SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA basketball program will look to snap a three-game losing streak as it returns to the Convocation Center for a pivotal week of C-USA action. The Roadrunners will host three-straight home games during the week as they try and rebound from a rough road trip.
UTSA will host Rice in the first game of the week on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 16. Monday night's game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m., will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcast on Ticket 760 AM.
The Roadrunners (7-11, 1-6) were held to their fewest three-pointers made and lowest long-ball shooting percentage of the season in their last contest at Charlotte. Rice (12-5, 3-3 C-USA) has won six of its last eight contests. Its run started after the Owls took No. 7 Texas to overtime in Austin, losing 87-81.
Leading the Roadrunners
UTSA is led on offense by a quartet of double-digit scorers through 18 games of action. Leading the way is JUCO transfer Japhet Medor who churns out a team-high 12.8 points per game. Medor not only leads the team in scoring but also in assists (67) and steals (24) while pulling down 3.6 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 11.1 points per game and has scored in double-figures in eight of his last nine games. Through 18 games, Buggs is shooting a team-high 41.1 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 10.3 points per game. Richards, a two-time C-USA Freshman of the Week (D12, D19), is shooting the three ball at a 38.4% 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 40.3 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 44.3 percent. UTSA averages 67.4 points, 34.2 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.6 blocks per game as a team.
Scouting Rice
Rice boasts four double-digit scorers, with its leading scorer being Quincy Olivari, the fourth-highest scorer in Conference USA. Olivari averages 18.4 points per contest and also has a team-high 21 steals on the year.
Max Fiedler, one of the double-digit scorers, averages 10.2 points per game and leads the Owls in rebounding as he pulls down 8.2 rebounds a game. Fiedler is Rice's most well-rounded player as he leads the team in assists, setting up his teammates from the high/low post. Fiedler has 38 more assists than the next Rice Owl (86 total). Fiedler is also the backbone of the backline defense, owning 15 blocks and deterring any layups.
Both Travis Evee (16.5) and Mekhi Mason (10.0) also average double-digit points. Mason, like DJ Richards, has won two C-USA Freshman of the Week honors, tied for the most of any freshman. Olivari owns two C-USA Player of the Week awards. Olivari is the only C-USA player to earn two PotW awards this season.
Overall, the Owls are shooting 48.8 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 45.5 percent. Rice averages 81.7 points, 37.5 rebounds, 17.4 assists, 6.2 steals and 2.1 blocks per game as a team.
Series History
Monday night's contest between UTSA and Rice will be the 20th all-time meeting between the future Texas-based AAC schools. Rice has won three of the last five games against UTSA, but the Roadrunners hold an 11-8 series advantage. UTSA is 7-1 against Rice in games played in San Antonio. The Roadrunners are 5-4 against Rice under Steve Henson.
Up Next
Following its Martin Luther King Jr. Day game against Rice, UTSA will be back in action this Thursday, January 19 when it welcomes Florida Atlantic to the Convocation Center. Thursday night'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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