Dec. 1, 2007
After a disappointing setback over Pepperdine University in the opening game of the Montana Bobcat Classic the Broncs rolled past Alcorn State 88-74 on Saturday at the Worthington Arena in Bozeman, MT.
"We did a nice job tonight and these guys deserve a lot of credit, they did a tremendous job," said head men's basketball coach Tom Schuberth. ".
The Broncs improved to 5-3 overall and finished the three-game road trip with a 2-1 record while Alcorn State fell to 0-6 on the season. UTPA claimed third place at the Montana Bobcat Classic.
Five Broncs finished in double-figures, including senior Zach Trader (LaPorte, TX/LaPorte H.S.) who finished with a team-high 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from the charity stripe to go along with five rebounds, three assists in 33 minutes of action.
The Broncs got off to a slow start as Alcorn State jumped out to a 4-0 lead at the 18:30 mark but the Broncs quickly shut down the Braves offensive threat with back-to-back baskets by Trader and Brian Burrell (Nacogdoches, TX/Paris J.C.) to take a l5-4 lead with 17:42 remaining in the opening stanza.
Burrell picked up 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 2-of-2 from behind the three-point line and 2-of-2 from the foul line while collecting four steals in 33 minutes of action. Burrell was selected to the five-man all-tournament team for his efforts in two games.
Alcorn State was able to tie the game at 26-26 after a jumper by Anthony Ford with 8:43 remaining and take a 28-26 advantage after a Anthony Searcy tip-in.
The Broncs quickly got back on track when Ryan Buck (Harlingen, TX/Harlingen South H.S.) who made his return back to the lineup after suffering an injury early in the season tipped-in a missed lay-up by Paul Stoll (Lansing, MI/Lansing C.C.) tying the score at 28.
Stoll finished the game with 10 points grabbing seven of his 10 points from the charity stripe while dishing out four assists.
UTPA extended their lead to double-figures as they headed into intermission with a 44-31 advantage over the Braves. The Broncs finished the first half shooting 60.7 percent on 17-of-28 from the field compared to the Braves' 48 percent on 12-of-25 shooting.
The Broncs picked up right where they left off in the first half keeping the Braves as far away as possible. UTPA jumped out to their biggest lead of the game of 17 points at the 7:44 mark, making the score 76-61.
UTPA finished the game shooting 54.4 percent on 30-of-55 shooting, 50 percent on 8-of-16 from behind the arc and 76.9 percent on 20-of-26 attempts from the foul line.
Newcomer Nathan Hawkins (San Antonio, TX/Moberly Area Community College) recorded 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, 5-of-6 from the charity stripe, including six rebounds in 33 minutes of action.
Dexter Shankle (Katy, TX/James E. Taylor H.S.) added 11 points and three assists while Buck collected eight boards in the Broncs victory.
The Broncs will be back in action on Monday (Dec. 3) when they welcome Western Illinois at the UTPA Fieldhouse with tip-off set for 7 p.m. The Broncs will look to post their second win against the Leathernecks as they collected a 72-59 road victory on November 28.
UTPA Sports Information
