GAME NOTES: The Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners will finish up a season-opening homestand on Sunday when they host the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in a non- conference tilt at the Convocation Center.

It has not mattered where Southern Utah plays with all four of its games this season ending in losses, including home bouts to Utah Valley (85-75) and Eastern Kentucky (73-64). The Thunderbirds also suffered road losses against Kansas State (98-68) and Miami-Ohio (76-63). They have a real chance to win next time out when they host St. Katherine's.

UTSA has yet to travel beyond the Convocation Center this season, playing its first four games at home. The results have not all been positive during the homestand, with the Roadrunners currently 2-2 overall following a 71-57 setback against Loyola-Chicago in their last bout. They will play six of their next seven games on the road, beginning against Northern Arizona on Wednesday.

This bout marks the first entry in the series between these two programs.

Despite shooting 42.3 percent from the field overall, while holding EKU to 36.1 percent, the Thunderbirds were unable to defend their home floor last time out. The problem was they were outscored from 3-point range (30-18) and at the free-throw line (19-14), while turning the ball over 18 times. A.J. Hess finished with a team-high 15 points to lead the way, while James McGree and Tyler Rawson contributed 14 and 13 points off the bench, respectively.

Perhaps the Thunderbirds can take some solace in the fact that they did not let the Colonels drain shots at an extremely efficient rate. On the season, they are allowing squads to score 83 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting. That has wiped away any benefit of the team shooting a solid 46 percent from the floor itself. Hess (14.2 ppg) has scored in double figures in all four games, and has played at least 30 minutes in each of the last three. McGree (11.5 ppg) has provided a spark off the bench in the last two contests. He did not play in matchups against Kansas State and Miami-Ohio.

UTSA suffered from a cold shooting night against Loyola, as the team only made 37 percent of its shots from the field, including a 7-of-20 effort from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Ramblers were allowed to drill 11 3-pointers and convert 46.9 percent of their field goal attempts. Jeromie Hill notched 19 points and six rebounds in the losing effort.

The Roadrunners have been a better defensive team than the Thunderbirds overall, as they are allowing 68.8 points per game on 41.4 percent shooting. Their own offensive production (72.8 ppg, .412 FG percentage) has been remarkably similar to what they have allowed. Hill (16.2 ppg, 8 rpg) leads the team in scoring and rebounding, while connecting on 53.1 percent of his field goal tries. Keon Lewis (14.8 ppg, 3.8 apg) is below 30 percent shooting on the season, something he did not help against Loyola, making only 1-of-12 shots from the floor. Ryan Bowie (12.5 ppg, 7 rpg) is averaging in double figures as well.

While UTSA has been uneven through the first four games, Southern Utah has been disastrous. Expect the Roadrunners to use the homecourt edge to their advantage.