BRONCS HOST IPFW WEDNESDAY EVENING
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

EDINBURG, TX-While they won't officially celebrate homecoming until February 14th, The University of Texas-Pan American's men's basketball team is glad to be playing at home again. The Broncs will play seven of their next eight games of the season at home, beginning Wednesday evening, when they host Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at the UTPA Fieldhouse.

The Broncs will take a 5-13 record into the game. Texas-Pan American has lost four games in a row since they won at Baylor, 55-54 January 6th. UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman said that returning home should be an advantage, and his team is recovering from an assortment of minor injuries.

"We're excited about being back in our own gym," said Hoffman. "We're trying to get into a rhythm, and trying to finish strong. We're not completely healthy, but we're healthier than we've been in a while."

The matchup will be the first for Texas-Pan American against a fellow independent team this season. The Broncs will play home-and-home series against both IPFW and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

"It's an important game, since we're playing against another independent team," said Hoffman. "We want to play well against these guys. They're in the same boat that we are."

The Mastodons bring a 3-15 record into Wednesday night's game. However, IPFW has played a tough schedule. The Mastodons are coming off a 93-87 victory against Tri-State January 19th. Junior center David Simon, who is 6-10, leads IPFW in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game. He also grabs 8.2 rebounds per game, and is shooting 56.4 per cent from the field.

"IPFW runs a lot of motion, and they try to isolate Simon inside," said Hoffman. "They have some good three-point shooters as well. Any time you match up against a good, big post player like Simon, it will cause you some problems. We've got to find a way to guard him."

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