SAN ANTONIO – Coming off a week where it split its two contests, UTSA will look to finish the season strong as it embarks on its final road trip of the 2022-23 season. The Roadrunners will play the first leg of its road trip in Boca Raton where they'll meet the Florida Atlantic Owls for a Thursday, Feb. 23, night matchup. Thursday night's game is scheduled to tip at 6 p.m. (CT), will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcast on Ticket 760.
The Roadrunners (8-20, 2-15) enter Thursday's game coming off a tough loss to the UAB Blazers this past Saturday. UTSA led the third-place C-USA team from Birmingham for over 75 percent but was unable to close. The Owls (24-3, 14-2 C-USA) have lost two of their last five games after starting the season 21-1.
Leading the Roadrunners
UTSA is led on offense by a quartet of double-digit scorers. Leading the way is JUCO transfer Japhet Medor who churns out a team-high 13.3 points per game. Medor not only leads the team in scoring but also in assists (90) and steals (37), which both rank in the top ten of all C-USA players. Medor has six 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 10.6 points per game and he has three 20+ point outings this year. Buggs hit a buzzer-beating three against Middle Tennessee on Jan. 5 to give the Roadrunners its first C-USA victory. Freshman DJ Richards also averages double-digit points as the rookie has upped his average to 10.5 points per game. Richards, a two-time C-USA Freshman of the Week (D12, D19), is shooting the three ball at a 33.9% clip which is the second-best best on the team to Buggs who shoots 39.2%. Richards is second on the team in rebounding, pulling in 4.8 boards a game.
Senior stalwart Jacob Germany is the final double-digit scorer and averages 12.3 points per game. The fourth-year Roadrunner out of Kingston, Okla. is pulling in 7.9 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 20 total blocks to the mix. Germany has seven double-doubles this season.
Overall, the Roadrunners are shooting 40.5 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 44.3 percent. UTSA averages 68.1 points, 35.2 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 4.0 steals and 2.4 blocks per game as a team.
Observing the Owls
The first-place Owls are led by their bench as three of the top four scorers come off the bench, including its top two players. Sophomore guard Johnell Davis boasts a team-high 13.3 points per contest, leads the team in steals (33) and pulls down the second most boards of any Owl (5.4).
Davis' backcourt mate off the bench is Alijah Martin. Martin leads the team in minutes played (25.9) as well as three-pointers made (47) as the fellow sophomore guard averages 12.8 points per game. Big man Vlad Goldin leads the team in rebounding (6.4) and blocks (26) while averaging 10.9 points a game.
FAU's starting guards Bryan Greenlee, Nick Boyd and Jalen Gaffney each have over 60 assists to lead the Owls. Gaffney has a team-high 74 dimes while Boyd (69) and Greenlee (64) aren't far behind.
Overall, the Owls are shooting 46.6 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 41.1 percent. Florida Atlantic averages 77.7 points, 38.5 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 6.7 steals and 2.4 blocks per game as a team.
Series History
Saturday's game between the Roadrunners and the Owls will be the 16th meeting ever between the two teams. Florida Atlantic holds the all-time series edge, owning a 9-6 record. FAU is 4-1 against the Roadrunners in games played in Boca Raton. The two teams met earlier this season when FAU was ranked 24th in the country as the Owls downed UTSA 83-64 in San Antonio.
Up Next
The Roadrunners will wrap up their Florida road trip on Saturday when they head to Miami to meet up with FIU for a night game in Vice City, concluding their road game slate. Saturday night's contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT), will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcast on Ticket 760 AM.
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