March 1, 2008

Five days before the National Independent Showcase Tournament this upcoming Thursday, the Lady Broncs recorded a 63-56 victory in an exhibition game against Houston Baptist on Saturday at the UTPA Fieldhouse.

Prior to the start of the game four Lady Bronc seniors were honored for their hard work and dedication. Floor general, LeKeisha Gray, Tiona Wilson, Tamara Vaughn and Cinthia Ramirez were awarded their framed jerseys at center court.

The Lady Broncs led throughout the entire first half collecting a double-digit lead following a lay-up by Rose Esther Jean, making the score 22-8 with 10:36 left in the clock.

A three-pointer by Jasmin Moore with 16 seconds remaining cut the deficit to seven points, making the score 33-26 heading into intermission.

The Lady Broncs finished the first half shooting 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from the floor compared to 37 percent (10-of-37) for the Huskies.

UTPA came out of the locker rooms fired up as the Lady Broncs increased their lead to 12 following a fast break lay up by Robin Garrett at the 14:25 mark.

The Huskies edged their way back into the game tying the score at 50-50 with 7:22 left on the clock after a Fallon Thomas connected on a lay up.

The UTPA seniors made sure the game wouldn't get out of hand as they connected on 19 of the Lady Broncs 30 points in the final seven minutes of the game.

For the game, the Lady Broncs finished shooting 40.4 percent (23-of-57) from the field to the Huskies' 34.6 percent (18-of-52) from the floor.

Three of the Lady Broncs four seniors finished in double-digit scoring including Gray who collected 14 points and seven rebounds while Wilson added 11 and Ramirez chipped in with 10.

Leading the way for Houston Baptist was Jelela Simpson who recorded a game-high 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting, a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe to go with 10 rebounds and two assists.

The Lady Broncs will set their sights on winning the National Independent Showcase Tournament which is set to begin on Thursday (Mar. 6) with UTPA scheduled to play at 7:30 p.m.

UTPA Sports Information