SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men's basketball team is set to return to the Convocation Center this Saturday to host Louisiana Tech in the two team's second meeting this season. Saturday's game is set to tip off at 3 p.m., will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcast on Ticket 760 AM.
The Roadrunners (7-15, 1-10) have dropped their last seven contests, all to Conference USA opponents. La Tech (11-10, 4-6 C-USA), who met the Roadrunners in each team's second C-USA game, has lost four of its last five with its lone win coming over Western Kentucky in overtime.
UTSA enters the back half of the Conference USA season with its roster mostly healthy after losing various starters throughout the front half. Junior wing Isaiah Addo-Ankrah has returned after missing the first nine games of C-USA action due to a hand injury while Jacob Germany continues to progress back from his concussion, appearing off the bench the last three games after missing a pair of contests.
Leading the Roadrunners
UTSA is led on offense by a quartet of double-digit scorers through 22 games of action. Leading the way is JUCO transfer Japhet Medor who churns out a team-high 13.7 points per game. Medor not only leads the team in scoring but also in assists (72) and steals (26) while pulling down 3.5 boards per contest – the third most by any Roadrunner. Medor has three 20+ point outings this season and scored a career-high 30 points against Rice on 1/16. Medor leads C-USA in free throws attempted.
Flanking Medor in the backcourt is fellow JUCO newcomer guard John Buggs III. Buggs chips in 10.7 points per game and he has two 20+ point outings this year. Buggs hit a buzzer-beating three against Middle Tennessee on Jan. 5 to give the Roadrunners its lone C-USA victory. Freshman DJ Richards also averages double-digit points as the rookie has upped his average to 11.0 points per game. Richards, a two-time C-USA Freshman of the Week (D12, D19), is shooting the three ball at a 38.8% clip which is the second-best best on the team to Buggs who shoots 39%. Richards is second on the team in rebounding, pulling in 4.7 boards a game.
Senior stalwart Jacob Germany is the final double-digit scorer and averages 12.1 points per game. The fourth-year Roadrunner out of Kingston, Okla. is pulling in 8.0 rebounds per contest too, the third-most by any player in C-USA. Germany, a 2021-22 Conference USA All-Conference Honorable Mention, adds a team-high 13 total blocks to the mix. Germany has six double-doubles this season.
Overall, the Roadrunners are shooting 40.3 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 44.5 percent. UTSA averages 67.7 points, 34.7 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 3.7 steals and 2.4 blocks per game as a team.
Scouting Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech is led offensively by the dynamic backcourt of Cobe Williams and UIW transfer Keaston Willis. Williams leads the team in scoring, chipping in a healthy 18.8 points per contest while Willis contributes 12.4 per game. Forward Isaiah Crawford is the third double-digit scorer on the team, scoring 12.2 points per game. Crawford not only is the second-leading scorer on the squad but also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 4.9 boards.
Terran Williams shoots the long ball at a 40%+ clip for the Bulldogs, stretching the floor for its attack-first guards.
Overall, Louisiana Tech is shooting 45.4 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 43.4 percent. The Bulldogs average 74.8 points, 34.8 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 8.1 steals and 2.4 blocks per game as a team.
Series History
Saturday's meeting will be the 25th-ever meeting between La Tech and UTSA as the Bulldogs lead the series 17-7 and have won five straight meetings. In the teams' last matchup, UTSA fell at La Tech, 91-69. Coach Henson is 4-7 all-time against La Tech while Talvin Hester will be facing the Roadrunners for the second time in his career, leading 1-0.
Up Next
Following its Saturday home contest, UTSA will again be back on the road next week as it heads to both Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee. First on the list is Western Kentucky which will take place next Thursday at 7 p.m. Next Thursday's game will be broadcast on Ticket 760 AM and streamed on ESPN+.
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