Dec. 16, 2004
Box Score
The University of Texas-Pan American women's basketball team cruised to victory, 92-45, over the University of Texas-Permian Basin Thursday (Dec. 16), with an offensive lineup that recorded six players in double figures.
The Lady Broncs were not only dominant on offense, but the team also put up a defensive effort that forced the Falcons into 44 total turnovers, over half of them coming in the first half of play. UTPA would go up by five points early with a lay-up inside by MaHogany Daniel (Corpus Christi, TX/Mary Carroll H.S.) followed by a steal and a fast break three-pointer from Dominique Montague (Gilbert, AZ/Central Arizona College) at the 19:04 mark in the first half.
The Falcons kept the game close, but with 14:54 on the clock Montague would hit again from behind the arc to give her team the three-point cushion. The Lady Broncs would then build the lead to eight points, 24-16, after Tynesha Pierce hit two jumpers in back-to-back possessions with 9:03 left in the half. Pierce would finish with a game-high 18 points, adding six rebounds and three steals.
The Lady Broncs would take their largest lead of the half, 33-20, after a steal from Kathy Guin (Guthrie, OK/Guthrie H.S.) would create a fast break lay-up for teammate Devin Reed (Indianapolis, IN/Crowley County C.C.) with under five minutes to go in the half. UTPB made a small four-point run before another shot by Montague would send the Lady Broncs into the locker room up 35-24.
"We played a really good game offensively," said head coach DeAnn Craft, "I thought we really had good chemistry, and the team was really focused as a whole."
With the lead at intermission, the Lady Broncs returned to the floor even more intense on both ends of the floor. Senior post player, Jennifer Arriola (Rio Rico, AZ/Rio Rico H.S.) played solid inside to score four consecutive points early in the half to take the lead to 14 with 18:51 left on the clock. She would finish as one of the six Lady Broncs in double figures with 10 points and clean six boards off the glass.
"Jennifer looked really confident tonight. She was making strong moves towards the basket and continued to be active inside throughout the entire game," Craft commented.
The outstanding play of Pierce would continue in the second half where she would record 10 of her 18 points, including a jumper with 13:39 on the clock to take the score to 52-31.
"I know Ty can score for us, and tonight she played the way we know she is capable of playing," stated Craft.
The defensive intensity of the Lady Broncs was the dominating factor in the second half. The team recorded 28 steals and scored 51 points off of UTPB turnovers. Recording three of those steals was freshman Tiona Wilson (Bradenton, FL/Southeast H.S.) and each theft turned into breakaway lay-ups for her on the other end. She finished with a career-high eight points while the team went on a 15-5 point run to end the game, 92-45.
"We were excited to see Tiona have a break-out performance like tonight. Her defensive effort created buckets for her on the other end, and she finished 4-4 from the floor. This was a good game for her," Craft commented.
Reed and Montague would both finish the game with 12 points while Jennifer Piwonka (Louise, TX/Louise H.S.) and Daniel both added 11. Guin would record a team-high nine assists and three steals in the contest as she controlled the game at the point guard position.
The Lady Broncs will play one more game at home before taking a short break for the holiday season. The team will face North Texas on Monday (Dec. 20) tipping off at 5:00 p.m. at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
UTPA Sports Information
