Jan. 14, 2004

DAYTON, OH-Wright State jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they cruised to an 82-60 victory over The University of Texas-Pan American's men's basketball team at the Ervin J. Nutter Center Wednesday evening.

WSU jumped out ahead and continuously expanded their lead in the first half. The Raiders seized an early 23-9 advantage, but the Broncs then used a 12-6 run to cut the lead to 29-21. Senior forward Allen Holcomb (Chicago, IL/Steinmetz HS/Allen County CC) had a pair of layups for Texas-Pan American, junior forward Chris Fagan (Bronx, NY/Storm King HS/Trinidad State) converted an offensive rebound, and senior forward Andrius Sakalys (Vilnius. Lithuania/M. Dauksos HS/Eastern Oklahoma State) hit a three-pointer. WSU outscored the Broncs, 22-8 during the remainder of the first half to lead at halftime, 51-29.

The Raiders came out quickly in the second half, scoring the first nine points of the second half and taking a 60-29 lead. WSU built a 78-43 advantage before the Broncs came back to outscore them, 17-4 in the final seven minutes of the game to account for the final score.

Fagan led the Broncs with a double double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Sakalys added 10 points, Holcomb added nine, junior center Alvaidas Gedminas (Plunge, Lithuania/ Laivite HS/Kirtland CC) contributed eight points and eight rebounds, and junior guard Eric Montalvo added seven.

WSU point guard Vernard Hollins had a triple double, scoring 21 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and adding 10 assists. Seth Doliboa led the Raiders with 24 points, Zakee Boyd added 13, while Alex Kock added 12.

The Broncs made 34 per cent of their shots from the field, while WSU shot 51 per cent. UTPA made five of 23 shots from three-point range, and only 13 of 28 shots from the free throw line.

"They just took it to us," said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. "Hollins went off in the first half, and Doliboa went off in the second half. We had six layups that we missed in the first three minutes, and if we made them, we might have changed the complexion of the game. We also were two for 10 from the free throw line in the first half, and it's hard to win games shooting free throws like that."

Hoffman was encouraged with the Broncs' run at the end of the game. "We got Alvaidas the ball at the end, and he had some good minutes," said Hoffman. "We've got to do a better job of making shots. We can't just settle for threes all the time. If you're making them, that's one thing, but if you're missing them, you're giving up long rebounds and fast break layups. On the road, the other team is in their comfort zone, so you have to get off to a good start."

The Broncs fell to 5-11 with the defeat, while Wright State improved to 7-8. Texas-Pan American will return to action when they host Missouri-Kansas City Monday evening.