Feb 4, 2004

EDINBURG, TX - Three was the key number in The University of Texas-Pan American men's basketball team's 90-78 win over Lamar at the UTPA Fieldhouse Wednesday evening. The Broncs pulled away by hitting nine three-point field goals in 20 attempts. The Cardinals nearly came back by converting 10 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc. And the win was the third in a row for Texas-Pan American, marking the first time this season that the Broncs had won as many as three games in succession.

The teams traded the lead early, until a 13-2 run gave the Broncs a 22-12 advantage. Junior guard Sergio Sanchez (San Antonio, TX/South San Antonio HS/Temple College) drilled a three-pointer to put Texas-Pan American ahead, and then followed a jumper by junior guard Eric Montalvo (La Joya, TX/La Joya HS) with another jump shot from three-point range. Senior forward Allen Holcomb (Chicago, IL/Steinmetz HS/Allen County CC) capped the run with a pair of layups and a free throw. Lamar countered with a 12-6 run, but the Broncs outscored LU, 11-1 in the final five minutes of the first half, and led 39-25 at intermission.

Texas-Pan American stretched its lead to 17 points, 49-32, with 16:36 remaining, but Lamar came back. Raymond Anthony, Gil Goodrich and Blake Whittle all hit three-pointers, and an 18-3 Cardinal run reduced UTPA's lead to four.

The Broncs responded with the decisive run of the game. Sanchez hit two free throws, Montalvo hit a jumper, and junior guard Ray Castillo (San Antonio, TX/South San Antonio HS/Temple College) added a pair of treys to ignite an 18-4 run that left Texas-Pan American in command, 70-54 with 10:47 remaining.

Sanchez led all scorers with 26 points, making all 12 of his free throw attempts. He became the 11th Bronc to make 10 or more free throws in a game without a miss. Holcomb added 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, Castillo made five of six shots from three-point range and also had 15 points, while senior forward Andrius Sakalys (Vilnius, Lithuania/M.Dauksos HS/Eastern Oklahoma State) added 12 points. Junior forward Chris Fagan (Bronx, NY/Storm King HS/Trinidad State) also grabbed 10 rebounds as Texas-Pan American won the battle of the boards, 49-31. Fagan also had four blocked shots, while Montalvo had six assists and four steals.

Goodrich led LU with 21 points, Anthony added 16 and Whittle contributed 10. The Broncs made 29 of 35 free throws for a season-best percentage of 82.9 per cent from the line.

"Our guys worked really hard, and we really deserved to win this game," said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. "We got control of the game in the second half, and Ray hit a huge three that hit nothing but net. They went to a 1-3-1, and we made our passes, and everyone knew where they were supposed to be. It was a great win, and it's great to win three in a row."

Texas-Pan American improved to 8-13 with the victory, while Lamar dropped to 8-12. The Broncs will return to action when they visit Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne Saturday afternoon.