SAN ANTONIO – Coming off two consecutive wins, the UTSA men’s basketball team (5-5) will return to the Convocation Center for one final time before the New Year, hosting Southwestern Adventist (1-9) on Thursday for Hoops for the Holidays. The final home non-conference game of the season, tipoff is set for 12 p.m. and will be broadcast on UTSA radio and ESPN+.
Ticket Information
This final home non-conference contest is part of all season ticket packages and fans can also join the season ticket holders for an exciting American Athletic Conference slate ahead, or purchase single-game tickets through the links below:
2024-25 Season Tickets:
Direct Link: GoUTSA.com/mbbseasontix
Reserved (lower level): $165
General Admission (200 level): $115
Courtside Seating for Roadrunner Athletic Fund members: $550
**Fans can also purchase a combined men’s and women’s basketball season ticket for $210 by contacting the UTSA Ticket Office at 210-458-8872
2024-25 Single Game Tickets
Direct Link: am.ticketmaster.com/utxsanant/buy
Adults: $15
Juniors (ages 3-18): $13
Seniors (ages 65+): $13
Military (with ID): $13
Students: Free Admission with UTSA ID, download tickets at goUTSA.com/studentlogin.
Combo Ticket with the Women’s Game
The women’s team will be playing UT Arlington on Thursday at 4 p.m. at home as well. There is a combination ticket available for just $10 at this link.
Hoops for the Holidays and Teddy Bear Toss
Thursday will be UTSA’s annual Hoops for the Holidays game. The annual Teddy Bear Toss will take place at halftime of both the men’s and women’s games. Fans are encouraged to bring a Teddy Bear to throw on the court at halftime. They will then be donated to underprivileged and foster children in the greater San Antonio community. Upon arrival, fans should stop at the marketing table in the front lobby of the Convocation Center to label their bears. The fan who throws their teddy bear the furthest will receive a prize.
The fan-favorite UTSA Ugly Holiday long sleeve t-shirts will be on sale at the game for $15 while supplies last. These can only be purchased at the Hoops for the Holidays doubleheader, so fans interested in buying the t-shirts should make plans to attend.
Fans can get in front of the camera with Rowdy Claus AND Santa Claus for family or individual pictures. Fans can purchase a package which includes three basketball game tickets and photos with Rowdy Claus for $44. For a picture with Rowdy Claus only, the cost is $23. UTSA students can get a photo with Rowdy Claus for $8.
On the Air and on the Web
Thursday’s matchup at the Convocation Center will air live on the radio with Andy Everett (play-by-play) and Tim Carter (analyst). The radio 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.
The game will also stream live on ESPN+ for subscribers. Karl Schoening (play-by-play), UTSA Hall-of-Famer Devin Brown (analyst) and Taylor Guajardo (reporter) will be on the broadcast call.
UTSA Athletics will also provide Live Stats from The Convo.
About the UTSA Roadrunners
The Roadrunners strung together back-to-back wins last week in an unorthodox 43-hour home-and-home with North Dakota. Typical for the senior guard, Primo Spears knocked down 28 points to lead the Roadrunners to an 80-76 victory over the Fighting Hawks on Friday at the Convocation Center. Quickly hitting the road to Grand Forks, N.D., UTSA took the fight to UND’s home and led the 95-85 victory for over 33 minutes, paced along by the efforts of Tai’Reon Joseph (28 points), Spears (16 points) and Damari Monsanto (15 points), as the Roadrunners notched five in double-figures, made 15 threes and led by as many as 17.
Reaching as high as No. 3 in the nation last week, Spears’ scoring average of 22.9 ppg ranks fifth nationally and is still in the top spot for the American Athletic Conference. A double-figure scorer in all 10 games, he’s exceeded the 20-point mark in seven outings. Spears also ranks eighth nationally in minutes per game (36:32), tops the AAC in field goals (80) and is third in the AAC in free throw percentage (88.9) and fifth in steals per game (1.70). Joseph has quickly shot up the charts as he eased into his first three games, averaging 12.7 ppg, while point guard Marcus Millender has been a steady generator for the offense at 12.5 ppg and 3.7 apg.
UTSA’s 77.4 ppg as a team comes in at fifth in the high-scoring AAC, as the Roadrunners are one of the best transition teams in the country. UTSA averages 17.8 fastbreak points and is 12th in the NCAA. Aiding that effort, the Roadrunners’ heavy pressure makes a difference, creating an NCAA 23rd-best 9.9 steals per game and forcing and NCAA 38th-best 15.5 turnovers on average. Led by Spears and Millender, the Roadrunners are positively one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country, putting down 83.4 percent of shots from the stripe for second in the NCAA.
About the Series
The Roadrunners will face the Knights for the second official time, after downing Southwestern Adventist on March 4, 2021, by a school-record 80 point victory on the 123-43 win at the Convo. In that game, UTSA logged three 20-point scorers with Keaton Wallace, Jhivvan Jackson and Jordan Ivy-Curry each hitting that exact count among 12 players in double-figures. The Roadrunners shot 64.6 percent from the field and outrebounded the Knights 54-18.
About the Southwestern Adventist Knights
Hailing from Keene, Texas and the National Christian College Athletic Association, the Knights have started the season 1-9 under head coach Tyler Woolridge – the program’s Athletic Director and the head coach since 2019.
With only two players lining up at 6-5 and above, the Knights will look to work through the guards against UTSA’s bigger lineup. Leading SWAU right now amidst a three-game week, senior Jason Garcia averages 15.1 ppg on 49.5 percent shooting, senior forward Byron Fields is putting up 14.7 ppg on 43.5 percent shooting and sophomore Orlando Gooden averages 13.9 ppg. Fields (7.1 rpg) and Garcia (5.6 rpg) lead the rebounding effort. The Knights average 72.8 ppg with 39.1 rpg, shooting 42 percent as a team. However, they have allowed 20.0 turnovers per outing and given up 87.6 ppg on average.
Up Next
Following the holidays, there’s one more non-conference tilt on the schedule, as UTSA travels to West Point, New York for the return game from last season vs. Army on December 29 at West Point’s Christl Arena. American Athletic Conference play starts on January 4, 2025 in New Orleans, at Tulane.
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