SAN ANTONIO – UTSA is looking to snap a two-game skid as it heads east to face the Charlotte 49ers in a C-USA Saturday showcase on January 14. The game is set to tip at 1 p.m. (CT), will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcast on Ticket 760 AM.
The Roadrunners (7-10, 1-5) and 49ers will meet up in a game that features two teams riding a two-game losing streak with each team desperate for a win. Charlotte (11-5, 2-3 C-USA) is coming off its Florida trip where it faced both FIU and FAU and lost both games by a combined six points. Charlotte boasts wins over Davidson, Boise State and Tulsa from its non-conference schedule.
UTSA has yet to win on the road this season and Charlotte has yet to lose at home this season as the 49ers are a perfect 7-0 in games played at Halton Arena on the year.
Leading the Roadrunners
UTSA is led on offense by a quartet of double-digit scorers through 17 games of action. Leading the way is JUCO transfer Japhet Medor who churns out a team-high 12.5 points per game. Medor not only leads the team in scoring but also in assists (66) and steals (24) while pulling down 3.5 boards per contest – the third most by any Roadrunner. Medor has three 20+ point outings this season.
Flanking Medor in the backcourt is fellow JUCO newcomer guard John Buggs III. Buggs chips in 11.7 points per game and has scored in double-figures in eight of his last nine games. Through 17 games, Buggs is shooting a team-high 43.8 percent from downtown which is the third highest in C-USA. Buggs has two 20+ point outings this year and hit a buzzer-beating three against MTSU on Jan. 5. Freshman DJ Richards also averages double-digit points as the rookie has upped his average to 10.1 points per game. Richards, a two-time C-USA Freshman of the Week (D12, D19), is shooting the three ball at a 38% clip, the second-best on the team behind Buggs.
Senior stalwart Jacob Germany is the final double-digit scorer and averages 11.4 points per game. The fourth-year Roadrunner out of Kingston, Okla. is pulling in 7.5 rebounds per contest too, the third-most by any player in C-USA. Germany, a 2021-22 Conference USA All-Conference Honorable Mention, adds 12 total blocks to the team, ranking tenth among all conference players.
Overall, the Roadrunners are shooting 40.5 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 44.1 percent. UTSA averages 68.2 points, 34.6 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 4.0 steals and 2.7 blocks per game as a team.
Scouting Charlotte
Charlotte is led in scoring by its sixth-man Brice Williams. Williams, who's played in all 16 games with no starts, averages a team-high 12.2 points per contest, is shooting 47.9% from deep and is third on the team in rebounding (4.1).
The offense is headed by two distributors as both Aly Khalifa and Lu'Cye Patterson have 53 assists on the season. Khalifa (10.9) and Patterson (9.1) are each top-four scorers on the team and average 28 minutes per game. Besides assists, Khalifa also leads the team in rebounding (7.0) and blocks (11).
Montre' Gipson leads the team in steals with 22, ten more than any other 49, while Jackson Threadgill leads the team in minutes played.
Overall, the Miners are shooting 47.7 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 41.6 percent. Charlotte averages 68.9 points, 31.1 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.0 blocks per game as a team.
Series History
Saturday's contest between UTSA and Charlotte will be the tenth all-time meeting between the future AAC schools. UTSA has won three of the last five games against Charlotte but the 49ers hold a 5-4 series advantage. UTSA is 1-3 against Charlotte in games played in Halton Arena. The Roadrunners are 3-3 against Charlotte under Steve Henson.
Up Next
Following its two-game road trip, UTSA will return home for its longest homestand of the Conference USA season as it will host three-straight games at the Convocation Center. Its next action will be Monday, Jan. 16, when it hosts Rice for a Martin Luther King-day contest. Monday's game is set to tip off at 7 p.m., will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcast on Ticket 760 AM.
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