SAN ANTONIO – Winners of four consecutive games and fresh off a 75-60 win over UTEP to open league play on Thursday, UTSA will travel to face the Miners on Saturday, with tipoff at the Don Haskins Center slated for 8 p.m. CT.
The game is slated for a live video stream on CUSA.tvand a radio broadcast, available on The Bull 93.3/92.5 FM and goUTSA.com, at approximately 7:30 p.m. with the Voice of the Roadrunners, Andy Everett, calling the action. The broadcast also can be heard live via the free iHeartRadio appand online at goUTSA.com/mbb_audio.
UTSA Roadrunners (7-7, 1-0 C-USA) vs. UTEP Miners (5-7, 0-1 C-USA)
8 p.m. CT • Jan. 5, 2019
Don Haskins Center • El Paso, Texas
Live video: CUSA.tv
Radio: The Bull 93.3/92.5 FM | goUTSA.com/mbb_audio
Series vs. UTEP: UTSA trails, 10-7
Headlines and storylines
• After posting a win over UTEP on Thursday to open the conference season, UTSA will face the Miners again on Saturday in El Paso. UTSA won behind a 23-point outing from Keaton Wallace, who added eight rebounds.
• The Roadrunners have won seven of their last nine games - the second such streak over the last two years.
• A pair of dynamic sophomore scoring guards pace the UTSA offensive attack, in Wallace and Jhivvan Jackson. Jackson leads the team with 20.2 points per game – in just 24.9 minutes – while Wallace leads the team with 33.5 minutes per game and owns 18.6 points per outing.
• After Jackson, the reigning C-USA Freshman of the Year, suffered a season-ending injury late in the 2017-18 season and missed the first three games of the season, all UTSA losses, Jackson returned on a minutes restriction for the next five outings before being inserted in the starting lineup over the last six games.
• The Roadrunners won all three meetings with UTEP in 2017-18, including a matchup in the C-USA Championship at The Star in Frisco, Texas. UTEP leads the series, 10-7, including 7-2 in El Paso.
• UTSA is in its 38th season of basketball. The Roadrunners are 553-551 (.501) all-time, which includes four NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Reigning Conference USA Gene Bartow Coach of the Year Steve Henson is in his third year at the helm of the Roadrunners. Henson is 41-41 at UTSA.
• UTSA returns four starters from its 2017-18 20-win campaign, including junior point guard Giovanni De Nicolao, Jackson, junior small forward Byron Frohnen and senior power forward Nick Allen. Wallace, who started 19 games as a freshman, also returns to bring UTSA's experience to 234 combined career starts entering this season.
Scouting the Miners
• UTEP enters the second matchup of the year with UTSA after a setback in San Antonio on Thursday night. UTEP has won three of its last six games.
• As a team, UTEP is scoring 68.2 points per game, shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from behind the arc, owning 36.5 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 4.9 steals and 2.5 blocks per game.
• UTEP is under the direction of first-year coach Rodney Terry, a 1990 graduate of Austin's St. Edward's, who spent the previous seven years as the head coach at Fresno State. Terry posted 20-win seasons in four of the last five years at Fresno State, including advancing to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, its first berth in the big dance in 15 years.
• The Miners are led by 5-foot-10 sophomore guard Evan Gilyard, who paces the team in points per game (18.0), minutes per game (34.8) and 3-point percentage (44.8), while adding 4.2 rebounds per game. Six-foot-9, 280-pound freshman forward Efe Odigie is averaging 15.8 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds per game, with freshman guard Nigel Hawkins sporting 11.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Senior 6-8 forward Paul Thomas averages 8.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Series history
• UTEP leads the all-time series with UTSA, 10-7 and lead the series 7-2 in games played in El Paso. UTEP has won three of its last four games vs. UTSA in El Paso.
• UTSA has won four consecutive meetings in the series - including sweeping a trio in 2017-18.
• Since joining C-USA, UTSA owns a 6-6 record vs UTEP.
A win would ...
• Improve UTSA to 8-7 and give the Roadrunners wins in eight of their last 10 games
• Put UTSA at 2-0 in C-USA play for the first time since 2014-15 and the 14th time in program history
• Make the Roadrunners 554-551 (.501) all-time in program history
• Cut the UTEP series lead to 10-8
• Give UTSA five straight wins in the series
Consecutive games vs. the Miners
• UTSA and UTEP are facing each other in consecutive games to open conference play. It marks the first time UTSA has faced the same foe in consecutive regular-season games since facing non-conference foe Louisiana Tech in home-and-home meetings in December of 2004.
• The Roadrunners also faced consecutive opponents - in conference play and in the league tournament - in 2005-06 and 2006-07.
Jackson named C-USA Player of the Week
• After posting career highs in points (32) and rebounds (10) in his first career double-double, UTSA men's basketball sophomore guard Jhivvan Jackson has been tabbed Conference USA Player of the Week.
• Jackson, a native of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, led UTSA to a win over Southeastern Oklahoma State. The C-USA's scoring leader was 10 of 20 from the field with four triples, adding a season-best three steals and handing out three assists. He played a career-high tying 36 minutes and was 8 of 8 from the charity stripe.
Clutch-time free throws
• At the charity stripe when the game is on the line, over the last five minutes and in overtime, Jhivvan Jackson is a perfect 12-for-12. Keaton Wallace is 8-of-9. Jackson has 35 points and Wallace 39 over the final five minutes in 2018-19. In their two-year careers, Jackson is 45 of 56 (89 percent) and Wallace is 33 of 40 (85 percent) from the charity stripe in the final five minutes and overtime.
