For Immediate Release: December 5, 2001

Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of Athletic Media Relations, (956) 381-2240

BRONCS WIN IN OVERTIME AT PORTLAND, 82-80

PORTLAND, OR–The road hasn’t been kind to the University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball team recently.

But that may be changing. The Broncs came from behind to defeat Portland, 82-80 at the Chiles Center in Portland Wednesday evening. The win broke a four-game losing streak on the road, and allowed the Broncs to improve their road record to 1-2 this season.

Junior guard Kevin Mitchell (Copperas Cove, TX/Copperas Cove HS/McLennan CC) hit a fadeaway jump shot with 2.5 seconds remaining to break an 80-all tie. The Broncs had gained possession after a loose ball and an alternate possession resulted in the arrow pointing in their direction with 21.8 seconds remaining and the game tied at 80.

Freshman guard Eric Montalvo (La Joya, TX/La Joya HS) keyed UTPA’s comeback. Montalvo made all six of his three-point attempts, all of those coming in the second half. His final three-pointer tied the game at 80 with 34 seconds remaining in overtime and set the stage for Mitchell’s winning shot.

Mitchell’s jumper with 2:49 left in OT gave UTPA a 75-73 advantage. But the Pilots came back. Four free throws by Coky Rochin, a jumper by Ross Jorgusen and an offensive rebound and putback by Patrick Galos gave UP an 80-77 lead with 56 seconds left and set the stage for the heroics by Montalvo and Mitchell.

Three treys by Montalvo and a layup and dunk by senior guard Mire Chatman (Garland, TX/South Garland HS/Southwestern Christian JC) had staked the Broncs to a 68-61 lead with 1:58 left in regulation time. However, Jorgusen connected on three shots, including a three-pointer, to tie the game and send it into overtime. 

“Coach (Hoffman) kept bugging me about not shooting well, and I just went out there and relaxed,” said Montalvo. “It felt good to come off the bench and give a spark to the team.”

“Eric was unbelievable,” said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. “Those are the kinds of shots he was hitting on the scout team last year. I told him that he just needed to play the way he did on the scout team last year.”

The defeat was the Pilots’ second at home this season, and both have come in overtime. UP had just defeated Oregon at the Chiles Center Sunday afternoon.

“It’s a great win for us, especially in the fact that we won it in overtime after giving the lead away,” said Hoffman. “In the end, I was just hoping someone hit a hot. They did a really good job on us, but we were able to overcome it. On the last possession, we decided to play it out instead of calling a time out, so they couldn’t change their defense. Kevin ended up getting a good look, and he shot a fadeaway, and it hit nothing but rope. He hit two big shots, and Eric hit some shots. Those are things you have to do in order to win on the road. I’m really happy for our guys. They’ve been working hard, and now they’ll get to see the fruits of their labor.”

With the victory, the Broncs won on the road at the earliest point in their season in seven years, since they won at Samford, 56-54, December 5, 1994. Last year UTPA’s first road win didn’t come until they won at Air Force January 24^th. Their first win on the road in the 1999-2000 season came January 15, 2000 at Oral Roberts.

Montalvo led the Broncs with 18 points, all of them on three-point shots, all of which he made. Chatman added 17 points, nine assists and six steals, while senior forward Marcus Quinn (Midwest City, OK/Choctaw HS/Eastern Oklahoma State) made 7 of 11 shots from the field and finished with 15 points. Mitchell finished with eight points and seven assists.

Rochin led all scorers with 21 points. Casey Frandsen had 13, and Jorgusen and Karl Aaker each had 12.

UTPA improved to 5-2 with the victory, while Portland dropped to 3-3 with the loss. The Broncs will return to action when they visit Washington State Friday night.

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