SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men's basketball team will host Old Dominion on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
The game will air on CBS Sports Network and can 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 (15-12, 9-5 C-USA) vs. Old Dominion (22-6, 12-3 C-USA)
7 p.m. • Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019
Convocation Center • San Antonio
Live video: CBS Sports Network
Radio: Ticket 760 AM | goUTSA.com/mbb_audio
Headlines and Storylines
• The Roadrunners finished the first 14 games of the 18-game league schedule in a tie for second place and earned a berth in the 'bonus-play' top-pod. UTSA will host UAB - a team that topped UTSA on Jan. 19 in Birmingham - on March 3, before traveling to face WKU and Southern Miss, teams that edged UTSA on the road earlier in the league slate, to conclude the regular season.
• UTSA is coming off a rugged two-game road swing that saw a pair of losses at Southern Miss (71-78) and Louisiana Tech (67-72). The Roadrunners were held to a 39.7 percent mark from the field during the two-game stretch, including a 21.4 percent clip from 3-point land.
• A pair of dynamic sophomore scoring guards pace the UTSA offensive attack, in Keaton Wallace and Jhivvan Jackson. Jackson leads the league with 22.8 points per game – in just 30 minutes per contest – while Wallace leads the team with 34.8 minutes per game and owns 21.3 points per outing.
• After Jackson, the reigning C-USA Freshman of the Year, suffered a season-ending injury late in 2017-18 and missed the first three games of the season, all UTSA losses, he returned on a minutes restriction for the next five outings before being inserted in the starting lineup over the last 18 games. During his last 18 outings, UTSA is 13-5 and Jackson is averaging 24.4 points in 33.2 minutes per game.
• UTSA's matchup with ODU is a rematch of one of the most exiting games in program history, when the Roadrunners rallied from down 18 points with just over four minutes left to hand ODU a 74-73 loss on Jan. 26 at The Convo. It marked the second-largest comeback in NCAA history as UTSA closed on a 22-4 run to claim the win in a matchup of teams battling for first place.
• Jackson and Wallace are the nation's third-highest scoring duo and the most prolific backcourt scoring pair in the NCAA. Duke's R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson (45.1 ppg), and South Dakota State's Mike Daum and David Jenkins (45.3), combine to average more than UTSA's pair (44).
• Steve Henson, the reigning C-USA Coach of the Year, is in his third year at the helm of the Roadrunner and is 49-46 at UTSA.
Scouting the Monarchs
• Old Dominion enters the matchup with UTSA having won five consecutive games to stand alone in first place in C-USA.
• The Monarchs, coached by defensive specialist Jeff Jones, opened the year with a 2-3 record, before winning 14 of their last 16 games. In league play, ODU has only lost at UTSA, vs Marshall and at FAU.
• ODU boasts the best scoring defense in the league and the seventh-best defense in college basketball. The Monarchs ranks seventh in field goal percentage defense and eighth in total rebounds in the NCAA.
• The Monarchs are led in scoring by a pair of dynamite veteran guards, including 6-foot-2 senior Ahmad Caver (17.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and 6-5 fifth-year senior B.J. Sith (18.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg). Six-foot-7 junior Aaron Carver (5.9 rpg) and sophomore Xavier Green (8.4 ppg) have helped spur the lineup.
• ODU averages 68 points per game, holding opponents to 61 points. Opponents are just shooting 38 percent vs. the Monarchs, including a 33 percent mark from 3-point land.
Series history
• UTSA leads the series with ODU, 4-3, with the teams winning every other meeting vs. each other since the series began in 2012.
• The Roadrunners made history in their last meeting with ODU on Jan. 26, 2019, rallying from down 18 with just over four minutes left, finishing on a 22-4 run to post the second-largest comeback win in NCAA history.
• UTSA won the meeting in 2017 at home, 73-55, but suffered a 38 point loss vs. the Monarchs in Norfolk, Va., in 2018.
• In the loss last year vs. ODU, the Monarchs owned a 52-36 halftime lead and outscored UTSA 48-26 in the second half. Jhivvan Jackson had 22 points, including five treys, and Deon Lyle added 18 points and five rebounds. Byron Frohnen had seven rebounds and four points. ODU's B.J. Stith starred in the win last year, with 36 points, 10 rebounds and a 10 of 10 mark from the charity stripe.
A win would ...
