Nov. 18, 2005
Junior Colin Lien (Waterloo, IA/Southeastern C.C.) finished with a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds to record his first double-double of the regular season as he led the Broncs to an 87-72 victory over Sul Ross State at the UTPA Fieldhouse on Friday (Nov. 18).
Lien wasn't the only Bronc post players to collect a double-double against the Lobos as senior Derrick East (Binger, OK/Lookeba-Sickles H.S.) added an 18-point, 13-rebound performance. For the past few years, the Broncs have been known as a dangerous team from behind the three-point arc, but against Sul Ross State, UTPA only attempted seven treys while working the inside to its post players, who combined for 59 points.
"We are obviously excited about the victory," said head men's basketball coach Robert Davenport. "We knew one of our biggest strengths was our post players, and tonight really proved that because Colin and Derrick both finished with double-doubles, and Kano (Edwards) and Zach (Trader) each put together a strong performance."
The Broncs jumped out to a sluggish start as the Lobos quickly led a 6-2 advantage before UTPA would start a 15-4 run over the course of the next four minutes to make the score 17-10 following a lay-in from Lien at the 12:35 mark. The Lobos wouldn't go away silently and pestered the Broncs' offense, cutting their deficit down to three points with 5:17 remaining following a lay-up by C.J. Acosta. The Lobos' guard tied a team-high 21 points in the game to go along with nine rebounds.
The Broncs were able to build the lead to 12 points at 43-31 with 1:34 remaining before intermission after Dexter Shankle (Katy, TX/James E. Taylor H.S.) split the Lobos' defense for a lay-in. Following a trey from Sul Ross State senior Sidney Hooper with 41 seconds remaining in the half, the Broncs held a 43-34 lead.
Sul Ross State came out on fire in the second half and cut the Broncs' lead to two points at 52-50 with 14:45 remaining in the game when Acosta connected on a jumper from the baseline. With a strong inside presence from Lien and East, who combined for 14 points in the next six minutes, the Broncs were able to build the lead to 15 points at 70-55 with 8:17 remaining.
"We really came out flat in the second half, but we were able to make the adjustments, and I had to give the game ball at the end of the night to Cori Gaither because he really shut down Hooper in the second half. Cori thinks that he is an offensive player, but tonight, he proved that he can play some great defense," added Davenport.
Following the offensive barrage and outstanding defensive performance in the middle of the second half, the Broncs were able to hold a double-digit lead throughout the remainder of the game. The Lobos got a few late buckets at the end of the game, but came away with the 87-72 loss.
"This was a tough game for us tonight because Sul Ross State plays a style that we haven't seen in a while. We came into the game blind because they have a lot of new players on the team, and this was their first game of the season as well. We didn't have a chance to see them on tape, and they'll be contenders to win their conference for the fourth straight season if they play like that," added Davenport.
The Broncs also received 16 points from Shankle as well as nine points and eight rebounds from Trader. As a team, the Broncs held a 52-26 advantage in the rebounding category and limited the Lobos to six offensive boards. The Lobos were able to connect on nine three-pointers while the Broncs were shut out in that category.
With the victory, the Broncs improved to 1-0 on the season and captured their season opener for the third straight season. Sul Ross State fell to 0-1 in the new season.
UTPA will be back in action on Sunday (Nov. 20) against the University of Illinois in Champaign, IL, with game time set for 4:00 p.m.
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