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For
Immediate Release: January 30, 2002 SHREVEPORT, LA-What a
difference a half made for The University of Texas-Pan American
women’s basketball team. After making just 22.5 per cent
of their shots from the field in the first half, the Lady Broncs turned
it up in the second half, shooting 55.6 per cent from the field,
outscoring host Centenary, 46-30, and defeating the Ladies, 69-58 at the
Gold Dome. Good defense was the key. UTPA
blocked four shots, and used 15 steals to force 22 turnover, while
limiting Centenary to 40.6 per cent from the field in the second half,
and 35.9 per cent for the game. The Lady Broncs, who had
trailed since the game’s opening minute, tied the game at 51-all with
6:24 remaining. They untied it almost immediately. Junior forward Naima Williams (Houston, TX/Clear Brook HS) hit a jumper to put UTPA ahead, 53-51. Freshman guard Jennifer Piwonka (Louise, TX/Louise HS), who was playing for the first time in nearly four weeks after recovering fromn an injury, stole the ball and connected on a jumper to double the Lady Broncs’ advantage. A minute later, freshman guard Anette Johansen (Oslo, Norway/Foss Videregaaende HS) capped the best night of her young collegiate career with a three-pointer to give UTPA a 58-51 lead with 4:12 remaining. The Lady Broncs preserved their lead as senior forward Kelli Kreuser (Bettendorf, IA/Davenport North HS/Truman State University) made six free throws in the final 54 seconds. “We struggled in the first
half, but we overcame it by playing good defense,” said UTPA Head
Coach Karin Nicholls. “We held them to 30 points in the second half,
and our defense really set the tone. We were able to find our shooters,
we executed our offense well in the second half, and Anette had a great
night. We were patient on offense, and we really showed a lot of
character. I was really proud of our effort, this was one of our best
games all year.” Johansen finished with a
career-high 18 points, making six of eight shoots from three-point
range. Williams added 17 points and 15 points for her third
double-double of the season, and Kreuser had 16 points and five assists.
Lori Tanner had 20 points for the Ladies, while Carly Melvin added 13. The Lady Broncs broke a two-game losing streak with the victory, and improved to 6-17 while earning a split of the season’s series against Centenary. The Ladies fell to 7-15. UTPA will return to action when they host Arkansas State next Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. WBBCENTENARY2013002 |