SAN ANTONIO – After a challenging two-game road swing, the UTSA men’s basketball team (5-6) closes out 2023 with a pair on contests back at the Convocation Center, starting with a Dec. 21 inaugural meeting with Army West Point (2-9). In honor of the opponent, UTSA will be celebrating Military Appreciation Day, while also pulling in donations via a Toys for Tots appearance and a halftime Teddy Bear Toss as part of the Roadrunners’ Hoops for the Holidays. The Roadrunners and Black Knights will tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, with the radio broadcast airing on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket and the telecast streamed on ESPN+.
On the Air and the Web
Thursday’s game will tip off at 7 p.m. at the UTSA Convocation Center and will air live on the Radio with Andy Everett (play-by-play) on the call alongside Tim Carter (analyst). The broadcast will appear on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket and, as always, will feature a 30-minute pregame and 15-minute postgame show – available online at Ticket760.com or via the free iHeartRadio app.
To watch the game live, subscribers can check out ESPN+. Karl Schoening (play-by-play) and UTSA/San Antonio Sports Hall-of-Famer Devin Brown (analyst) will cover the broadcast.
UTSA Athletics will also provide LIVE STATS from the Convo.
Men's Basketball Tickets:
Single-Game Tickets
UTSA Men’s Basketball Home Schedule
Direct Link: https://bit.ly/UTSATix
Single Game Adult $13
Single Game Military/Youth (ages 3-18)/Senior (ages 65+): $11
Students: Free Admission with UTSA ID, download tickets at goUTSA.com/studentlogin.
Along with Military Appreciation Day, fans can purchase the Salute to Armed Forces Package with one ticket and a custom UTSA camouflage shirt for $20 at: utsa.spinzo.com/troops.
Hoops for the Holidays
The Roadrunners are looking to add some more joy into the holidays for those who need it most. At halftime of Thursday’s game, Roadrunner Athletics will host a Teddy Bear Toss, encouraging fans to bring a stuffed animal of their choosing to the Convo and make it rain stuffies on the court when prompted – to be collected and sent with Toys for Tots. The U.S. Marine Corps will have a table for Toys for Tots in the Convo lobby as well and accept donations of new, unwrapped toys that are preferably around $10 price range - books are also needed and homemade toys are accepted! AND Rowdy will be around the Convo dressed as Santa to get one more chance for your holiday photo opportunities!
Last Time Out
‣ After carrying the lead over 70 percent of the game at Pac-12 opponent Oregon State, it was a heartbreaker in Corvallis, as the Beavers slipped in front on a pair of free throws with 13 seconds on the clock – dealing the Roadrunners a 66-65 loss after the final shot attempt was off the mark.
‣ Sunday’s game was a debut of sorts, as guard Jordan Ivy-Curry made his first appearance since returning from a season at Pacific. Ivy-Curry led UTSA in scoring (11) and assists (7) after learning he could take the court on Saturday following last week’s preliminary injunction in the court case regarding two-time transfers.
‣ The Roadrunners used solid defense to set the pace early, limiting the Beavers to 2-for-7 shooting in the first five minutes. Carlton Linguard Jr. opened the game with a three-pointer at the top the arc as the Roadrunners made their first two threes to create some cushion.
‣ However, Linguard got into some early foul trouble, and UTSA’s long-range shooting dropped to 1-for-7 with him off the court. Oregon State kept the game close despite UTSA’s disruption of their offensive rhythm, shooting 39.3 percent – while UTSA forced six turnovers.
‣ Back-to-back threes by junior forward Chandler Cuthrell and junior guard Isaiah Wyatt gave UTSA its largest lead at 27-18 with just six minutes to go before half.
‣ The Beavers went on a late 5-0 run, but a key Massal Diouf layup stretched UTSA’s lead to 33-27 at the break. However, OSU made up ground in the first five minutes of the second half to take a slight lead.