• Improve UTSA to 16-12 and 10-5 in C-USA play
• Extend UTSA's home winning streak to 11 games, its longest in 27 years
• Give UTSA 16 wins in its last 23 games
Nation's third highest scoring duo
• UTSA boasts the nation's third-highest scoring duo and the top scoring duo among backcourts, sophomore guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace, who combine to score 44 points per game, behind only South Dakota State's Mike Daum and David Jenkins (45.3 ppg) and Duke's R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson (45.1).
Holy comeback, Batman
• UTSA trailed by 18 points in the second half of its win over Old Dominion, including a 17-point hole with just over three minutes left in regulation.
• UTSA's 18-point comeback marked its largest in program history and eclipsed the previous mark of a 16 point comeback.
• The Roadrunners went on a 22-4 run over the final three minutes to earn the win, with Keaton Wallace hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner with 15 seconds left and UTSA escaping after four ODU attempts at the go-ahead bucket in the final tallies.
• Wallace finished with 29 points and tied his career high with nine 3-pointers, with Jhivvan Jackson owning 21 points and a career-best equaling five dimes.
• ESPN's win-probability matrix had ODU with a 99.9% chance to win the game in the final minutes before UTSA's improbable comeback.
• It marks the second-largest deficit overcome in the last five minutes in NCAA Division I history.
• The comeback is tied for the largest deficit overcome, in a game that didn't require overtime, in the last five minutes in NCAA Division I history.
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 (34.8) and ranking second in points per game (21.3). Jackson returned from injury to come off the bench in five straight games before making the last 18 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 22.7 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per outing, with the pair combining for 56 percent of UTSA's scoring punch over the last 23 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 fifth in UTSA history in games started.
• 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.
Defending home court
• Under head coach Steve Henson, UTSA has posted a 33-10 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 10-3 at The Convo and has won 10 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.
Keaton Wallace earns consecutive player of the week honors
• After averaging 25.5 points and seven rebounds per game in a pair of wins last week, UTSA men's basketball sophomore Keaton Wallace has been named Conference USA Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.
• Wallace, a native of Dallas and a product of Richardson High School, earned his second consecutive C-USA Player of the Week accolade after sharing the honor with fellow sophomore scoring dynamo Jhivvan Jackson last week. Wallace had a career high 45 points in a win at Marshall on Feb. 2, after Jackson splashed 46 points at WKU on Jan. 31.
• The 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard averaged 25.5 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals over two wins last week. He set the single-season UTSA record for 3-pointers made in a season over the week. In Thursday's rout of FIU, Wallace went for 27 points and was 11 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point land. He added six rebounds and four assists in the win. On Saturday vs. FAU, Wallace went for 24 points in 36 minutes, grabbing eight rebounds.
Buzzer beaters
• UTSA's run has been boosted by a pair of last-season wins, including a game-winning jumper from Jhivvan Jackson with 1.6 seconds to beat then league-unbeaten North Texas and a game-winning shot from Keaton Wallace in a 74-73 comeback win over then first-place Old Dominion with 15 seconds left.
• UTSA has also suffered a pair of last-second losses, falling in games after fouling its opponent with under a minute in regulation vs. Texas State and St. Edwards. UTSA owned a four-point lead with a minute left and had the ball but a turnover on the ensuing possession allowed WKU to get back in the game, forcing overtime with the Toppers outscoring UTSA 18-10 in extra time.
What a week on the road
• UTSA's most recent road trip was a rugged, wild one that included a pair of overtime thrillers in front of electric crowds at WKU and Marshall. UTSA posted a win on Saturday at Marshall, 116-106, after falling at WKU on Thursday, 96-88. Each game featured a UTSA lead late in the final two minutes before ill-advised turnovers and fouls allowed WKU and Marshall to force overtime.
• The Roadrunners responded after the overtime loss at WKU - where the Toppers outscored UTSA 18-10, to rally past Marshall with a 24-14 lead in overtime, including a staggering 14 points from Keaton Wallace in overtime.
• The week featured a bevy of milestones, with Jhivvan Jackson pouring in a career-high 46 points on Thursday, the third-most points in UTSA history and the second-highest scoring outburst in C-USA annals. He responded with 30 points and nine boards on Saturday at Marshall. Wallace went for 26 points on Thursday at WKU but exploded for a career-best 45 points at Marshall on Saturday, marking the fourth-most points in UTSA history and the third-most in C-USA history.
