Jan. 19, 2005
Box Score
The University Texas - Pan American women's basketball team cruised to victory over Huston-Tillotson, 78-45, to take its record to 8-9 with the home win at the UTPA Fieldhouse on Wednesday (Jan. 19).
The Lady Broncs started off slow, but were able to push the lead to nine points before the end of the first half.
"Our girls really try to get out there and jump start a game right from the beginning, but sometimes it seems to take us a few minutes to relax and just start playing," stated head coach DeAnn Craft.
In the second half, the Lady Broncs would get the momentum they needed sparked by the offensive play of Tynesha Pierce (Houston, TX/Westfield H.S.). Pierce would lead the team scoring a career-high 22 points, and pulling down 10 rebounds to record her first collegiate double-double. Along with her efforts on offense, Pierce also made her presence known on defense notching three steals in the contest.
"This was really a special game for Tynesha. She has proved to herself and to us that she can be an offensive threat, and I was really pleased with how well she pursued the ball off the glass tonight," said Craft.
UTPA finished the game out-scoring H-TC 22-14 in the paint, and scored 11 off second chance opportunities. The Lady Broncs won the battle of the boards, 55-30, and were able to convert offensively on the other end.
The Lady Broncs had three players finish in double figures on the night, including Pierce, Devin Reed (Indianapolis, IN/Cowley County C.C.) and Dominique Montague (Gilbert, AZ/Central Arizona College). Reed finished with 12 points and grabbed six rebounds while Montague finished with 11 points hitting three from beyond the arc.
"This was a much needed game for Dominique. We know she is a great shooter, and she was able to unlock tonight and get back into the flow of things. Her gift to this team is to shoot the ball and whether they fall or not we need her to be looking to shoot. I'm really pleased with the way she shot with confidence tonight," commented Craft.
With the solid offensive play of Pierce and effort on the boards, the Lady Broncs took the 78-45 victory en route to getting one step close to a winning record.
"We set big goals for ourselves this season and hope take these wins at home and get back on the winning track. We want to hit that .500 mark and then continue to move further in the right direction," said Craft.
The Lady Broncs will be back in action on Jan. 22 tipping off at 7:00 p.m. in the UTPA Fieldhouse against IFPW.
UTPA Sports Information.
