- UTSA travels to take on Charlotte at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
- Roadrunners face a 49er team that is 11-1 at home in 2019-20.
- Jhivvan Jackson (27.1) ranks second in the NCAA in points per game.
- UTSA has won two straight vs. the 49ers.
SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men's basketball team will continue its two-game road swing on the East Coast, traveling to take on Charlotte on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT at Halton Arena.
The game will be televised live on ESPN+ with Boby Rosinski (play-by-play) and Jobey Thomas (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also hear the game live on the Roadrunners Sports Network, with Andy Everett – the Voice of the Roadrunners – calling the action live on Ticket 760 AM and goUTSA.com.
UTSA (11-13, 5-6 Conference USA) comes into the outing with Charlotte fresh off an overtime win at the defending league champion, Old Dominion, 85-81. The Roadrunners built a big first-half lead and held off the second-half rally from the Monarchs to post the win, getting an arena and ODU opponent record 45 points from junior guard Jhivvan Jackson, 21 points from Keaton Wallace and a career-high 15 rebounds from freshman center Jacob Germany – making his second career start.
The Roadrunners are averaging 78.8 points, 38.8 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 13.1 turnovers, 6.0 steals and 2.9 blocks per game in 2019-20. UTSA is shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from distance, while foes are shooting 44.3 percent and 34 percent from 3-point range.
UTSA has been led by junior guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace, who combine to lead the nation in combined scoring. Jackson, a native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, averages 27.1 points per game to rank second in the nation, adding 5.9 rebounds per game. Wallace, a product of Dallas' Richardson High School, averages 18.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Junior forward Luka Barisic ranks second on the team with 6.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while junior guard Knox Hellums has added 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Freshman center Jacob Germany averages 5.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Senior forward Byron Frohnen has made a program-record 124 consecutive starts to open his career and leads the Roadrunners with 7.0 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in C-USA.
Charlotte (13-9, 7-4 C-USA) comes into the matchup with UTSA off a win over UTEP on Thursday, 68-64, which snapped a two-game losing streak. The 49ers have posted an 11-1 record at home in 2019-20, including home wins over Wake Forest, Davidson, Valpo, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, FAU and FIU. The 49ers are built around a stingy defensive attack and a slow, rugged pace of play, ranking 302nd in the NCAA in pace of play, according to KenPom.
The 49ers have averaged 67.4 points per game in 2019-20, allowing only 63.5 points. Charlotte has shot 46.1 percent as a team and held foes to 43.4 percent, shooting 33.4 percent from distance. The 49ers average 32.2 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 8.0 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
Jordan Shepherd leads the team with 13.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, with Jahmir Young adding 11.9 points and a club-high 5.0 rebounds per outing. Drew Edwards is the third 49er in double figures, averaging 10.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
UTSA trails the all-time series with Charlotte, 6-2 with the series tied at 1-1 in games played in the Queen City. The Roadrunners have won two consecutive meetings in the series after the 49ers sported a three-game winning streak. Under Coach Steve Henson, UTSA is 2-1 against the 49ers.
In the last meeting, the Roadrunners routed Charlotte with a 44-19 halftime lead and a 44-24 margin in the second stanza. UTSA shot 55.7 percent from the field, holding the 49ers to 29.6 overall and 3 of 22 from 3-point range. Jhivvan Jackson led all scorers with 28 points, adding four rebounds and two assists. Keaton Wallace chipped in 15 points and three dimes, while Adokiye Iyaye added 12 points and three rebounds. Nick Allen had eight points and five boards, with Byron Frohnen going for six points and nine rebounds. Charlotte got 12 points from Jon Davis.
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