|
For Immediate Release: December 21, 2001 CAROLINA, PR–For
the first time since Bob Hoffman became their head coach two seasons ago,
the University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball team is in the
championship game of a tournament. The Broncs advanced to the
championship game of the San Juan Shootout with a 67-58 victory over
Oral Roberts in the semi-finals at the Coliseum Guillermo Angulo at
Carolina, Puerto Rico Friday afternoon. Senior forward Marcus Quinn
(Midwest City, OK/Choctaw HS/Eastern Oklahoma State) connected on a pair
of free throws with 2:29 remaining to give the Broncs the lead for good
at 58-57. Almost a minute later, senior guard Mire Chatman (Garland,
TX/South Garland HS/Southwestern Christian JC) connected on a driving
layup, drew a foul and added a free throw to allow the Broncs to equal
their biggest lead of the game, 61-57. After a free throw by the Golden
Eagles’ Luke Spencer-Gardner, Quinn added a jumper with 55 seconds
left, a slam dunk with 20 seconds to play and a pair of free throws with
six seconds remaining as the Broncs stretched their lead until the final
buzzer. The Broncs put themselves in
position to win the game after overcoming a slow start. Markius Barnes
and Kendrick Moore each hit a pair of three-pointers as ORU took an 18-3
lead eight minutes into the first half. “We had a little meeting at
that point,” said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. “We talked about how
we had to battle harder, and make better decisions. Either we weren’t
as ready as we needed to be, or we didn’t give Oral Roberts enough
credit, because they’re a good team. But we came back and found a way
to get it done.” UTPA came slowly back.
Consecutive three-pointers by junior guard Kevin Mitchell (Copperas
Cove, TX/Copperas Cove HS/McLennan CC) and Quinn nearly six minutes
later allowed the Broncs to cut ORU’s lead to four points, 24-20. A
spinning layup by junior forward Andrius Sakalys (Vilnius, Lithuania, M.
Dauksos HS/Eastern Oklahoma State) gave the Broncs the lead for the
first time at 32-31, capping a 29-13 run before the Golden Eagles
grabbed the lead again at halftime, 35-33. Neither team led by more than four points during the first 15 minutes of the second half, and the teams were tied at 55 when Reggie Borges connected to give ORU its last lead. Sakalys hit a free throw to bring the Broncs within a point at 57-56, then Quinn untied the game and UTPA extended its lead down the stretch. “It was unbelievable, we are
just finding ways to win,” said Hoffman. “Today, we played several
minutes with three point guards on the floor. We played weird lineups,
and it just worked, thank goodness. Marcus hit some big free throws, he
only missed two today, and James Davis led us defensively. We shot free
throws better today, and we keep making them when we have to to win, and
that’s what’s important.” Chatman scored 23 points and
grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Broncs in both categories, while Quinn
scored 20 points and blocked three shots. Chatman also added four
steals. Junior forward Terrell Hill (Carnegie, OK/Carnegie HS/Seward
County CC) added nine points and grabbed six rebounds, while Mitchell
also scored nine points, making three of four shots from three-point
range. Barnes led the Golden Eagles
with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Borges added ten points. The Broncs won their fourth
game in a row with the victory, improving their record to 9-3. ORU
dropped to 4-8 with the defeat. UTPA advanced to Saturday’s
championship game against either Baylor or Florida International. “Florida International can
really play, they have great athletes,” said Hoffman. “Baylor has
some quality players. Against either team, we’ll have understand what
we need to do, be poised, and find a way to get it done.” Saturday’s championship game is set for 4:30 p.m. Central Time. MBBORU122101 |