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EDINBURG – The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs men's basketball team opened Western Athletic Conference play with a 64-59 victory over the Chicago State University Cougars on Saturday at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
 
The Broncs (7-9, 1-0 WAC) are now 5-0 at home for the first time since 2006-07, when the Broncs won their first 10 home games.
 
Four Broncs reached double-figures in scoring, led by senior Shaquille Boga, who scored 17 points with four steals. Junior Shaquille Hines scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Sophomore Janari Joesaar went 11-for-11 from the foul line while scoring 15 points to go with a career-high tying five assists and a career-high tying three steals. Freshman Dan Kimasa scored 12 points with nine rebounds (five offensive) and a career-high tying four blocks.
 
Joshua Meier led the Cougars (4-14, 0-1 WAC) with 17 points and 10 rebounds (seven offensive). Trayvon Palmer also scored 17 points, doing so with eight rebounds. Clarke Rosenberg scored 10 points.
 
Hines hit a pair of layups and a free throw as the Broncs jumped out to a 9-2 lead.
 
The Broncs still led by seven at 14-7 after Joesaar hit three free throws, but Rosenberg and Palmer bookended a 10-0 run with three-pointers to put the Cougars up 17-14.
 
The teams traded baskets from there, with neither leading by more than one possession until Boga capped a 7-0 with a three-point play to put the Broncs up 41-36 with 14:43 remaining in the second half.
 
Palmer and Meier hit baskets to bring the Cougars back with one, but Boga hit a three and Joesaar made a pair of free throws to push the Broncs' lead to six. The Broncs' lead stayed between four and six points for the rest of the game.
 
The Broncs play their final non-conference contest of the season on Monday at 7 p.m. when they host UTSA at the UTPA Fieldhouse. The first 100 fans in attendance will receive cinch bags, courtesy of Academy Sports + Outdoors. Doors open at 6.

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