Nov. 15, 2006
Box Score
When it's raining outside, it usually suggests a negative connotation for kids who want to go outside, play and have a fun time.
On Wednesday evening, every fan from the littlest of kids to the oldest of Bronc supporters enjoyed the raining that occurred inside the UTPA Fieldhouse. When it was raining from the outside for the Broncs, every one was having a fun time.
The UTPA men's basketball team connected on 15 three-pointers, which were the second highest single-game total in program history, en route to hammering Huston-Tillotson by a 102-49 count and improve its' record to 3-0 during the 2006-07 campaign.
"I've been preaching to everyone that we are a good shooting team," said head coach Tom Schuberth. "I was proud of the fact that we shot the ball extremely well tonight, especially from the outside. Our guys took good shots, and if the shot wasn't there then they didn't take it."
Before the ball was even thrown in the air for the opening tip, the Broncs had already secured a 2-0 lead after Huston-Tillotson was called for a technical foul during pre-game warm-ups for dunking. The Broncs sent their best free throw shooter to the line in Zach Trader (LaPorte, TX/LaPorte H.S.), and he calmly connected on a pair of attempts from the charity stripe to give UTPA an early, early advantage.
Once the ball was tipped, it didn't get any easier for the Rams as they found themselves down by 10 points at the 15:25 mark after junior Dexter Shankle (Katy, TX/James E. Taylor H.S.) connected on a three-pointer to give the Broncs a 14-4 advantage.
The Rams were able to cut the deficit down to seven points at 21-14 with 9:47 remaining in the first half, but the Broncs went on an 18-0 run to push the lead to 25 points at 39-14 at the 3:46 mark following Shankle's second trey of the first half.
The Broncs went into the locker room shooting 63.0 percent (17-27), including 50.0 percent from behind the three-point arc (8-16), en route to a 47-18 lead at intermission.
"From the very beginning to the end of the game, this was all about one team. If I could sum up the game in one word, it would be unselfish. Our guys looked for the extra pass, and it almost seemed as though they would rather have the assist than the basket. Everyone got involved tonight, and it was a total team effort," added Schuberth.
The total team effort continued for the Broncs in the second half as the Valley's squad opened up the second frame on a 20-3 run after connecting on eight of their first 10 shots in the half. UTPA held a 46-point advantage at 67-21 with 14:38 remaining in the game and never looked back as the Broncs cruised to the 102-49 victory.
While the Broncs received an offensive boost from every player that entered the game, they were led in the scoring department by junior Brian Burrell (Nacogdoches, TX/Paris J.C.), who finished with a game-high 16 points. The UTPA newcomer finished 6-10 from the field, including 4-8 from behind the three-point arc, to go along with three rebounds, three steals and one assist in 18 minutes of action.
Shankle finished with 15 points, including a career-high five three-pointers in the game, while Colin Lien (Waterloo, IA/Southeastern C.C.) added 12 points and six rebounds in 14 minutes of action.
Alex Robinson (San Antonio, TX/Clark H.S.) and Julius Allgood (Marion, AL/Southern Union State C.C.) added nine points while Paul Stoll (Lansing, MI/Lansing C.C.) collected eight points and five assists in 13 minutes of action.
Larry Sheppard (Baton Rouge, LA/Iowa Western C.C.) finished with a game-high 10 assists, and Danny Puente (McAllen, TX/McAllen Memorial H.S.) aided the Broncs with seven points and five assists in 18 minutes of action.
While the Broncs were standouts on the court, head coach Tom Schuberth made program history as he became the first coach to begin his career with a 3-0 record.
The Broncs will be back in action on Saturday (Nov. 18) as they square-off against Texas State at 4:00 p.m. following an earlier contest with the Lady Broncs welcoming the University of Louisiana at Lafayette at 2:00 p.m.
UTPA Sports Information
