Dec. 7, 2007

After suffering a heartbreaking loss to Western Illinois at the UTPA Fieldhouse on Dec. 3, the Broncs opened up the first game of the Drake Regency Challenge Classic determined to post a win and play in the championship game.

Playing in their third tournament of the season the Broncs battled their way to a 70-64 first round victory over Jackson State. UTPA improved to 6-4 overall while the Tigers fell to 1-9 on the season.

For the majority of the first half, the Tigers held advantages on the scoreboard and were able to build their lead to 11 points at 34-23 following a tip-in by Chris Hyche at the 4:32 mark.

The Broncs were able to cut the lead to two points at 38-36 after a pair of free throws by senior Zach Trader (LaPorte, TX/LaPorte H.S.) heading into the locker rooms.

Trader played a big role for the Broncs as he finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-15 shooting, including 4-5 from the charity stripe to go along with five rebounds and three assists, in 39 minutes of action.

UTPA battled from behind throughout the second half until a steal by Brian Burrell (Nacogdoches, TX/Paris Junior College) and a dish down the lane to Trader for an easy lay-up put the Broncs up by two at 58-56 with 5:09 remaining in the game.

The Broncs extended to their largest lead of nine at 67-58 after a pair of free throws by newcomer Nathan Hawkins (San Antonio, TX/Moberly Area Community College) with 50 seconds remaining and shut the door to the Tiger's offense.

In the end, the Broncs were able to convert on several attempts from the free throw line en route to securing the 70-64 first round victory over Jackson State.

Burrell finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in 40 minutes of action while Hawkins chipped in with 15 points, eight rebounds in 25 minutes.

The Broncs will look to capture their first tournament title of the season tomorrow night when they face Drake University at 7 p.m. in the championship game.

UTPA Sports Information