‣ OSU held a 50 percent shooting pace in the second half but couldn’t fully shake the Roadrunners as neither team led by more than four points over the final 15 minutes.
‣ Junior guard Christian Tucker singled-handedly gave UTSA its largest lead of the half, connecting on a three-pointer followed by a pair of free throws for a 63-59 advantage with 3:13 remaining.
‣ Oregon State closed the period on a 7-2 run, and it came down to a pair of Jordan Pope free throws – his only freebies of the game – putting the Beavers up for their final one-point lead in the closing seconds.
‣ In addition to Ivy-Curry, Diouf had a monster performance, posting career bests of 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Linguard also scored 10 with three long-rangers.
‣ Tucker was a focus of the Beavers defense and was held to seven points, but maintained his distribution role with six assists, taking him into his seventh week leading the American Athletic Conference in both assists (63) and assists per game (5.7) – while also ranking 30th and 26th in the NCAA, respectively.
‣ Tucker is still the pacesetter for Roadrunner scoring at 13.4 points per outing. He also snags an average of 2.9 rebounds and has 12 steals this season. His 2.62 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fifth in the AAC and 68th nationally.
‣ Dre Fuller Jr. tops the Roadrunners on the glass at 6.8 rpg, but only holds just a slight edge over forward Trey Edmonds and Linguard, who both average 6.4 rpg. Fuller is in the conference standings at fifth on 5.64 defensive rpg, while Linguard is also fifth with 2.64 offensive rpg. Overall, the Roadrunners come in at No. 2 in the AAC in two board categories, rebounds per game at 41.09 (37th nationally) and defensive rebounds per game at 28.09 (57th nationally).
‣ UTSA also ranks 18th in the NCAA in three-point attempts per game (28.5) and 23rd in made threes per outing (10.0), leading the AAC in both stats. Pacing the effort, Wyatt ranks fourth in the conference and 121st overall with 26 long-range buckets, averaging an AAC fifth-best 2.36 threes per contest. Adante' Holiman also averages 1.78 threes per outing.
Series with Army West Point
Thursday will mark the first meeting between these teams and these coaches.
Scouting Army West Point
‣ Playing the first season under head coach Kevin Kuwik, the Black Knights are 2-9 after dropping their last two outings against Stony Brook and Harvard. AWP opened the season 0-7 before capturing their first win over DIII SUNY Maritime College on Dec. 1.
‣ The Black Knights offense has been limited on the scoreboard so far, averaging only 61.7 ppg as a team and shooting 39.4 percent. They average 36.1 rebounds and 13.7 turnovers.
‣ Not uncommon to the academies, the Black Knights have a 25-man roster and 22 have seen playing time while AWP has been looking for the right combination for wins.
‣ Leading the way for the Black Knights, 6-6 freshman forward Josh Scovens averages a team-high 11.8 ppg on 42.1 percent shooting, along with team highs of 5.8 rpg and 10 blocks.
‣ Scovens was named both the Patriot League Rookie and Player of the Week on Monday after scoring 31 points via 12-of-15 shooting against Stony Brook, also chipping in even assists, five rebounds and four steals in one of the best games in program history.
‣ Freshman guard Ryan Curry is the only other player in double-figures, averaging 10.1 ppg as the team’s top long-range shooter (21 threes) with 3.4 rpg and a team-best 30 assists.
‣ Senior guard Kwabena Davis is from the San Antonio area and attended Byron P. Steele II High School in Cibolo. Two other players have Texas ties, forward Chanse Perkins (Houston) and forward Tate Laczkowski (Dallas).
Up Next
The final game of 2023 and the final non-conference game on the slate is set for Dec. 28 with Prairie View A&M traveling to San Antonio for the third time in the last five years. The game against the Panthers will feature a Blue Out to cheer on the Roadrunners ahead of the inaugural UTSA American Athletic Conference opener against UAB on Jan. 2. on ESPNU.
- UTSA -