For Immediate Release: Saturday, November 30, 2002
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of Athletic Media Relations, (956) 381-2240

LADY BRONCS FALL TO TULSA, 70-35

EDINBURG, TX-For nearly 20 minutes, The University of Texas-Pan American women's basketball team had things going the way they wanted in their game against Tulsa at the UTPA Fieldhouse.

But Allison Curtin's three-point basket from just inside half-court at the halftime buzzer allowed TU to double their halftime lead, from three points to six at 24-18, and the Golden Hurricane went on to a 70-35 victory over the Lady Broncs.

Texas-Pan American never led in the game, but they outscored TU, 9-3, during a span of five and a half minutes late in the first half to cut Tulsa's lead to 21-18. Senior forward Julie Porter (Manchester, MI/Manchester HS/Kalamazoo Valley JC), freshman forward Stacey Gooden (Houston, TX/J.F. Dobie HS), senior forward Naima Williams (Houston, TX/Clear Brook HS) and freshman guard Jennifer Piwonka (Louise, TX/Louise HS) all contributed baskets during the run, with Piwonka's score from three-point range pulling the Lady Broncs to within three.

TU broke away in the second half. The Golden Hurricane outscored UT Pan American in the first 10 minutes, 21-9, to build a 20-point lead.

Piwonka led UTPA with 13 points and six rebounds. Porter and Gooden had six points each, while Porter grabbed five rebounds. Curtin had 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead TU, while Alison Carney added 11 points.

"For the first 19 minutes and 57 seconds of the first half, I was really pleased with the way we executed our game plan, both offensively and defensively," said UTPA Interim Head Coach Tracy Anderson. "We lost Curtin just before halftime, and she hit a long shot. In the second half, we shot too quickly and we didn't do a good job finding Curtin in transition. She's an All-America candidate, and even when she doesn't score, she creates opportunities for her teammates. We have good chemistry as a team, but it's just a matter of being able to execute our game plan for 40 minutes."

The Lady Broncs dropped to 0-3 with the loss, while TU improved to 3-3. The Lady Broncs will hit the road for the first time next weekend, traveling to Gonzaga and Eastern Washington.

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