Feb. 27, 2006
Box Score
The University of Texas-Pan American was unable to keep up with the sprinter's pace set by Texas A&M - Corpus Christi as the Islanders outlasted the Broncs by a 93-69 decision at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX, on Monday (Feb. 27).
Despite the low numbers of players on the bench for the Broncs, UTPA played Texas A&M - Corpus Christi tough throughout the first 20 minutes of the game. During the first half, each team held the lead on more than one occasion with the Islanders getting the best of the Broncs prior to intermission.
During the early minutes of the first half, UTPA took a four-point lead at 12-8 with 15:05 remaining following a three-pointer by sophomore Dexter Shankle (Katy, TX/James E. Taylor H.S.). The Islanders responded with a 12-3 run, which was highlighted by a pair of dunks and an uncontested lay-in by Cedric Smith to give Texas A&M - Corpus Christi a 20-15 advantage.
During the next three minutes, the Broncs proceeded to go on a 10-0 run after Shankle and Danny Puente (McAllen, TX/McAllen Memorial H.S.) each connected on a shot from behind the three-point arc. A steal and lay-in by junior Larry Sheppard (Baton Rouge, LA/Iowa Western C.C.) gave the Broncs a 25-20 advantage with 9:56 left before intermission.
The Islanders tied the game for the sixth time of the half at 25-25 following a jumper in the paint from Aaron White at the 8:27 mark. During the next few minutes, neither team would get a lead larger than three points until the Islanders made a run in the final minutes.
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi used a 14-3 offensive barrage to end the first frame, including a three-pointer at the buzzer by Josh Ervin to give the Islanders their biggest lead of the half at 10 points, 48-38.
The Islanders immediately opened up the frame with a 12-2 run, giving Texas A&M - Corpus Christi a 60-40 lead with 16:20 remaining in the game following a lay-in Taurean Mitchell. With the lead secured, the Islanders continued to match the Broncs basket-for-basket as they took their lead to 78-58 with 5:56 remaining in the contest following White's fifth three-pointer of the game.
During the final five minutes of the game, the Broncs were unable to make a major dent into the Islanders' lead as Texas A&M - Corpus Christi cruised to a 93-69 victory on its home court.
White finished with a game-high 23 points, including 6-13 from behind the three-point arc. He also added six assists, three rebounds and two blocked shots in 31 minutes of action. Smith collected 15 points and four rebounds while Ervin collected 11 points.
For the Broncs, Zach Trader collected his first collegiate double-double (points-rebounds) with a team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Shankle and Puente each posted 14 points to pace the Broncs.
As a team, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi finished the game shooting 50.0 percent (33-66) from the floor compared to 38.7 percent (24-62) for the Broncs. The Islanders also held advantage in rebounds (45-35), assists (24-15) and steals (9-2).
With the victory, the Islanders improved their record to 20-8 while becoming the first Independent program since the University of Notre Dame to post back-to-back 20-win seasons. The Broncs dropped their sixth straight contest en route to falling to 7-23 on the season.
The UTPA men's basketball program will conclude their 2005-06 campaign on the road in Fort Wayne, IN, where the Broncs will square-off against IPFW on Wednesday (Mar. 1). Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
UTPA Sports Information
