mark
• Twice in 2018-19 UTSA has reached 100+ points in a game, with the Roadrunners owning a 41-7 all-time record when reaching the century mark.
• UTSA owns a 104-74 win over Mid-America Christian and a 101-77 win over Bethany College.
• It marks the first time UTSA has topped 100 points twice in a single season since a pair of overtime losses in the 1996-97 season. The last time the Roadrunners topped 100 points twice in a season without the benefit of overtime came during the 1992-93 season.
First off the bench
• UTSA freshman guard Adokiye Iyaye has been the first player off the bench in a team-high nine games in 2018-19.
• A 6-foot-3 guard out of Oklahoma City, Okla., Iyaye has emerged as UTSA's go-to sixth man, averaging 18.6 minutes and 5.8 points per game.
Third season of the Steve Henson era
• The 2018-19 season marks the third of the Steven Henson era at UTSA. Henson, who came to the Alamo City from Lon Kruger's staff at Oklahoma, has guided the Roadrunners to a 44-43 overall mark to this point. Under Henson's tutelage, UTSA won a program-best 11 Conference USA contests last season and picked up UTSA's second consecutive Conference USA Tournament win. Moreover, Henson coached Jhivvan Jackson to C-USA Freshman of the Year and Deon Lyle to league Sixth Player of the Year.
Defending home court
• Under head coach Steve Henson, UTSA has posted a 28-10 record at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners went 11-3 at home in 2016-17 and 12-4 in 2017-18.
• In 2018-19, UTSA is 6-3 at The Convo and has won six consecutive games at home.
• Prior to the last two seasons, UTSA last posted consecutive 11-win home seasons when the program went 11-3 in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 as members of the Southland Conference.
• The 1991-92 team was the last Roadrunners squad to win more than 12 games at home, finishing 14-1.
Team-first mindset in Atem Bior
• With UTSA missing dynamic scoring threat Jhivvan Jackson early in the year due to injury, the coaching staff turned to junior college transfer Atem Bior as the starting lineup replacement for the first eight games of the year.
• A 6-foot-7, 220-pound native of Bisbane, Australia, Bior averages 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
• Bior has played 17.4 minutes per game since Jackson returned to the lineup. With Jackson back in the fold, Bior is averaging 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
• In his eight starts to open the year, Bior averaged 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 24.5 minutes per game.
• Bior is averaging 11.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 0.5 blocked shots per 40 minutes played.
• While playing 2017-18 at New Mexico Military Institute, Bior average 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds, sported 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game at New Mexico Highlands in 2016-17 after redshirting the 2015-16 season at NM Highlands.
Yo, Adrian!
• After suffering a season-ending knee injury in last year's opener, redshirt freshman Adrian Rodriguez is medically cleared for the 2018-19 season.
• Before suffering the injury, the 6-foot-7 forward from Tulsa, Okla., scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench against East Central.
• The 6-foot-7 big man played 12 minutes against St. Edward's in the season lid-lifter, collecting five rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists. He followed that performance with six points and four boards in 16 minutes against Oklahoma.
87 straight starts
• Juniors Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao are projected to make their 87th consecutive starts on Thursday vs. Charlotte. The first two signees of head coach Steve Henson in Spring 2016 have started all 87 games of their careers. Frohnen has started at both the small and power forward positions, while De Nicolao has been the stalwart at point guard.
C-USA Bonus play
• Conference USA rolled out an innovative scheduling format for the 2018-19 league contests. The new C-USA schedule format will see the 14 teams play each other once and their travel partner twice in the first seven weeks of the conference season. Following the first 14 league contests, teams will be placed into one of three groups based on their conference standing. The teams will be divided into two groups of five (1-5 and 6-10) and a group of four (11-14). During the final three weeks, teams will play four games (two home/two away) within their respective grouping. Home and away matchups will be determined by the preset formula.
Frohnen on the boards
• Junior forward Byron Frohnen leads UTSA and ranks seventh in Conference USA with 7.2 rebounds per game through the first 19 contests.
• The Las Vegas native has reached double figures on the boards in four games with 10 in the season opener against St. Edward's and 11 at Oklahoma State. In a rivalry tilt vs. Texas State, Frohnen grabbed 12 boards, adding 12 boards vs. Arkansas. Frohnen added a season-best 13 rebounds in a win over UTEP.
• Frohnen's 611 rebounds in 87 career games is seventh on the UTSA career list. He sits behind Bruce Wheatley (1987-90) for sixth (668) in career history.
Who is moving up in the record book?
