Feb. 17, 2007
The University of Texas-Pan American men's basketball team dropped a 74-63 decision to North Dakota State in its home finale at the UTPA Fieldhouse on Saturday (Feb. 17).
The Broncs concluded the home portion of their 2006-07 schedule with an 11-2 record and still remain above .500 with a 13-12 record with four road game remaining on the campaign.
The biggest problem for the Broncs came on the boards where they were out-rebounded by a 37-25 margin and allowed the Bison to grab 23 offensive rebounds that led to 26 points for the visiting squad.
"Two areas where we failed today was in rebounding and toughness," said head men's basketball coach Tom Schuberth. "North Dakota State is a very, very good team, and you can't allow a good team to grab 23 offensive rebounds. We couldn't find the right combination out on the court today, and we didn't give ourselves a chance to win this game. Hopefully, we learn from this game and not make the same mistakes in the final four games."
The Broncs seized the advantage over the Bison on the scoreboard for the majority of the first half and took an eight-point lead at 15-7 with 13:38 left in the opening frame following a jumper in the paint from senior Kano Edwards (Bridgeport, CT/Western Nebraska C.C.).
Edwards finished with a team-high 24 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a career-high 12-of-15 from the free throw line in his final game on Sam Williams Court for the Broncs. He also led the Broncs with seven rebounds to go along with two assists and two blocked shots in 25 minutes of action.
"I was really proud of Kano because he hung in there and battled all day. He was probably our most active player on the court today, and he did a great job of making his free throws," added Schuberth.
The Broncs held a five-point advantage over the Bison at 23-18 with 5:34 remaining in the first half after Colin Lien (Waterloo, IA/Southeastern C.C.) connected on a lay-in following an offensive rebound. That would be the last field goal that the Broncs would connect on during the first half as they were outscored 13-3 by the Bison, who took a 31-26 advantage into the locker room.
The Bison were able to capture the momentum late in the first half from the Broncs and never looked back in their rearview mirrors as they continue to build their lead in the second half. The Bison held a nine-point lead at 42-33 with 14:18 remaining in the game after Mike Nelson connected on a jumper in the paint following an assist by Ben Woodside.
With 10:48 remaining in the game, Andre Smith continued to build upon the lead for the Bison as he connected on a jumper to give North Dakota State a 16-point advantage at 54-38. Smith finished with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go along with nine rebounds - including six offensive boards for the senior.
Over the final half of basketball in the second frame, the Broncs were only able to chip away from the Bison lead into single digits on two occasions as North Dakota State was able to cruise to the 74-63 victory and improve their record to 16-8 on the season.
Nelson finished with 18 points and three assists for the Bison while Brett Winkleman added 15 points, five rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes of action.
Brian Burrell (Nacogdoches, TX/Paris J.C.) finished with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting in 38 minutes of action, and Lien added 13 points, three rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes of court time.
The Broncs will be back in action on Wednesday (Feb. 21) in Evanston, IL, against Big Ten-opponent Northwestern. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
UTPA Sports Information