• Overall, UTSA flew 2,048 miles and drove 399 last week during its two-game road swing in the Southeast and in West Virginia.
• The 116 points marked the most for UTSA in its history in C-USA and the most for the Roadrunners since putting 125 on Ottawa in 2017-18.
What they said about the 45, 46 point scoring outings:
"Those two kids can shoot. They can play. What'd they have 45 and 30? And we had (Jhivvan Jackson) down to 10 points at halftime."
- Marshall head coach Mike D'Antoni
"That was one of the best individual performances that I've witnessed in a long time. Individually, that's the best I've seen. No matter what we did, how we guarded him - he made shots off the catch, he made shots off the bounce, he made shots off the dribble going left and right, had the ability to put it on the floor and get it to the rim. Those two guys had 72 points between them … That's about as good as I've seen in a long time. We survived just a great individual performance."
- WKU head coach Rick Stansbury on Jhivvan Jackson's 46-point game
"If you can throw in a causal 46 (points), that's what he did, and it came within the framework of the offense."
- STADIUM on Facebook color analyst Tim Scarborough on Jackson's 46-point outing
C-USA Co-players of the week from the same team?
• Sophomore UTSA guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace – who combined to score 147 points in two games last week – earned C-USA Player of the Week honors on Feb. 3.
• The dynamic UTSA scoring duo pieced together electric performances in a pair of road games against teams vying for first place in the league standings. On Thursday, Jackson posted a career high 46 points, the third-most in a single game in UTSA history and the second-highest scoring output in C-USA annals. In Saturday's win at Marshall, Wallace poured in a career-best 45 points, ranking fourth in UTSA annals in single-game scoring and third in C-USA history.
• A native of Dallas, Texas, Wallace also set new career highs in free-throws made (11), while going 15 of 24 from the field and 4 of 9 from behind the arc. He spurted out for 14 points in overtime in the win, helping the Roadrunners secure the win to stay in a tie for first place. In the game at Marshall on Thursday, Wallace went for 26 points.
• Over the week, Jackson averaged 38 points and five rebounds, adding three steals while averaging 43 minutes played in the pair of overtime thrillers. After his 46-point outburst on Thursday, Jackson went for 30 points with nine rebounds in 42 minutes at Marshall on Saturday, playing through muscle cramps after logging 44 minutes on Thursday. Jackson was 13 of 25 from 3-point land during the week and 26 of 54 from the field.
Putting a hurting on the 49ers, Panthers
• UTSA's 45-point win over Charlotte on Thursday marked its largest margin of victory in a conference game in 29 years, dating back to a 128-70 win over Georgia State in 1990.
• In holding Charlotte to just 45 points, it marked the fewest points for a conference opponent in 23 years, dating back to limiting Texas State to 42 points in 1996.
• UTSA then routed FIU in a 100-67 win on Feb. 7 at the Convocation Center, which marked its fourth 100+ point scoring outburst of the year.
Most 20+ point games in a season (since 2006-07)
• Despite missing the first three games of the season, playing the next six games on a minute-restriction and suffering a season-ending injury, Jhivvan Jackson is just short of equaling the program record for 20+ point games in a season, set by Derrick Gervin (24) in 1984-85.
Jhivvan the microwave
• UTSA's scoring punch has been powered 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 campaign a year ago. He missed the first three games this 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 league with 22.8 points per game in 24 games with 18 starts.
• Jackson's 40-minute averages are staggering: 30.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He is averaging 0.75 points per minute.
• Jackson is averaging 33.3 minutes, 24.3 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 16 of the last 19 games.
• Over the last five games, Jackson is averaging 22.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Over his last 10 games, Jackson is averaging 25.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per outing, with 12 steals.
• In league play, Jackson averages 24.1 points and 4.0 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.
• Jackson notched a game-best 28 points in a 45 point win over Charlotte, including six 3-pointers.
• Jackson exploded in a 46-point outing on Jan. 31 at WKU, setting a career high, ranking third in UTSA single-game history and checking in second in C-USA history in points in a game. A day later, he went for 30 points in a win at Marshall.
• 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.
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.
Wallace emerging as do-everything threat
• Sophomore guard Keaton Wallace has emerged as a steady all-around weapon for UTSA through the first 27 games this season. While his scoring punch was a known commodity through the first 61 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 ranks second on the team rebounding in conference play with 6.0 rebounds per game, while averaging 24.0 points, connecting from 42 percent from 3-point land and hitting 52 of 59 free-throws vs. C-USA foes.
