Feb. 2, 2004
New Page 1
EDINBURG, TX-The University of Texas-Pan American's men's
basketball team turned up the heat in the second half of their game against
Alcorn State at the UTPA Fieldhouse Monday evening. The result was a 24-8
Bronc run at the start of the second half, a 58-44 UTPA advantage with 9:04
remaining, and a 74-52 victory that gave the Broncs a two-game winning streak
for the second time this season.
After Trey Johnson's layup broke a 34-all halftime tie and
gave the Braves a two-point lead, junior forward Chris Fagan (Bronx, NY/Storm
King HS/Trinidad State) connected on a three-pointer to give the Broncs a 37-36
lead. After a layup by ASU's Dion Callans, a layup by junior guard Eric Montalvo
(La Joya, TX/La Joya HS) gave the Broncs the lead for good.
After Texas-Pan American made four free throws, senior
forward Andrius Sakalys (Vilnius, Lithuania/M. Dauksos HS/Eastern Oklahoma
State) connected on a layup and a three-pointer. Fagan contributed a layup,
Sakalys added another, and junior guard Sergio Sanchez (San Antonio, TX/South
San Antonio HS/Temple College) stole a pass, turned, and buried a three-pointer
from the corner to make it 58-44 with 9:04 to play.
The Broncs steadily increased their lead until they led by 22
points, 72-50, with 2:02 remaining. They made 61.9 per cent of their field goals
in the second half, and outscored the Braves after intermission, 40-18.
"Defense leads to offense, and it did for us tonight," said
UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. "It came down to making stops, and we did a good
job guarding people. It led to transition baskets, and that allowed us to get
going and get some separation. Andrius and Eric made some good plays, Chris made
some nice passes, and Sergio made a great momentum play that really got us
going. We executed well in the second half."
Sanchez and Montalvo had 15 points each, Fagan had 14, and
Sakalys added 11. Sakalys and Montalvo each had four assists, and Fagan grabbed
seven rebounds as the Broncs won the battle of the boards, 29-28. Trey Johnson
had 10 points for the Braves, and he was the only ASU player in double figures.
The Broncs won for the second time in a row, and improved to
7-13, while Alcorn State dropped to 5-13. UTPA will return to action when they
host Lamar Wednesday evening.
