For Immediate Release: Thursday, January 09, 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

LADY BRONCS FALL TO AIR FORCE

EDINBURG, TX-For 37 minutes, The University of Texas-Pan American women's basketball team had things going their way in their game against Air Force at the UTPA Fieldhouse Thursday evening.

However, the Falcons turned the tables on the Lady Broncs and scored the final seven points of the game to defeat Texas-Pan American, 64-61.

The Lady Broncs made 45.5 per cent of their shots from the field en route to building a 37-28 halftime lead., then used a jumper and a three-pointer by junior guard Amanda Carlow (Pine Ridge, SD/Rapid City CHS/ Northeast CC) to take a 10-point lead, 49-39, with 13:30 remaining.

Air Force came right back. A layup by senior forward Julie Porter (Manchester, MI/Manchester HS/Kalamazoo Valley JC) accounted for UT Pan American's only points in a 12-2 Falcon run that allowed them to create a 51-all tie with 8:16 remaining.

UTPA maintained a slim lead, but couldn't pull away. A pair of jumpers by senior forward Naima Williams (Houston, TX/Clear Brook HS) gave the Lady Broncs a 61-57 advantage with 3:40 left. However, Ali Butler's jumper made it 61-59, UTPA, with 3:27 remaining, and Shawna Neff's three-pointer from the far corner gave Air Force the lead for the first time since the opening minutes at 62-61 with 2:44 to play. LaToya Howell of Air Force made a pair of free throws with 21 seconds remaining, and Texas-Pan American failed to convert on a final chance as time expired.

Williams led the Lady Broncs with 17 points, while Porter added nine points and eight rebounds. Neff led Air Force with 17 points, Howell added 12 points and six steals, and Briana Thomas contributed 10. Thomas of the Falcons and sophomore forward Jennifer Arriola (Rio Rico, AZ/Rio Rico HS) of the Lady Broncs each grabbed eight rebounds as UTPA outrebounded Air Force, 39-34.

"It was almost a role reversal from our last game (61-58 win at Nebraska), as we were a little tentative down the stretch," said UTPA Interim Head Coach Tracy Anderson. "We gave up four straight offensive rebounds on the last two possessions, and we couldn't afford to do that. LaToya Howell is a great defender, and she makes you do things that you don't want to do, and you have to give Air Force credit. They came out in the last 10 minutes and dictated the tempo of the game. I was disappointed in our defensive effort down the stretch, and, hopefully, we'll learn from this."

The Lady Broncs fell to 1-12 with the defeat, while the Falcons improved to 6-6. UTPA will return to action when they visit Lipscomb Saturday afternoon.

"That's going to be a tough game," said Anderson. "They'll play us a zone, and they have some good shooters that we have to get out and defend. We'll have to turn right around and get ready for Saturday's game."

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