Box Score

EDINBURG, Texas – The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs men's basketball team went on a 21-6 run mid-way through the second half to pull away and beat the Houston Baptist University Huskies 81-71 on Saturday at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
 
Leading 55-54 with just under 10 minutes remaining, Jared Maree and Ruben Cabrera combined to hit four-straight free throws to start the Broncs' (7-16, 2-1 GWC) 21-6 run. Earl Jefferson and Brandon Provost hit back-to-back three-pointers to cap the run ahead 76-60 with 3:49 remaining.
 
Provost led all scorers with a career-high tying 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Maree scored 14 points to move within 15 of 1,000 for his career. Jefferson scored a career-high 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting while hitting all three of his attempts from behind the arc.
 
Jesus Delgado hit a three, Enique Mason sunk a put-back lay-up and Maree hit a pair of free throw as the Broncs jumped out a 7-0 lead.
 
The Huskies (6-13, 0-3 GWC) came back to pull within 14-10, but Jefferson hit a jumper, Aaron Urbanus buried a three and Maree hit two free throws to extend the Broncs' lead to 11 with 11:49 left in the first half.
 
The Huskies scored the next nine points, capped by a Tyler Russell fast break lay-up, but Mason converted a three-point play to end the run.
 
The Huskies came within 34-33 with 1:51 remaining on a Dustin Hobaugh three-pointer, but Provost hit his first of two-straight three-pointers, sandwiching a Terry Bembry lay-up, to make it 40-35.
 
Marcus Davis hit back-to-back baskets to start the second half as the Huskies took their first lead of the game at 41-40 four minutes into the second half. Provost hit a basket and he and Davis started trading points until a Provost lay-up put the Broncs up 46-45. A Jefferson lay-up put the Broncs up three, but Davis hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 48-48 at the 13:32 mark.
 
Bembry led the Huskies with 17 points while Russell scored 16 points and Davis finished with 15.

Now at seven wins, the Broncs have their most wins since the 2008-09 season after winning six in each of the last two years.
 
The Broncs return to action on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. when they host Utah Valley University at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
 
Both coaching staffs wore sneakers with their suits as part of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer® Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend, a collaborative initiative of the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Participating NABC member coaches will wear sneakers instead of dress shoes with their suits during weekend games to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and its vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays.
 
Fans may support this cause by texting COACH to 20222 from any wireless phone to make a $5.00 donation toward Coaches vs. Cancer and help in the search for a cure. For more information, visit the Coaches vs. Cancer Facebook page, facebook.com/coachesvscancer.
 
By lacing up sneakers with their suits, college and high school basketball coaches nationwide spotlight the fact that while cancer remains a major health concern, everyone can take daily steps to reduce their risk of the disease. For those who do not smoke, weight control, exercise and a healthy diet are the best ways to improve health and reduce cancer risk. Obesity has been shown to increase the risk for many forms of cancer, including breast, prostate, and colon cancers and may account for 20 percent of cancer deaths in women and 14 percent in men.
 
Thanks to the dedicated efforts of college and high school coaches and fans across the country, Coaches vs. Cancer participants have raised more than $70 million since 1993 to help the Society fund groundbreaking cancer research, provide up-to-date cancer information and education, advocate for public health policies that benefit communities, and deliver services that improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Additional information is available at coachesvscancer.org.
 
The University of Texas-Pan American Department of Intercollegiate Athletics competes at the NCAA Division I classification. UTPA, formerly known as Pan American College and Pan American University, is a part of the University of Texas System of Schools. The Broncs compete in 14 varsity sports; men's and women's basketball, golf, tennis, track and field, and cross country, along with women's volleyball and men's baseball. In 1963, then known as Pan American College, the Broncs men's basketball program won the NAIA National Championship with a 73-62 victory over Western Carolina. In 2008 UTPA joined the new all-sports division of the Great West Conference.