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EDINBURG – The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs men's basketball team beat the two-time defending Great West Conference Champion Utah Valley University Wolverines for the first time in three years, 62-60 on Saturday at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
 
The Broncs (10-10, 2-0 GWC) had last defeated the Wolverines (9-11, 1-2 GWC) on March 10, 2010, in the Great West Conference Tournament Quarterfinals in Utah. The Broncs had been 0-4 since.
 
Winners of three in a row, this is the latest in a season the Broncs have been at .500 since 2007-08, when they went 18-13. That year, the Broncs were also 10-10 after their third-straight win before winning eight of their final 11.
 
Ruben Cabrera led three Broncs in double-figures scoring with a season-high and game-high 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 1-of-2 from behind the arc, plus 8-of-13 from the line, with five rebounds. Aaron Urbanus scored 11 points with six assists while Justin Leathers scored 11 points with six rebounds.
 
Four of the five Wolverines who scored reached double-figures, led by Holton Hunsaker who scored 18 points while going 4-for-6 form behind the arc. Ben Aird recorded a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds (five offensive). Antoine Hosley scored 13 points and Jason Johnson scored 11 points.
 
The game was tight throughout, featuring 14 lead changes and three ties. The Broncs led by as many as seven at the start of the second half. The Wolverines never led by more than three.
 
Urbanus hit a three-pointer and a jumper as the Broncs scored 10 points in the first four minutes. Hunsaker, though, helped the Wolverines keep pace by scoring eight points while hitting two threes.
 
The Broncs led for the first 12 minutes of the game, but Hunsaker hit a pair of free throws to give the Wolverines a 21-20 lead with 7:51 remaining in the first half. Down 25-24 a little over a minute later, the Broncs used six points by Cabrera to spark a 10-2 run that saw them go up 34-27 with 19:35 left in the second half.
 
Aird hit three layups during an 8-0 run to give the Wolverines a 37-36 lead with 16:10 to go, but a Cabrera jumper put the Broncs back on top.
 
The Wolverines led 57-56 on a Johnson three-pointer with 2:34 remaining, but Cabrera converted a three-point play and Leathers made a layup to put the Broncs up 61-57. A Hunsaker three-pointer made it a one-point game, but after Delgado hit a three throw with 3.4 seconds left, Johnson missed a half court heave to end the game.
 
The Broncs are back in action on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. when they visit the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders, who are also 2-0 in GWC play.