UTSA students cheer on the Roadrunners

UTSA hosts Lamar in SLC Tournament round one

(March 7, 2005)-- The UTSA men's basketball team takes its first step toward "madness" Tuesday when the Roadrunners host Lamar at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center for the first round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Southland Conference Tournament.

As March Madness descends upon UTSA, the Roadrunners are looking to dance with a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. UTSA needs three wins to defend its title as SLC Tournament Champion, beginning with Tuesday's contest against Lamar.

Tickets priced at $10 are on sale now at the UTSA ticket office. For ticket information, call 458-UTSA.

UTSA, the No. 4 seed in the Tournament, ended the regular season with an overall record of 15-12, 10-6 in Southland Conference play. The Roadrunners have won three straight games and five of their last six entering the playoffs.

Named second team all-Southland Conference on Monday, senior John Millsap leads the Roadrunners in scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) entering Tuesday's game with No. 5 seed Lamar, a team that UTSA has had a hard time with this season. The Cardinals, 17-10 and 9-7, swept the season series from the Roadrunners, winning 85-68 on Feb. 5 in Beaumont, and 88-83 on Feb. 23 in San Antonio.

If UTSA can win on Tuesday, the Roadrunners would advance to Thursday's 7 p.m. semifinal round game at home sites of the highest remaining seeds. The championship game, which will also be televised by ESPN2, will be played on Sunday, March 13 at 1 p.m. at the home of the highest remaining seed. Northwestern State enters the Tournament as the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 seed Southeastern Louisiana, No. 3 seed Sam Houston State and then UTSA.

Meanwhile, the Roadrunner women's team takes on Northwestern State at 7 p.m. Monday night in Natchitoches, La., for the first round of the women's tournament.

To stay up-to-date on Roadrunner basketball and other UTSA sports, log on to www.goUTSA.com.

--Rick Nixon