• Junior Atem Bior has gone 5-of-6 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 eight games in 2018-19.
• Iyaye has emerged as UTSA's go-to sixth man, averaging 19.6 minutes and 5.6 points per game. A 6-foot-3 guard out of Oklahoma City, Okla., Iyaye has become a defensive stopper on the perimeter for the Roadrunners.
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 41-41 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.
Averaging a point a minute
• 2018 Conference USA Freshman of the Year Jhivvan Jackson made his return from a season-ending 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.
• Jackson's 40-minute averages are staggering: 32.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He is averaging 0.81 points per minute.
• Since returning Jackson to the rotation, UTSA has improved its points per game average (76.9 from 76.6) and 3-point percentage (34.1 from 31.1).
• Jackson is averaging 30.3 minutes, 23 points and 5.3 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.
• 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.
Sophomore Wallace a steady scorer
• Sophomore guard Keaton Wallace has emerged as a steady scoring option for UTSA through the first 14 games this season. The Dallas native ranks second on the team with 18.6 points per game and he has paced the team in points in seven of the 14 contests. Wallace has reached double figures 11 times, including back-to-back 20-point showings against UC Irvine (23) and South Dakota State (21) and has had a career high six 20+ point games in 2018-19.
• 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.
• A 2017-18 Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection, Wallace averaged 11.4 points in 35 games last season.
Elite guard play
• UTSA's two dynamic sophomore guards, Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace have shouldered the scoring load in 2018-19. While Wallace has been a fixture in the lineup, with team highs in minutes (33.5) and ranking second in points per game (18.6). Jackson returned from injury to come off the bench in five straight games before making the last six consecutive starts as his minutes restriction has been lifted. The duo is averaging 38.8 points per game, accounting for 52 percent of UTSA's offensive production per game.
• 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 4.8 rebounds per outing, with the pair combining for 52.4 percent of UTSA's scoring punch over the last 10 games.
Frohnen near-double-doubles
• Junior forward Byron Frohnen has opened the season with six near misses at registering a double-double, missing by no more than three points or rebounds. In a win at HBU, Frohnen set a career high with 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting. In a thriller vs. Texas State, Frohnen grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds.
• Frohnen has totaled seven double-doubles in his 82 games and has missed 23 others by three or fewer points or rebounds.
Allen among most-used players in UTSA history
• Senior Nick Allen is leaving a large mark on the program over the course of his career. He has played in 114 games and started 84 in his career, ranking ninth in starts and fifth in games played.
• Juniors Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao also rank among the tops in program history in starts.
Allen spaces floor
• Nick Allen has emerged as a threat from virtually anywhere on the floor, as the Surprise, Ariz., native is averaging 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game to go along with 14 assists through the first 14 contests. The 6-foot-8 forward is third on the team with 13 3-pointers and he is shooting at a 72-percent clip at the free-throw line.
• 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), Bethan (12), SE Oklahoma State (12) and UTEP (11).
• Allen is just 11 rebounds shy of becoming the 10th member of the UTSA 500+ rebound club.
The Maestro runs the point
• Junior point guard Giovanni De Nicolao recorded his first career double-double in his 70th career game as the Italian scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 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 is averaging 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and a team-high 3.2 assists per game this season.
Defending home court
• Under head coach Steve Henson, UTSA has posted a 27-10 record at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners went 11-3 at home in 2016-17 and 12-4 in 2017-18.
• 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 the Convocation Center, finishing 14-1.
Seven new birds
• Seven newcomers will don the UTSA Blue and Orange for the first time in 2018-19, including four freshmen, a sophomore and two transfers.
• The freshmen class is composed of Texas high school products Tamir Bynum (Lamar HS), Mateo Escheik (Prestonwood Christian Academy) and Austin Timperman (The Woodlands HS), along with Oklahoman Adokiye Iyaye (Oklahoma City/Putnam North HS).
• Sophomore Christian Plummer joined the team as walk-on out of Coppell HS.
• Junior college transfer forward Atem Bior (New Mexico Military Institute) is joined by four-year transfer Knox Hellums (Pepperdine) as newcomers to the junior class. Hellums is required to sit out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA transfer policies.
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. Rodriguez recorded five points in 10 minutes versus UC Irvine and two points and two boards in the victory over FGCU.
82 straight starts
• Juniors Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao are projected to make their 83rd consecutive starts on Saturday at UTEP. The first two signees of head coach Steve Henson in Spring 2016 have started all 82 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.
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 lead 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 Allen stepped out to hit 33 threes, which was 13 more than his first two seasons combined.
• Led by Wallace's 50 3-pointers, UTSA has made 109 threes through the first 14 contests this season, an average of 7.8 per game.
751 straight with a trey
• UTSA has made at least one 3-point field goal in each of its last 751 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.
Frohnen on the boards
• Junior forward Byron Frohnen leads UTSA and ranks sixth in Conference USA with 7.4 rebounds per game through the first 14 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's 578 rebounds in 83 career games is seventh on the UTSA career list. He sits behind Bruce Wheatley (1987-90) for sixth (668) in career history.
• Frohnen is the ninth member of the UTSA 500+ rebound club.
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.
Up next
• The Roadrunners host Rice on Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Convocation Center, with tip off slated for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Lincoln Rose and Jim Haller calling the action. Andy Everett, the Voice of the Roadrunners, will have the call on Ticket 760 AM and on goUTSA.com.
