BOX SCORE
SPOKANE, Washington- Washington State guard Faisal Aden led all scorers with 20 points, as the Cougars ran past the Broncs of Texas-Pan American 74-52 Friday night at the Spokane Arena. The loss was the fourth straight road loss, and second straight defeat overall for UTPA.
The Broncs (3-8) fought hard to keep the game close in the first half. After the Cougars scored the first point of the game on a free throw, the Broncs scored the next six straight to take a 6-1 lead with 16:22 remaining in the half. WSU answered back with a 9-2 run, capped off by a Brock Motum lay-up at the 13:49 mark giving the Cougars a 10-8 lead. On the ensuing possession Dwayne Gutridge nailed a three-pointer to put the lead back in UTPA's hands 11-10.
The two squads would trade the lead five more times over the next 8:22 of the first half. With 5:04 remaining in the opening stanza, Marcus Capers lay-up gave WSU a 21-19 lead, one they would not relinquish. Capers lay-in was part of a 12-1 run that put the Coogs up 29-20 with 3:25 remaining until the intermission. WSU led the Broncs 36-24 at the half.
The Broncs began the second half looking like they would rally. Aaron Urbanus nailed a three at the 18:59 mark that cut the Cougar lead to 36-29. WSU scored the next six points to take a 13-point advantage, their largest of the game to that point. The Broncs however would not get closer than 11 points the remainder of the contest. Brandon Provost hit a three-pointer and helped UTPA pull to within 61-50 with 5:21 remaining in regulation. The Cougars closed the game on a 13-2 run to earn the 22-point victory.
Provost finished the game with 12 points to lead all UTPA scorers. Perry Petty added 10 points and a team high seven rebounds. Matt Mierzycki added seven points and sex boards, while Aaron Urbanus chipped in with six. The Broncs struggled with their three-point shooting for the second straight night hitting five of their 20 attempts. The Broncs won the rebounding battle on Friday 35-34.
Aden added seven rebounds to his game-high 20 points. Klay Thompson chipped in with 15 points and four assists, despite playing only 23 minutes. Motum added 13 points and seven boards, while DeAngelo Casto score nine points with seven boards. The Cougars were very efficient on offense as they shot 50% from the field for the game and 46% from behind the arc, making 10 three-pointers in the process.
The Broncs are now 1-3 all-time against Washington State.
The four game road swing continues on Sunday afternoon as UTPA travels to Corvallis, Oregon to take on their second straight PAC-10 opponent Oregon State. Tip-off for the matinee is 3:30 PM CT. The Broncs will play the following Sunday at Boise State before returning home on December 22nd to face Loyola-Chicago. Tickets for all UTPA home games are available by calling 956-665-2221 or by logging on to UTPABroncs.com.
