Kangaroos Set To Face UTSA On Thursday Night In The Lone Star State
11/28/2007 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will head to San Antonio on Thursday night to face off against the UTSA Roadrunners. The game will be played at the UTSA Convocation Center with a 7 p.m. scheduled tip.
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM or 97.3 FM. Fans can also hear the games online at www.810whb.com. “The Voice of the Kangaroos” Danny Clinkscale will call the play-by-play action for UMKC for the seventh straight season.
On The Web
Fans can watch Thursday's game on the Rowdy Zone at www.goutsa.com. Andy Everett will call the play-by-play action for the Roadrunners.
Live Stats
Fans can follow the action as it happens via live stats at www.goutsa.com.
A Look At UTSA
The Roadrunners improved their overall record to 3-1 on Monday night with a 93-79 victory over Paul Quinn. All five UTSA starters scored in double figures in the game with Devin Gibson leading the way with 23 points. Keith Spencer, meanwhile, posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
UTSA has also posted victories over Hardin-Simmons (69-47) and Navy (77-67) this season. The team's lone defeat came at Texas on Nov. 12, 58-37. Four players are averaging in double figures for the squad with Gibson pacing the team with an 18.8 clip. Spencer, meanwhile, is averaging 12.5 points to go along with a team-best 8.0 rebounds.
UTSA Game Facts
- UMKC Chancellor Guy Bailey was the Provost at UTSA prior to accepting his current position at UMKC.
- UTSA was picked to finish fifth in the West Division of the Southland Conference by both the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
- Head Coach Brooks Thompson was a first round NBA Draft pick by the Orlando Magic in 1994. He played in the league from 1994-98 for five different organizations.
- Assistant Coach Jay Spoonhour played collegiately at Pittsburg State, and he was an assistant coach at Missouri from 2004-06. Jay is also the son of former Missouri State, Saint Louis and UNLV head coach Charlie Spoonhour.
UTSA vs. UMKC - The Series
The Roadrunners are 2-0 all-time against UMKC, but the two victories have come by a combined margin of three points. In 1997, UTSA topped the Kangaroos in San Antonio by the score of 82-81. A year later, the roadrunners were victorious over UMKC in Kansas City, 85-83.
Last Contest
The Kangaroos won their second straight game with a 77-66 victory over Florida Atlantic on Monday night. UMKC used a 23-5 second half run to turn a two-point deficit into a 16-point lead. Four Kangaroo players finished in double figures in the game, and UMKC connected on a season-high 13 three point field goals.
Notes From The FAU Game
- UMKC outscored FAU, 26-4, in points off of turnovers. The Kangaroos forced the Owls into 16 turnovers in the contest.
- UMKC finished the game with 17 assists to just 11 turnovers.
Defending Their Home Court
UMKC has posted a perfect 3-0 record at Municipal Auditorium this season. The team is averaging 82.0 points per game at the venue, while shooting .475 (77-162) from the floor and .423 (33-78) from three point range. Dating back to last season, the Kangaroos have now won six straight games at Municipal.
Looking For A Road Win
The Kangaroos will look to pick up their first road victory of the season at UTSA on Thursday. The team is 0-3 in road contests on the year, and it has scored 62 points in all three defeats. Last season, UMKC struggled away from Kansas City, as the team finished with a 1-14 record in true road games.
Helping Hand
Freshman Reggie Hamilton posted a career-high eight assists on Monday night in the victory over Florida Atlantic. It was his third game of his career where he's finished with five or more helpers. The guard is leading the Kangaroos with 27 assists (4.5 p/game), which ranks among the top-five in The Summit League this season.
Switching It Up
Head Coach Matt Brown averted back to one of his earlier starting line-ups against Florida Atlantic on Monday. In all, the first year head coach has used three different starting five in his first six games.
Brumagin Has Second Half Surge
Junior Dane Brumagin went 7-of-7 from the floor (5-of-5 from three-point land) to score 19 second half points on Monday against Florida Atlantic. The forward finished with 21 points for the game, as he made 8-of-13 field goal attempts and 5-of-8 three pointers. It was his second straight and third 20-point game this season.
Brumagin, who is leading the team with a 17.0 scoring average, has now scored 20 or more points seven times in his career. This season, he's been in double figures in 5-of-6 games to give him 19 double digit scoring games for his career.
It's A Game Of Runs....
In coach speak, it's a game of runs. UMKC has been holding true to that statement, especially in the second half of its games this season. The Kangaroos have used substantial runs in each of the last two games to turn second half deficits into victories in the final box score.
Against Arkansas Tech on Nov. 24, UMKC used a 20-0 run to turn a 68-76 deficit into a 88-76 lead. Two days later against FAU, the Kangaroos went on a 23-5 run to seal the game when the Owls were clinging to a 48-46 lead.
UMKC showed its will to comeback in the Nov. 17 game at Northern Arizona. Trailing by 26 points in the second half, the Kangaroos used a 17-2 run over a five-minute span to get to within 11 points. The team later cut the deficit to nine points before falling by the 77-62 scoreline.
Hail To The Three
The Kangaroos are averaging 27.2 three point attempts per game this season. The team is connecting on 9.8 of those chances, while shooting .362 from the behind the three-point arch.
UMKC finished with a season-high 13 long balls against Florida Atlantic on Monday night. It was the third time this season that the squad has connected on 10 or more makes in a game.
