SAN ANTONIO – After a week and a half break from the hardwood, the UTSA men's basketball program will be back in action this weekend as it takes to the road for the first leg of a two-game mountain trip as it takes on the New Mexico Lobos at the Pit on Saturday, Dec. 10. Saturday's game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. CT, will be streamed on the Mountain West Network and will be broadcast on Ticket 760 AM.
The Roadrunners (5-3) enter their mountain trip after hosting a multi-team event over the Thanksgiving weekend. UTSA went 1-2 in the MTE, dropping its first home action of the season to Grambling and Dartmouth before downing cross-town school UIW. The Lobos (8-0) enter Saturday's contest boasting an unblemished record and possessing impressive road wins over SMU and Saint Mary's.
For the fourth-straight contest, UTSA will match up with an opponent that it has never faced in its 40-plus-year history. In just its second road game of the season, UTSA will look to pick up its first road victory since the 2021-22 campaign.
Leading the Roadrunners
UTSA has been led by a trio of double-digit scorers through eight games of action. Fourth-year big man Jacob Germany leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Germany, a 2021-22 Conference USA All-Conference Honorable Mention, leads the league in rebounds per game. Germany also leads the team in blocks with 11 which places him third amongst his C-USA peers.
JUCO newcomer guards Japhet Medor and John Buggs III complete the trio of double-digit scorers. Medor is averaging 11.1 points per game and leads the team in assists, having tallied 30 to date. Medor leads C-USA in free throws made, having 36, and making 16 in the PVAMU game earlier this season. Buggs rounds out the dynamic backcourt posting an average of 10 points per game. Buggs is shooting a team-high 42.6% from deep and has knocked down a triple in all eight games on the year. Buggs totes the third-best three-point shooting percentage in the league.
Sharpshooters DJ Richards and Isaiah Addo-Ankrah round out the top minute-getters on the team and have made the second and third most threes on the team respectively. Richards, like Buggs, has made a three-pointer in all eight contests this season. Richards is third on the team in rebounding while Addo-Ankrah is second on the team in assists.
Overall, the Roadrunners are shooting 41.2 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 39.3 percent. UTSA averages 67.3 points, 38.8 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 3.8 steals and 4.3 blocks per game as a team.
Scouting the Lobos
Under second-year head coach Richard Pitino, New Mexico has used a trio of transfers to power its undefeated start. The Lobos' high-powered offense is powered by Morris Udeze (18.5 ppg), Jamal Mashburn Jr. (16.4 ppg) and Jaelen House (15.9 ppg). All three came to the Lobos after previous D1 stops. Udeze came to UNM from Wichita State, Jaelen House came from Arizona State and Jamal Mashburn Jr. followed Pitino from Minnesota. Both House and Mashburn are sons of former NBA players (Jamal Mashburn and Eddie House).
Josiah Allick, a Kansas City transfer, leads the Lobos in rebounds as he averages 8.5 boards per contest. House runs the point for New Mexico and leads the team in assists, having totaled 39 through eight games. House also has been solid on defense and has 24 assists to lead all Lobos.
Overall, the Lobos are shooting 49.2 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 40.8 percent. UNM averages 84.6 points, 39.8 rebounds, 16.6 assists, 7.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game as a team.
Series History
UTSA will be meeting the New Mexico Lobos for the first time in series history. UTSA will be making its first trip to New Mexico since 2013 when it lost to New Mexico State when both schools were members of the WAC.
Up Next
UTSA will wrap up its two-game mountain road trip by playing at Utah on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in Salt Lake City. Tuesday night's game against the Utes is set to be streamed on Pac-12 Networks. Tuesday night's showdown is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast over the air on Ticket 760 AM.
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