Nov. 27, 2006
Box Score
At any time during the second half, The University of Texas-Pan American men's basketball team could've given up, packed its bags and left the UTPA Fieldhouse with a loss under its belt.
However - UTPA had other plans as the Broncs showcased a tremendous amount of courage, heart and desire in front of the Valley faithful en route to securing the 74-73 victory over the University of Texas-Arlington on Monday (Nov. 27) evening.
"These guys really believe in one another, and it showed tonight," said head coach Tom Schuberth. "They hung in there when they could've quit, and they really believed that they were going to win the game. It was a great team effort, and I'm incredibly pleased with what they showed everyone on the court."
"To be very honest, the fans in the (UTPA) Fieldhouse were the ones who helped us win the game. Their enthusiasm and support was electric tonight, and I know that I felt it as well as our players. This is the type of atmosphere that you love playing in, and this was a great game on both sides of the court for a fan to enjoy," said Schuberth.
After suffering their first loss of the season to the Mavericks last week, the Broncs were looking for redemption, but it wasn't easy as they fell behind by as many as 11 points in the second half when UTA took a 58-47 advantage with 10:16 remaining in the contest.
This proved to be the point in the contest where the Broncs showcased their character and continued to believe that they could win the game as they cut the lead to six points at 58-52 with 9:25 remaining in the game following a jumper by the hot-shooting Brian Burrell (Nacogdoches, TX/Paris Junior College).
Burrell finished the contest with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers, to go along with six rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes of action.
"You almost expect that from Brian because he's such a great shooter. He got into foul trouble early in the game, and we had to sit him then we put him back into the game and he picked up his third foul. We really had trouble scoring with him on the bench, but in the second half, he never forced any shots and allowed the game to come to him," added Schuberth.
The Mavericks continued to press the Broncs as they continued to keep the contest at a two-possession game for the next three minutes of the contest, which was highlighted by four points from Jermaine Griffin, including a vicious dunk at the 6:07 mark to give UTA a 66-61 lead.
Junior Zach Trader (LaPorte, TX/LaPorte H.S.) proved to be reliable down the stretch as he was able to tie the game at 69-69 with 3:29 remaining in the game after he connected on a pair of attempts from the charity stripe. The Mavericks were able to retake the lead after Rodrick Epps connected on a jumper to give UTA a 71-69 lead with 3:05 remaining in the game.
After a pair of free throws by Burrell, the game was once again tied, but Anthony Vereen was able to give the Mavericks another lead at 73-71 following a jumper in the paint off of an assist by Ro'ger Guignard.
Trader was able to tie the game for the second time in as many minutes as he took a Burrell-pass for the lay-in to tie the score at 73-73. In the final seconds of a highly-competitive tied contest, Trader grabbed a defensive rebound off of a missed shot by Jermaine Griffin, and was fouled in the process with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock.
"I have confidence in all of our free throw shooters, especially Zach. There was no question or doubt in my mind that he wasn't going to make at least one of those free throws at the end of the game. I was happy when he made the first one because there was no pressure for him to make the second, and he missed the second attempt and let the clock run out," Schuberth said.
The UTPA forward connected on his first free throw to give the Broncs' a 74-73 lead, which was their first lead since the 9:16 mark in the first half, then missed the second shot as time expired before a UTA shot could be attempted.
The Broncs were able to overcome an eight-point deficit at halftime and came out in the second half where they shot 70.8 percent (17-24) in the final 20 minutes of the contest to secure the victory.
Trader finished with 12 points on the evening on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the free throw line. Colin Lien (Waterloo, IA/Southeastern Community College) put forth a tremendous game as the UTPA center finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five assists in 34 minutes of action.
"Colin is the glue to our team. I don't look at Colin's stats because I look at when he got the key rebounds and when he alters his opponent's shot. Colin is a competitor and at the end of the game, he got several key rebounds for us," added Schuberth.
The Broncs improved their record to 5-1 on the season, which is their best start since the 2001-02 season, and will travel to Iowa City, IA, for the University of Iowa Hawkeye Classic.
The Broncs will play the host-Hawkeyes on Friday (Dec. 1) with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m.
UTPA Sports Information
