Jan. 6, 2004

WACO, TX-Junior guard Sergio Sanchez (San Antonio, TX/South San Antonio HS/Temple College) connected on a driving layup with three seconds left and the Broncs hung on for a 55-54 victory over Baylor at the Ferrell Center Tuesday evening.

Texas-Pan American and BU battled back and forth and traded the lead down the stretch, with neither team holding more than a one-point lead during the last five minutes. A spinning layup by senior forward Allen Holcomb (Chicago, IL/Steinmetz HS/Allen County CC) with 27 seconds remaining gave the Broncs a one-point lead at 53-52. Baylor came right back and Harvey Thomas took Matt Sayman's in-bounds pass and connected on a short jump shot with 14 seconds left to put the Bears back on top, 54-53.

The Broncs and BU then called consecutive time outs with nine seconds left. Sanchez drove the lane, and his finger roll bounced around the rim and dropped through with three seconds remaining. Sayman's attempt at the final buzzer failed, and the Broncs had their first two-game winning streak of the season.

"I was looking to pass the ball, but I had a chance to make a play, and thank God it worked out in our favor," said Sanchez. "I came around, and all I saw was a bunch of white jerseys. I thought I had to make a play, and it was good to go on the road and get a big win."

The Broncs were prepared at the end. "We ran a play that we can run against either man or zone," said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. "Everybody popped out, and there were a couple of big guys there, but Sergio got that finger roll up over them."

Texas-Pan American had come from behind to take the lead at the end of the first half, holding Baylor scoreless during the final two minutes before intermission. Sanchez' three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining put UTPA ahead at the half, 26-25.

Baylor used an 8-2 run to take a 33-28 lead at the start of the second half. The Broncs responded, as Holcomb connected on a three-point play and then converted an offensive rebound to tie the score at 33.

Texas-Pan American used an 8-0 run midway through the second half to take a 43-35 lead with eight minutes left. Sophomore forward Derrick East (Binger, OK/Lookeba-Sickles HS) made a pair of free throws, and Sanchez and junior guard Ray Castillo (San Antonio, TX/South San Antonio HS/Temple College) made back-to-back treys.

The Bears came right back, scoring six points in a row to tie the game at 46. Junior guard Eric Montalvo (La Joya, TX/La Joya HS) converted a three-point play to make it 49-48, UTPA with 5:29 to play. But Robbie McKenzie hit two free throws to cut UTPA's lead to 49-48, and neither team led by more than a point for the remainder of the game.

"We finally got a break on the road, and we got a big win," said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. "Sergio made a big play, and Allen's put back was also a big play. We had a hard time running our stuff against these guys, and we were fortunate to get out of here with a win. Harvey Thomas is a great player, and their guys fought like crazy, but it's great to win on the road against a Big 12 team."

Sanchez led the Broncs with 15 points, Castillo added 12, and Holcomb had a double double with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Thomas of the Bears led all scorers with 23 points, and added 10 rebounds for a double double. Tommy Swanson had 11 points for BU, but he fouled out with 5:29 remaining.

UTPA improved to 5-9 with the victory, while Baylor dropped to 5-8. The Broncs will return to action when they visit North Texas Thursday evening.