SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men's basketball team will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 25, when it heads to Miami to face off with the FIU Panthers in its final road game of the 2022-23 season. Saturday night's game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. (CT), will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcast on Ticket 760.
The Roadrunners (8-21, 2-16) enter Saturday's game coming off a Thursday-night setback against the first-place team in Conference USA, the Florida Atlantic Owls. The Panthers (13-15, 7-10 C-USA) also enter Saturday's contest coming off a loss, having dropped their last home game against UTEP.
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.q points per game. Medor not only leads the team in scoring but also in assists (9q) and steals (37). 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 10.8 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%. 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 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 44.6 percent. UTSA averages 68.0 points, 35.1 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.4 blocks per game as a team.
Scouting the Panthers
FIU is led by sophomore guard Denver Jones who pours in 19.9 points per contest. Jones, named the Conference USA Player of the Week on January 9, plays a team-high 33.1 minutes and leads the team in free throws made/attempted.
The team's lone other double-digit scorer, Arturo Dean, scores 11.8 points per game while also leading the Panthers in rebounds per game (4.2), assists (94) and steals (70). Dean has won the Conference USA Freshman of the Week award four separate times this season, leading all rookies.
FIU's post duo of Seth Pinkney and Mohamed Sanogo lead the Panthers in the block department as each has 34 blocks on the season, placing them both in the top six of the conference.
Overall, the Panthers are shooting 46.6 percent as a team from the field and holding foes to 43.9 percent. FIU averages 71.6 points, 31.8 rebounds, 12.2 assists, 9.0 steals and 4.0 blocks per game as a team.
Series History
Saturday's game between the Roadrunners and the Panthers will be the 16th meeting ever between the two teams. UTSA holds the all-time series edge, owning an 8-7 record. The Roadrunners have had more success in Miami than in San Antonio against FIU, holding a 4-2 advantage on the road. The two teams met earlier this season when FIU downed UTSA 77-72 in San Antonio.
Up Next
After wrapping up its final road trip of the season, UTSA will return to the Convocation Center for one final regular season contest against the Charlotte 49ers on Thursday, March 2. Thursday's game will be Senior Night for the Roadrunners as both Jacob Germany and Erik Czumbel will be honored pregame. Conference USA will have its final gameday on Saturday, March 4, where the remaining 10 teams will compete before the Conference USA Tournament the following week.
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