Nov. 6, 2004
It was your typical first game.
There were missed shots, misguided passes, players out of place, open shots missed, but those are the plain old mistakes that every team makes in their first exhibition contest of the season.
However -University of Texas-Pan American head men's basketball coach Robert Davenport witnessed a different side of the game that gave him reasons to be optimistic about the Broncs' first performance.
"Our guys played hard, and I was extremely pleased with their effort out there," said the first-year head coach. "We need to take better care of the ball, but we knew it was going to be rugged out there. I was happy with what I saw in terms of effort, and if you play hard then good things will happen."
Despite the mistakes that can be corrected, it was the tireless effort that the Broncs generated for a 78-43 victory over Monterrey Tech at the UTPA Fieldhouse on Saturday (Nov. 9).
The Broncs jumped out to a quick lead at the start of the game, recording a 16-2 run in the first six minutes of the contest. During that span, seniors Chris Fagan (Bronx, NY/Trinidad State College) and Matt Berry (Tulsa, OK/Indiana State University) each recorded a lay-up and three-pointer to account for 10 of the team's 16 points. Fagan finished with a game-high 16 points while Berry collected 14 on 5-7 shooting, including 2-2 from behind the arc.
After two free throws by senior guard Eric Montalvo (Palmview, TX/La Joya H.S.) at the 6:26 mark, the Broncs extended their lead to 20 points at 29-9 before stretching it to 40-18 going into halftime.
"I thought that once we got up on them big that we lost a little focus, especially during a 15-minute span at the end of the first half into the beginning of the second half. The good thing is that we responded when they began to challenge us, which is the mark of a good team," added Davenport.
Monterrey Tech was able to chip away at the lead in the beginning stages of the second half, including five points by Roberto Neaves in a 15-second span to cut the lead to 17 points at the 14:08 mark. Two minutes later, Monterrey Tech was able to get within 12 points at 46-34 after a jumper from the baseline from Gustavo Toscano.
With the lead about to be cut from double-digits, the Broncs responded by recording a 7-0 run that was started with a Derrick East (Binger, OK/Lookeba-Sickles H.S.) lay-up following the second media timeout of the half. East notched a double-double in the contest with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
At the 7:30 mark, Fagan drained a jumper from the foul line to extend the lead back to 20 points at 58-38, and the Broncs would never allow the lead to sink any lower as they cruised to the victory.
The Broncs dominated on the board in the contest, almost doubling up Monterrey Tech at 53-27. Senior Alvaidas Gedminas (Plunge, Lithuania/Kirtland Community College) was a cog in the middle for the Broncs as the 7-0 center finished with 13 boards, including 11 defensively. He also added 11 points in the contest, hitting 4-6 shots from the floor and 3-4 attempts from the free throw line.
UTPA shot 46 percent from the floor compared to 26 percent from Monterrey Tech and also drained nine three-pointers to Tech's three.
Senior Ray Castillo (San Antonio, TX/Temple College) finished the contest with 11 points, hitting three treys in the game, and Sergio Sanchez (San Antonio, TX/Temple College) dished out six assists.
The Broncs will be back in action on Monday (Nov. 8) against Universidad Regiomontana at the UTPA Fieldhouse with game time slated for 7:30 p.m.
UTPA Sports Information