• Wallace made history by setting the UTSA single-season 3-point record, while averaging 25.5 points and seven rebounds per game to earn C-USA player of the week honors, during a week that included wins over FIU and FAU.
• The week prior, Wallace was also named C-USA Co-Player of the Week the previous week, along with teammate Jhivvan Jackson, after pouring in 45 points in a winning effort at Marshall and 26 points in overtime at WKU.
• He splashed the biggest shot of his career to complete a 17-point comeback vs. first place ODU, hitting a three in the corner for a 74-73 win with 15 seconds left. He had 29 points in the win.
• 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.
• Wallace starred in UTSA's epic comeback win over ODU in a battle for first place at The Convo, collecting 29 points and five boards with the game-winning 3-pointer from the corner with 15 seconds remaining to complete an 18-point comeback with a 22-4 run over the final three minutes, the largest comeback in UTSA history.
• 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 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game to go along with 38 assists through the first 27 contests. The 6-foot-8 forward is third on the team with 30 3-pointers. In league, Allen is averaging 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.
• Allen is the UTSA record holder for career games played, passing the mark during UTSA's win over FIU.
• 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 553 career rebounds in 126 games, ranking ninth in program history.
• He earned his first double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds vs. FIU.
• 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), North Texas (16), ODU (13), FIU (11) and Marshall (13). He had a streak of five straight games - including the first four in C-USA play - with double figures.
League play breakdown
• 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 83 points, 39.1 rebounds, 15.1 assists, 10.5 turnovers, 6.2 steals and 2.9 blocks per game in league play. Jackson averages 24.1 points per game, with Keaton Wallace adding 24.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Nick Allen averages 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds, with Giovanni De Nicolao sporting 7.0 points and 5.1 rebounds. Byron Frohnen averages 5.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
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 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
• Bior has played 19.2 minutes per game since Jackson returned to the lineup. With Jackson back in the fold as a starter, Bior is averaging 5.7 points and 4.9 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, 9.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shot 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.
The 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 95 consecutive starts to open his career and has been a consistent, steady weapon for the Roadrunners.
• A renaissance man of sorts, De Nicolao is an accomplished piano player and can put on a show with the drum sticks.
• 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.
• He turned in his second double-double of the year with 10 points, 10 assists and five rebounds vs. FAU, which marked the first points/assist double-double since the 2014-15 season.
• De Nicolao is averaging 7.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and a team-high 3.4 assists per game this season.
• De Nicolao is one of five players in school annals with at least 700 points, 300 rebounds, 300 assists & 140 steals.
95 straight starts
• Juniors Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao are projected to make their 96th consecutive starts on Saturday at LA Tech. The first two signees of head coach Steve Henson in Spring 2016 have started all 95 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.
• It is the third-longest streak in the nation, behind Lamar's Otis Livingtston III (124) and Pen State's Lamar Stevens (96).
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 126 games and started 95 in his career, ranking fourth in starts and first in games played.
• Juniors Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao also rank among the tops in program history in starts, checking in fifth.
Clutch Buckets
• At the charity stripe when the game is on the line, over the last five minutes, Jhivvan Jackson is 26 of 28 and Keaton Wallace is 25 of 28. Jackson has 94 points (3.9 points per final five minutes) and Wallace 114 (4.2 points per final five) over the final five minutes in 2018-19.
• Junior Atem Bior has gone 11-of-13 at the charity stripe over the last five minutes during the year.
Topping the century mark
• Four times in 2018-19 UTSA has reached 100+ points in a game, with the Roadrunners owning a 43-7 all-time record when reaching the century mark.
• After a 100-67 win over FIU, UTSA has had the most 100-point games in a season since the 1990-91 season.
• With consecutive 100-point games at Marshall and vs. FIU, it marked the first time for UTSA topping the century mark in consecutive games since 1989-90 and just the third time in program history (1986-87).
• The Roadrunners earned a 116-106 win at Marshall on Feb. 2, which marked the most points scored in their C-USA history and its most since hanging 125 on Ottawa in 2017-18.
• UTSA also owns a 104-74 win over Mid-America Christian and a 101-77 win over Bethany College.
