March 2, 2005

The University of Texas - Pan American women's basketball team is heading into post-season play as they prepare to compete in the Independent Women's Basketball Championships hosted by Utah Valley State College in Orem, UT. The tournament will host six Independent teams who will compete in three rounds of action en route to the Independent Championship.

Being Independent, the team is excited about the opportunity to take part in the tournament that will give them a sense of what conference teams prepare for throughout their regular season.

"This is a great reward for our kids as the season comes to a close. This gives us the opportunity to simulate what a conference team prepares for at the end of the regular season. Our girls will learn how you have to play to string together multiple victories in consecutive days which is what you have to do in tournament play," stated head coach DeAnn Craft.

The six teams in the tournament were seeded based on their records this season against NCAA Division I opponents. UTPA was seeded second among the competition trailing Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, who heads into the tournament with the top seed. UTPA has drawn fifth-seeded Savannah State in first round action on Thursday (Mar. 3). In an earlier match-up this season between the two teams, UTPA came out on top with the 86-52 victory.

"It's an advantage for us to play a team that we have already been successful against once this season. We know they are going to play a lot of zone defense which gives us chances to get the ball to our shooters. We will be able to exploit any gaps on the perimeter for scoring opportunities," said Craft.

The Panthers and the Lady Broncs played a close first half in their previous match-up headed into half time with a tie score of 29-29. It was in the second half that the Lady Broncs shot 48.9 percent from the field to get the 34-point victory.

"We match this team athletically, and they know they can compete with us. Our focus is just to limit them on the boards and keep their offense contained with one shot per possession. Savannah State is the first chapter in a three chapter tournament and we need to play smart and get the win before we worry about the next two opponents," commented Craft.

In round two of the event, UTPA's probable match-up will be meetings with either third-seeded Northern Colorado, or fourth-seeded IPFW. While Northern Colorado is a team they have not faced this season, IPFW is a team they are very familiar with. In recent play, UTPA faced the Mastodons on the road where they battled their way to the 57-50 victory. A game against IPFW would be one the team is very prepared for. Northern Colorado would pose a different challenge for UTPA. The sharp shooting Bears shoot over 50 percent of their shots from three-point range, and convert on 8.8 treys per game.

"Northern Colorado poses a few concerns in that you really have to contain their shooters. You can't relax because they use the three-ball in their primary offense, but also in transition which is very hard to defend. They create an obstacle, but possibly facing them in the second round rather then the first gives us some time to make all the necessary adjustments," Craft stated.

Other tournament competitor include host UVSC, and TAMUCC, who's 19-6 overall record makes them contenders for a possible NWIT appearance this season. UTPA has dropped two games to the Islanders late in the season, but looks forward to the challenge if they were to meet once again.

"We are really focused on that first game, but the idea that we could face Corpus again is in the back of all our minds. They are a really good squad and as we are setting our sites to make it to that championship game. We can see that match-up resurfacing," said Craft.

While a tournament championship would be a great finish to an already successful season, UTPA has a few other matters of business they are hoping to take care of while in Utah. With their final regular season victory over IPFW the team recorded their 13th victory to tie the school record for the most wins in a season that was set just a season ago. A win in the first round would help them surpass that mark and any win after that just adds to the achievement of having the first winning season in program history.

"Our goal early this season was to match then surpass that mark we set last season. The win over IPFW got us there. I noticed a load lifted from their shoulders, especially the seniors, because now we are just working to set the standard even higher. Now it all comes down to these three games, and how high we are going to set the bar for ourselves in the seasons to come," commented Craft.

Playing a major role in the success from this season has been the leadership of the five seniors, and the young talent of all the underclassmen. Headed into the tournament, the squad is led by Tynesha Pierce (Houston, TX/Westfield H.S.), who is averaging 9.6 points per game. In her freshman season, she has become a consistent offensive presence for the Lady Broncs.

"Ty has really become a player we look for. If we can get her the ball in scoring positions, she does a good job of sparking our offense. Our young line-up is very talented, but I really feel they have had so much success because our seniors groomed them from the beginning," said Craft of her combination of youth and experience.

"I really feel that our team's confidence and mentality starts and ends with our seniors. They have learned to handle making adjustments and make that information so clear to the team even when they aren't on the court. They know that one bad possession isn't the ball game, and after any mistake, they are able to get us right back on track."

As the team prepares for the tournament, the key to continued play will be how well they take care of the ball and take advantage of each possession.

"Our success is going to come in how well we share the ball. We really need to limit our turnovers and keep them at a game winnable level. Turnovers have been our biggest nemesis this season partially because of our youth, but also because we play a line-up that is so deep."

Although the team has already found much of the success they were looking for this season, the team heads into tournament play with standards set high. A shot at the most wins recorded in a season, and the first winning season in program history shows not only what the team has accomplished, but where their sites are set for the future.

Tournament play starts Thursday (Mar. 3) where the Lady Broncs will tip-off against Savannah State at 5:30 p.m. CT. UTPA's games will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1240 a.m. with Jeff Koch - the voice of the Lady Broncs bringing the play-by-play.

UTPA Sports Information