Nov. 7, 2005
The University of Texas - Pan American women's basketball team was in action on Monday (Nov. 7) at the UTPA Fieldhouse as they defeated the Monterrey Tech Borreguitas, 80-54, in their first exhibition game of the season.
"We were able to accomplish our goals tonight. We played very well against their man-to-man defense. In the second half we struggled a little bit when they went to a zone. That's what you want to have in an exhibition game, where you can find out what you're good at and what you still need work on," stated head coach DeAnn Craft.
The Borreguitas came out of the gate scoring and took an early 5-2 lead. That lead, however, was short-lived as the Lady Broncs tied the game at five on a Tiona Wilson (Bradenton, FL/Southeast H.S.) three-pointer and never trailed throughout the rest of the game. Monterrey Tech would keep the score close, trailing by just two with 7:27 left in the first half.
Sophomore Dottie Knerr (Winter Park, FL/Winter Park H.S.) hit a jumper at the 7:10 mark to start a 16-3 run by UTPA, giving the Lady Broncs a 36-21 advantage. Knerr finished the night with 13 points and pulled down five rebounds.
"Dottie gives us a different weapon from the inside. She really played hard tonight and shot the ball well. It's nice to have two players in Dottie and Stacey, at the same position where they're different players yet still very productive when they're on the floor," added Craft.
In the second half, the Lady Broncs opened up their game and took more three-point shots, connecting on four of ten from behind the arc. Dominique Montague (Gilbert, AZ/Central Arizona College) stepped up in second half after not attempting a shot in the first half. Montague hit all three attempts from behind the arc for nine points on the night.
"Dominique hasn't been playing the way we thought that she would, but when she comes on the floor, it's instant offense. In the first half she played a little bit on her heels and in the second half she came out very aggressive. She proved to be a zone-buster when Monterrey started to play that defense and she was able to hit some key three-pointers," said Craft.
The Lady Broncs dominated the glass, out-rebounding Monterrey Tech 41-27, with 21 of those rebounds coming on offense. The strong effort on the boards led to quite a few second chance opportunities as well as fouls drawn. UTPA attempted 33 free throws in the game, connecting on 21 of them for a 63.6% free-throw percentage.
"Our big concern at the beginning of the game was whether or not we were going to find an identity. We really hit the glass hard tonight, pursued a lot of rebounds and put a lot of pressure on our opponents. By being that aggressive chasing rebounds, we were able to get to the foul line a lot throughout the course of the night," added Craft.
Several newcomers made their Lady Bronc debuts tonight, with Teshay Winfrey (Houston, TX/Eisenhower H.S.) chipping in 10 points and five rebounds while Rachel Jones (Little Rock, AR/Little Rock Central H.S.) dished out three assists and scored four points.
"Our freshmen were all a little nervous tonight, and it showed. We're excited that we get another opportunity to get our freshmen some valuable minutes, and we think they will come out more relaxed in the next game. They all played 100 miles an hour tonight, and we just need them to let the game come to them, which it will," said Craft.
The Lady Broncs will return to action on Saturday (Oct. 12) at the UTPA Fieldhouse as they host the Texas A&M - Kingsville Javelinas in their final exhibition game at 5:00 p.m. in the second part of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team.
UTPA Sports Information
