Nov. 10, 2006
Box Score
It was an evening and event that was 24 years in the making.
With family and friends in attendance, UTPA head men's basketball Tom Schuberth strolled up and down the sidelines of the Green and Orange for the first time as the leader of his own program, and in the process became the fifth coach in UTPA history to win his first game.
The end result of 24 years as an assistant and associate coach was a 76-55 victory for the UTPA men's basketball team over Incarnate Word at the UTPA Fieldhouse on Friday (Nov. 10) evening.
"I was very pleased with this first victory," said Schuberth. "The guys played with a great amount of energy, and they were consistent and played very unselfish. For 34 minutes of the game, I thought that we controlled the game, but you are going to have setbacks in a game, and I was pleased that we were able to respond."
For the second time in two games, including an exhibition victory over Monterrey Tech, UTPA newcomer Brian Burrell (Nacogdoches, TX/Paris Junior College) gave the Broncs a jumpstart on the scoreboard as the junior guard buried a three-pointer to give the Valley's squad an early 3-0 lead.
"Brian is a super-steady player. He has a great deal of maturity on his side, and he allows our team to become more than one dimensional. He has the ability to hit huge shots," Schuberth added.
With a steady inside-outside game, the Broncs were able to build the lead to 10-3 at the 16:13 mark following a jumper by Dexter Shankle (Katy, TX/James E. Taylor H.S.), who was one of three players to reach double figures in the game following a 10-point performance.
Mikly Bradshaw was able to cut the Broncs lead down to six points after connecting on a three-pointer from the top of the key at the 12:43 mark, but that would be the closest that the Cardinals would get to the Broncs for the remainder of the first half.
The Broncs' lead reached its apex with 2:08 remaining in the first half when Zach Trader (LaPorte, TX/LaPorte H.S.) connected on a lay-in off of an assist by Ben Smith (Pharr, TX/PSJA North H.S.) to give the Broncs a 42-20 advantage. However - Incarnate Word finished out the first half on a 7-0 run and cut the halftime deficit to 15 points at 42-27 after Bradshaw banked in a three-pointer as time expired.
In the second half, Incarnate Word used their late first-half momentum and opened up the second half on a 14-4 run to cut the Broncs' lead to five points at 46-41 with 14:39 remaining in the game. That would be the closest that the Cardinals would get the remainder of the game after the Broncs increased their lead back to double digits at 51-41 following a trey by Shankle at the 12:58 mark in the second half.
For the remainder of the game, the Broncs were on a cruise control as they steadily built their lead from the teens to the twenties and held a 25-point advantage at 71-46 with 4:17 remaining in the contest after Burrell connected on a fast-break jumper off of a Trader steal.
Once the clock reached zero, the Broncs came away with a 76-55 victory over Incarnate Word and rediscovered victory for the first time in seven contests dating back to the 2005-06 season.
Colin Lien (Waterloo, IA/Southeastern C.C.) proved to be one of the difference makers in the lineup for the Broncs as the UTPA center finished with 21 points on 8-12 shooting, including 5-8 from the charity stripe in 23 minutes of action.
"When Colin is focused, he is an extremely effective player. He has the power to hang in there with some pretty physical players, and his presence on the inside allows our guys to get open looks on the outside," said Schuberth.
Burrell finished with 15 points on 7-13 shooting while Johnathan Chatman (Chicago, IL/Sheridan College) added eight points and four assists in 11 minutes of action.
As a squad, the Broncs finished the game shooting 48.3 percent (29-60) from the field, including a mark of 51.7 percent (15-29) in the first half.
The Broncs will look for their second victory of the season and first triumph on the road when they travel to San Antonio, TX, to square-off against The University of Texas at San Antonio in the Alamo Dome. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
UTPA Sports Information