• Giovanni De Nicolao needs four steals to equal Preston Ivory (1988-91) for 10th in school career history.
• De Nicolao needs 15 points to equal Omar Johnson (2008-10) and Preston Ivory (1988-91) for 35th in program history in career scoring.
• De Nicolao needs to start four more games to equal David President (2001-05) for seventh in career starts.
• Nick Allen needs one game played to move into a tie with Devin Gibson (2007-11) for second in UTSA history in games played. Jerome Hill (2010-15) is the program record holder with 122 games played.
• Allen needs three games played to move into a tie for seventh with David President (2001-05).
• Allen needs 10 rebounds to move into a tie for ninth with Reggie Minnieweather (1998-02).
• Allen needs 16 points to move into a tie with Roderick Hall (1996-98) for 24th in career scoring, and 32 points for 23rd place.
• Keaton Wallace needs nine 3-pointers to equal Ronnie Ellison (1989-92) for seventh in career history.
• Wallace needs five points to equal Afis Olajuwon (1991-94) for 32nd in career scoring, 16 to tie Michael Hale III (2012-13)for 31st and 35 points to tie Andrew Owens for 30th.
• Wallace needs five 3-pointers to equal his total from the 2017-18 season - which ranked 11th in single-season history. Darryl Eaton (78; 1989-90) ranks eighth, Jordan Sims (79; 2013-14) ranks seventh, Keith Horne (1990-91) and Melvin Johnson III (80, 2010-11) rank fifth and Ryan Bowie (81; 2015-16) checks in fourth. Marlon Anderson (twice, 1994-95, 95-95) and Deon Lyle (2017-18) own the program single-season mark.
• Jhivvan Jackson needs seven 3-pointers to equal Joey Shank for 10th in career history, and 11 treys to move into a tie for eighth.
• Jackson needs 12 points to move into 20th in career history in scoring, equaling Dion Pettus (1985-89) and Eric Cooper (1987-89).
• Byron Frohnen needs 57 rebounds to equal Bruce Wheatley (1987-90) for sixth in career boards.
• Frohnen needs to start four more games to equal David President (2001-05) for seventh in career starts.
756 straight with a trey
• UTSA has made at least one 3-point field goal in each of its last 756 consecutive games, which ranks as the 21st-longest streak in the nation. The last time the Roadrunners failed to connect from long range came on Jan. 5, 1994, in a 91-69 loss to Texas (0-for-6). To put the time frame in perspective: Bill Clinton had not yet completed his first full year as POTUS, Hero by Mariah Carey was on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Mrs. Doubtfire was the No. 1 movie in the box office and the Dallas Cowboys were 15 days from winning Super Bowl XXVIII, 30-13, over the Buffalo Bills.
Henson awarded contract extension
• The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved on May 1 a contract extension for UTSA head men's basketball coach Steve Henson that will run through the 2023-24 season.
• The contract extends Henson's original deal an additional three seasons and raises his base salary from $280,000 to $325,000 per year.
3-Point Record in 2017-18
• After making just 172 3-pointers all of 2016-17, the 2017-18 Roadrunners set the UTSA single-season team record with 353. The previous record was 272 by the 2011-12 squad.
• The Roadrunners' 10.1 triples per game led Conference USA and ranked 19th in the NCAA.
• UTSA's 353 makes last season ranked fifth on the Conference USA single season list. The conference record is 375 by the 2007-08 Houston Cougars.
• Deon Lyle (who elected to depart the program to pursue a professional career in the Junior Basketball Association after his junior season), Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace led the Roadrunners from deep with 96, 77 and 74 made triples, respectively. Junior point guard Giovanni De Nicolao made 36 and senior big man Nick Allenstepped out to hit 33 threes, which was 13 more than his first two seasons combined.
• Led by Wallace's 69 3-pointers, UTSA has made 146 threes through the first 19 contests this season, an average of 8.5 per game. Jackson and Wallace rank as the top two players in C-USA in three-point attempts and makes in 2018-19.
Up Next
• The Roadrunners will return to action on Saturday, playing host to Old Dominion at 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and will be available on Ticket 760 AM with the Voice of the Roadrunners, Andy Everett, calling the action.
• Old Dominion is off to a 15-5 record and a 5-2 mark in league play to rank third in the league. The Monarchs are led in scoring by a pair of 17.9 points per game scorers, including Ahmad Caver and B.J. Stith. Stith adds a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game. Entering its matchup Thursday at UTEP, ODU has won four consecutive games and 13 of its last 15 games.
- UTSA -