First off the bench
• UTSA freshman guard Adokiye Iyaye has been the first player off the bench in a team-high 13games in 2018-19.
• A 6-foot-3 guard out of Oklahoma City, Okla., Iyaye has emerged as UTSA's go-to sixth man, averaging 18.7 minutes and 4.9 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 49-46 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 Man of the Year.
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.
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 7.1 rebounds per game through the first 27 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 665 rebounds in 94 career games is seventh on the UTSA career list. He sits behind Bruce Wheatley (1987-90) for sixth (668) in career history.
• Frohnen earned his first double-double of the year on Saturday at LA Tech, grabbing 12 rebounds and collecting 10 points.
764 straight with a trey
• UTSA has made at least one 3-point field goal in each of its last 764 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.
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 Allen stepped out to hit 33 threes, which was 13 more than his first two seasons combined.
• Led by Wallace's school-record 109 3-pointers, UTSA has made a league-high 251 threes through the first 27 contests this season, an average of 9.3 per game. Jackson and Wallace rank as the top two players in C-USA in three-point attempts and makes in 2018-19.
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.
Who is moving up in the record book?
• Giovanni De Nicolao needs nine steals to equal David President (2001-05) for ninth in UTSA career history.
• De Nicolao needs nine points to equal Michael Hale III for 32nd in UTSA history.
• De Nicolao needs eight rebounds to equal Ronnie Ellison (1989-92) for 29th in program history.
• De Nicolao needs to start one more game to equal Kurt Attaway (2003-07) for sixth in UTSA annals.
• De Nicolao needs 12 assists to move into sixth in UTSA career history.
• Nick Allen, the owner of the UTSA career games played record, will play in his 124th game on Saturday.
• Allen needs to start one game to tie Lloyd Williams (1996-00) for fourth in UTSA history.
• Allen needs 47 rebounds to become the eighth member of the 600-rebound club.
• Allen needs 65 points to move into a tie with Reggie Minnieweather (1998-02) for 21st in UTSA career history.
• Keaton Wallace owns the single-season 3-pointers made record.
• Wallace needs 13 points to equal Kannon Burrage (2011-13) for 17th in UTSA career history and 29 points to become the 17th all-time member of the 1,000 point club.
• Wallace needs nine 3-pointers to equal Marlon Anderson (1994-96) for third in UTSA history.
• Wallace needs 20 rebounds to equal a three-way tie for 50th in career boards.
• Jhivvan Jackson needs 11 three-pointers to equal Devin Brown (1998-02) for fifth on the UTSA career list.
• Jackson needs 33 points to equal Melvin Johnson III (2009-12) for 11th in UTSA career history.
• Jackson needs eight 3-pointers to equal Deon Lyle (2017-18) for fourth on the UTSA single-season 3-pointers made list.
• Byron Frohnen needs three rebounds to equal Bruce Wheatley (1987-90) for sixth in career boards.
• Frohnen needs to start one more game to equal Kurt Attaway (2003-07) for sixth in UTSA annals.
• Frohnen needs 27 points to equal Michael Hale III (2012-13) for 32nd in UTSA history.
6-11, 4-star forward; 6-7 swing-man sign in November
• The UTSA men's basketball team inked 6-foot-11 forward Jacob Germany and 6-foot-7 forward Le'Jon Doss to the 2019 recruiting class on the first day of the NCAA's early signing period.
• Germany, from Oklahoma's Kingston High, is rated a four-star prospect by ESPN and a three-star target by Rivals and 247Sports. He averaged 16.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game as a junior last season, earning all-state recognition. The tallest player on the Roadrunners' 2018-19 roster is 6-foot-10.
• "Jacob is a skilled, fluid and agile big guy with tremendous potential to develop into a truly great player," UTSA coach Steve Henson said in a release. "He runs the floor well, can score around the basket and gives us a presence in the paint. He has played at a high level throughout his developmental career and we look forward to that continuing here at UTSA."
• Doss plays at Fort Worth Nolan Catholic, where last season he averaged 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.
• "Le'Jon is a big, powerful guy that can play multiple positions and create matchup problems all over the floor," Henson said. "He has the ability to finish around the rim and is an active rebounder."
Up Next
• UTSA will return to action on Sunday, hosting UAB at 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The game will be streamed live on CUSA.tv and is available on Ticket 760 AM with the Voice of the Roadrunners, Andy Everett, calling the action.
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