Oct. 29, 2009
The University of Texas-Pan American women's basketball program dropped a 67-58 decision to Texas A&M-Kingsville in an exhibition game this Thursday (Oct. 29) afternoon at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
"We exposed some weaknesses that we have, which is the good thing about playing an exhibition game against a team that was senior-laden," said head coach Denny Downing. "Now we know what we need to work on and improve on it for our regular season opener against Oral Roberts."
UTPA lead throughout much of the first half, but a 9-0 run on the Javelina side put UTPA down by one point at the 2:54 mark. Both teams stepped up their game and tied the game three times before the half was over.
With 39 seconds left on the clock, the Lady Broncs trailed by two points, but a buzzer-beater by Marah Guzman tied the game at 30 heading into halftime.
At the half, Rachel Hester had done most of her damage as she scored 12 of her 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range.
"Rachel was a bright spot for us. She was focused and was ready to play, which we need more of," said Downing of Hester.
UTPA held their final lead in the second half with 15:27 left on the clock. A three-point shot from Texas A&M-Kingsville's Ursula Hill would give TAMUK the last lead of the contest, which would lead to a 67-58 win over UTPA.
Rachel Hester ended the night with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, two rebounds, and one block and assist. Despite being hurt, Rose Esther Jean posted nine points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field along with 3-of-6 from behind the line. She also added six rebounds, three steals, two blocks and one assist.
Rio Grande Valley native Bianca Torre added eight points, five rebounds and three steals for the Lady Broncs.
Texas A&M-Kingsville had three Javelinas in double-digit points with Angela Franklin collecting 18 points, Kayla Naylor with 11 points, and Rochelle Ikeni with 10 points.
The Lady Broncs open up their regular season on the road in Tulsa, OK as they face Oral Roberts on November 13. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. CT.
UTPA Sports Information
