Dec. 23, 2004
Known for its outstanding second half performances, the UT - Pan American men's basketball team is quickly earning a reputation for being the "Cardiac Kids."
The Broncs (7-3) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to capture their fourth straight game with a 76-73 victory over Mississippi Valley State University (2-5) at the UTPA Fieldhouse on Thursday (Dec. 23).
The initial part of the first half was tightly played with neither team gaining more than a three-point advantage until the Delta Devils went on a 17-7 run to close out the half. MVSU shot 51 percent (17-33) in the first half compared to 39 percent (9-23) for the Broncs.
"I was a little concerned at halftime, but I knew the makeup of this team," said head coach Robert Davenport. "Matt and Ray really stepped up big tonight as did Alvaidas and Eric. Eric will do whatever he has to in order to help the team, and he played another terrific game tonight. These guys really played hard, and it was a great win."
In the second half, MVSU came out and scored the first two shots of the second half to increase its lead to 14 points at 47-33 following a Jeffery Price jumper on the baseline. With the deficit in double digits, the Broncs battled back in a hurry with the sharp-shooting of the UTPA seniors. Over the course of the next three minutes, the Bronc seniors went on a 12-0 run to cut the score to 47-45 with 15:03 remaining after Eric Montalvo (La Joya, TX/La Joya High School) snatched a missed three-pointer from Ray Castillo (San Antonio, TX/Temple College) and put in the easy lay-in.
With the lead in striking distance, the Broncs wouldn't actually tie the score until seven minutes later when Matt Berry (Tulsa, OK/Indiana State University) drained his third of four three-point field goals made to tied the score at 57 apiece with 7:50 remaining in the game. Berry led UTPA with 24 points on 8-10 shooting, including 4-6 from behind the arc, and added six rebounds and three assists.
Castillo, who scored 19 points and drained five treys, connected on a three-pointer to give the Broncs a three-point advantage at 60-57 with 7:22 remaining. The lead would be secure in the hands of UTPA throughout the remainder of the game as MVSU would only manage four field goals over the course of the last seven minutes.
As dominating as the Broncs' defense proved to be in the second half, the Delta Devils had an opportunity to send the game into overtime, but Hosea Butler's three-pointer at the buzzer fell short.
In the second half, the Broncs shot 50 percent (15-30) and finished the game, hitting 45 percent of their shots while Mississippi Valley State went cold in the second half, draining only 36 percent.
Alvaidas Gedminas (Plunge, Lithuania/Kirtland Community College) nearly missed a double-double with 13 points, including hitting 7-9 free throws, along with eight boards. Montalvo, who played all 40 minutes for the third time in four days, recorded seven points, five assists and two steals. A converted point guard, Montalvo has only committed six turnovers in 120 minutes.
Tim Latiker led MVSU with 15 points while Soloman Forbes and Jesse Taylor each chipped in with 14 points.
The Broncs will be back in action on Wednesday (Dec. 29) against UNLV in Las Vegas, NV.
UTPA Sports Information
