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For Immediate Release: November 21, 2001 Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of
Athletic Media Relations, (956) 381-2240 EDINBURG,
TX–When the second half began Wednesday night, the University of
Texas-Pan American men’s basketball team got going. The Broncs exploded from the
gate in the second half, outscoring visiting Texas College, 36-13 in the
first ten and a half minutes after halftime en route to a 97-79 victory
at the UTPA Fieldhouse. The win put the 2001-2002
Broncs in rare company. It made them the first UTPA men’s basketball
team since Lon Kruger’s 1984-85 squad to begin the season with three
consecutive victories. Three-pointers
by junior guards Kevin Mitchell (Copperas Cove, TX/Copperas Cove
HS/McLennan JC) and Tomas Sitnikovas (Panevezys, Lithuania/Panevezys HS
#5/Mid-Plains CC) ignited the 36-13 run, which included a run of nine
consecutive points as the Broncs stretched their lead from 55-52 to
64-52, and another run of 12 points in a row as the ballooned from 67-55
to 79-55. Senior guard Mire Chatman (Garland, TX/South Garland
HS/Southwestern Christian JC) scored eleven points during the run,
including the final seven on a two-pointer, a three-pointer and a pair
of free throws. Sophomore guard Nick Traylor (Oklahoma City, OK/Putnam
City HS/Northwestern Oklahoma State also contributed a three-pointer
during the run, which included seven layups and a dunk by senior forward
Marcus Quinn (Midwest City, OK/Choctaw HS/Eastern Oklahoma State). Chatman
led all scorers with 28 points. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and added
seven assists. Mitchell had 14 points and five assists, Quinn added 12
points, while junior forward Andrius Sakalys (Vilnius, Lithuania/M.
Dauksos HS/Eastern Oklahoma State) contributed 11. Junior forward
Terrell Hill (Carnegie, OK/Carnegie HS/Seward County CC) had seven
rebounds as the Broncs outrebounded the Steers, 48-29. Toushain Marks led five Texas
College players in double figures with 16 points. Charles Harmon added
13, while Solomon Green had 12. “This game ended up being a
war, and I thought we were fortunate to come out the way we did,” said
UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. “We played with intensity and heart, and
found a way to get it done. We hit a couple of big threes, and we
didn’t let things get out of hand, we found a way to get it done. We
knew that when we had the opportunity to put them away, we had to do
that, and I think we did that tonight.” With the victory, the Broncs
remained undefeated at 3-0, while Texas College fell to 5-2. The Broncs
will return to action when they host Texas Southern Saturday night at
7:30 p.m. MBBTEXASCOLLEGE11-21-01 |