BRONCS OUTLAST FALCONS IN OVERTIME

EDINBURG, TX–For nearly 34 minutes, The University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball team’s game trailed visiting Air Force Thursday night.

But the Broncs came from behind, allowed the Falcons to tie the game and send it into overtime, then outscored Air Force, 7-1, in the extra period to win, 58-52, before a crowd of 4575 fans-one of the largest home crowds in UTPA men’s basketball history.

Air Force dictated the pace with their patient style, led all the way through the first half, and had a 27-22 halftime lead. The Falcons built 10 point-leads three times in the second half, the last time at 38-28 with 14:02 before UTPA mounted a comeback..

Senior guard Mire Chatman (Garland, TX/South Garland HS/Southwestern Christian JC) connected on a three-pointer and a pair of jump shots to key a 13-4 run that reduced AFA’s advantage to a single point, 42-41, with 8:24 to play.

Moments later, a trey by sophomore guard Nick Traylor (Oklahoma City, OK/Putnam City HS/Northwestern Oklahoma State) gave the Broncs their first lead, 45-44 with 6:25 remaining.

Tim Keller’s layup and subsequent free throw put the Falcons head, 49-47, with 3:19 to play. Senior forward Marcus Quinn (Midwest City, OK/Choctaw HS/Eastern Oklahoma State) tied it with two free throws, then converted a layup with 2:20 left to give UTPA a two-point advantage. Joel Gerlach tied with 1:54 left, and the teams went to overtime tied at 51.

The teams went scoreless through nearly half of the extra period before Chatman stole a pass, broke away and dunked to put the Broncs up, 53-51. Gerlach converted one of two free throws for the Falcons with 36 seconds left, but Vernard Jenkins grabbed the rebound and seemingly gave Air Force the final possession.

Tom Bellairs of the Falcons was whistled for a tunover with four seconds left. Chatman took the inbounds pass, headed for the basket, and drew a foul from Lamoni Yazzie. Before Chatman could attempt his free throw, Falcons Head Coach Joe Scott was assessed a pair of technical fouls. Chatman made three of four shots on the technicals, then converted the one-an-one, giving the Broncs a 58-52 lead, and the ballgame.

“I didn’t think anyone would score in the overtime,” said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. “We had to find a way to make it happen. The matchups were difficult, and it’s very hard to prepare for a team like Air Force in only one day. They do a great job, and we were fortunate to get a win. At halftime, we just talked about what they were doing, and we were able to do what we needed to do. The crowd was great, they were loud, and they really helped us.”

Chatman led all scorers with 28 points, adding nine rebounds, four assists and five steals. Junior forward  Andrius Sakalys (Vilnius, Lithuania/M.Dauksos HS/Eastern Oklahoma State) added 16 points, and both Sakalys and Chatman played the entire 45 minutes.

Yazzie led the Falcons with 13 points, Bellairs had 12, and Gerlach and A.J. Kuhle had 11 each. The Broncs made 42.2 per cent of their shots as opposed to AFA’s 46.8 per cent. But UTPA outrebounded the Falcons, 32-28, and forced 17 turnovers with seven steals, while committing 13 turnovers.

The victory improved the Broncs’ record to 15-4, while Air Force dropped to 6-8. UTPA will return to action when they host Lipscomb in the second game of a doubleheader next Thursday evening at 8 p.m. The Lady Broncs meet New Mexico State at 6 p.m. in the opener.

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