Dec. 7, 2004
Box Score
Despite a strong second half performance, The University of Texas-Pan American (3-2) men's basketball team wasn't able to erase an 18-point halftime deficit en route to a 74-66 setback at the hands of Lamar University (2-2) on Tuesday (Dec. 7) at the Montagne Center in Beaumont, TX.
The Broncs slow start began right from the opening tip, which included four missed shots and three turnovers in the first five minutes of the game, and allowed Lamar to jump to a 20-5 lead before UTPA knew what had hit them.
"We did not play well in the first half at all," said head coach Robert Davenport. "We played right into their hands by taking quick shots and committing too many turnovers. On the road, you have to put together two good halves in order to come away with a win, and we only played one good half tonight."
The Cardinals, who have nine new players on the team, relied heavily on junior college transfers Alan Daniels and Nashid Beard to give them the early spark. The duo recorded 10 of the Cardinals' first 20 points, including six for Beard.
With the squad down 15 points, the Broncs looked to senior Sergio Sanchez (San Antonio, TX/Temple College) to cut the deficit, and the UTPA point guard responded by draining his first of four three-pointers in the contest after the first media timeout. With the lead down, senior Ryan Lange (Inwood, IA/Northeast Community College) was able to take a pass inside from Ray Castillo (San Antonio, TX/Temple College) for the easy lay-in, and the Broncs were right back in the game at 20-10 with 14:03 remaining in the half.
However - costly turnovers and sour shooting would land the Broncs even further down, especially after Daniels connected on a shot behind the arc to give Lamar a 34-17 lead at the 6:47 mark. Castillo was able to drain two three-pointers over the course of the next minute and a half to get the Broncs within 13 points at 36-23, but Lamar quickly looked for Daniels for a trey and lay-in at the end of the half. At intermission, the Cardinals held a 45-27 advantage.
"At halftime, we really got into our guys and challenged them to respond. With a veteran team, they were a completely different team in the second half. They made shots and took care of the ball, but you can't give your opponent an 18-point lead and expect to win. I was proud of our guys for responding in the second half because we didn't quit. We showed a lot tonight," added Davenport.
The Broncs came out in the second half, and their play was night and day compared to the first set of 20 minutes. This time, it was UTPA getting off to the quick start that included a lay-in, dunk and pair of free throws from senior Chris Fagan (Bronx, NY/Trinidad State College) to get the Broncs back to within nine points at 46-37 with 16:55 remaining in the contest. All of Fagan's six points would come during that stretch.
With 13:53 remaining in the half, Sanchez was able to cut the lead to six points at 49-43 after he drained his second trey of the half. However - the Cardinals took advantage of 20 Bronc personal fouls and attempted 21 free throws during the second half, making 14 of them.
Every time the Broncs got within striking distance, the Cardinals would take a stroll to the charity stripe to up their lead. After Sanchez's three-pointer, Lamar attempted nine free throws over the course of the next six minutes and increased its lead to 12 points after a pair of shots from Mike Levy with 8:00 remaining.
With the clock winding down, UTPA was able to get within three points at 69-66 when Derrick East (Binger, OK/Lookeba-Sickle H.S.) connected on a jump shot in the paint with 3:26 remaining. Unfortunately that would be as close UTPA would get to the lead as Lamar would drain five of six free throws down the stretch to escape with a 74-66 victory.
Sanchez finished with a game-high 18 points, which marked the fifth time this season that he has been the team leader in scoring. He also added seven rebounds and six assists. Castillo added 14 points, including four three-pointers, and four rebounds while Alvaidas Gedminas (Plunge, Lithuania/Kirtland Community College) had a team-high 12 rebounds.
Daniels finished with a team-high 15 points on 6-15 shooting while adding eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Blake Whittle notched 13 points and Jason Grant contributed 11 points.
The Broncs only shot 44 percent (4-9) from the charity stripe compared to 68 percent (17-25) for the Cardinals. UTPA did hold a 49-43 advantage on the boards.
The Broncs will be back in action on Saturday (Dec. 11) at the UTPA Fieldhouse against North Texas. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.
UTPA Sports Information
