GREENVILLE, N.C. – The UTSA men’s basketball team (10-16, 4-10 AAC) is looking to snap out of a five-game losing skid and take an opportunity to pay back on of those losses on Sunday with the first visit to East Carolina (15-12, 7-7 AAC) since 2014. After a one-point finish during the Feb. 8 meeting at the Convocation Center, the Roadrunners and Pirates will rematch on Sunday, Feb. 23, with a 1 p.m. CST tipoff in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The game will air on UTSA radio and be streamed live on ESPN+.
On the Air and on the Web
Sunday’s 1 p.m. CST (2 p.m. EST) matchup at Minges Coliseum will be streamed on ESPN+, with Patrick Johnson (play-by-play) and Si Seymour (analyst) joined by Gabby Sartori (reporter) on the call.
The radio broadcast will appear on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket with Andy Everett (play-by-play) covering the action from the road. As always, the broadcast will feature a 30-minute pregame and 15-minute postgame show – available online at Ticket760.com or via the free iHeartRadio app.
UTSA Athletics will also provide Live Stats.
About the UTSA Roadrunners
The Roadrunners saw their sixth consecutive game decided by less than two possessions end with a 78-73 loss to South Florida on Wednesday at the Convocation Center. UTSA is starting down a 1-5 start to February and looking to turn the tides on the road in the Tarheel State before a BYE week break heading into the final stretch. UTSA averages 76.4 ppg for the fifth-best scoring in the American Athletic Conference, fueled by the AAC’s top three-point offense at 9.8 triples per game and the second-best fast break scoring at 15.9 ppg (10th NCAA).
Leading the way the entire season, Primo Spears checks in at 19.7 ppg for 21st nationally, while Marcus Millender averages 13.7 ppg and has put up 15.9 ppg and 2.9 apg in conference play. Out of action last game, Raekwon Horton scores 15.9 ppg with 5.5 rpg and has registered averages of 15.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals since the start of conference play. Meanwhile, leading the perimeter effort is Damari Monsanto, who ranks eighth nationally with an AAC-high 3.32 triples per game – knocking down seven threes to tie his season high at 22 points against the Bulls on Wednesday.
About the Series
Sunday will mark the fifth meeting between these teams, with East Carolina holding a 4-0 advantage after restarting the series last year with a Pirates win in San Antonio. On Feb. 8 when these teams met on ESPNU, the Roadrunners built a seven-point halftime lead, but the Pirates battled back throughout the second half and an untimely jump ball gave ECU the opportunity for CJ Walker to hit the game-sealing turnaround jumper with :04 on the clock for the 80-79 final. UTSA is 0-1 in Greenville heading into the first visit since 2014. The Roadrunners fell 81-71 in that meeting, battling back from an eight-point halftime deficit. Keon Lewis and Jordan Sims topped the Roadrunners, but Akeem Richmond put up 31 to lead the Pirates past visiting UTSA.
About the East Carolina Pirates
Topping the Roadrunners in the first meeting, the Pirates reeled off two consecutive victories in the subsequent week to rack up some conference wins, and East Carolina comes into Sunday’s rematch with a 7-7 AAC record after losing at Tulane by only five on Wednesday.
With a 15-12 overall record, East Carolina averages 76.1 ppg, shoots 43.6 percent from the floor and is the fourth-best fast break offense in the AAC at 14.1 ppg. Illustrated by just six triples in the first go-around, the Pirates remain near the bottom of the conference from the perimeter, making just 6.7 per game on average. However, the Pirates hit the boards hard with a league fourth-best 37.8 rpg as a team.
In the first meeting, Walker commanded the game for the Pirates, leading the comeback with a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 10-of-12 at the free throw line. Walker leads ECU with an AAC fourth-best 18.3 ppg while adding 6.8 rpg. The other big component in ECU’s tandem is RJ Felton with an AAC-fifth 18.0 ppg and an AAC-eighth 7.0 RPG – the pair making up nearly half of East Carolina’s scoring and boards. Felton also scored 15 in the first meeting with UTSA. Guard Jordan Riley chips in 14.2 ppg and 5.7 rpg while leading the Pirates and ranking second in the conference with 2.0 spg. Cam Hayes adds just 8.9 ppg, but paces the Pirates with an AAC-sixth 4.0 apg.
Up Next
The Roadrunners will see a long-overdue BYE week and will not return to action until March 2, when the Roadrunners host Rice for a Senior Day/Autism Awareness rematch at the Convocation Center.
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