Nov. 28, 2008

Black Friday means super long lines to buy the latest electronics but for the University of Texas-Pan American men's basketball team it was dropping a game at the Las Vegas Tournament to North Carolina A&T, 67-60.

"I thought we never quit," said third-year head men's basketball coach Tom Schuberth. "I was really pleased with the effort and I give NCAT credit. They played hard on defense and we missed a lot of shots that we normally have been making."

Emmanuel Jones finished the night with a season high of 27 points to go along with nine rebounds and two blocks. Nick Weiermiller proved his shooting skills by scoring 17 points and five assists.

With 13:02 left in the first half, Jones gave UTPA, who shot 33 percent for the game, their first lead 8-6. The Broncs would hold the lead until a lay up by NCAT's Nicholas Wilson tied the score at 17 with seven minutes to play in the half. The first half came to a close with UTPA trailing by four, 24-28, as Ben Smith (7 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) missed a three-point jumper with four seconds on the clock.

"When you shoot 33 percent it's difficult to beat anybody particularly a good team," added Schuberth.

Three players for NCAT finished with strong markings: Tavarus Alston (16 points and seven rebounds), Wilson (13 points and four rebounds) and Marc Hill (10 points and 2-4 3 point FGs).

In the second half, NCAT, who shot 45 percent for the game, kept its lead and didn't look back, leading by as many as 17 points with 8:19 left in the game. But the Broncs would not give up the fight coming within seven making the score 51-58 with 1:28 left to play in the match. Unfortunately for the Broncs, the late foul game would be unsuccessful as they drop their fourth game of the season making them 2-6 for the season.

"We gave ourselves a chance to win the game late, we just didn't shoot the ball well," said Schuberth.

The Broncs are back in action in less than 24 hours as they face Western Illinois at 12 p.m. mountain time.

"The interesting thing is we've got less than 24 hours to bounce back," concluded Schuberth. "And hopefully finish well in the tournament."