For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 11, 2001
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of Athletic Media Relations, (956) 381-2240

LADY BRONCS PLAY TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE, VISIT WSU

EDINBURG, TX-With their stretch of six of their last seven games on the road at an end, the University of Texas-Pan American women’s basketball team will return to action with a pair of games this week. The Lady Broncs will host Texas A&M-Kingsville Thursday night at 6:00, then head north and west to visit Big Sky Conference rival Weber State Saturday. Thursday’s game is the first half of a doubleheader that sees the Broncs host Lamar at 8:00.

“It’s great to be home,” said UTPA Head Coach Karin Nicholls. “We played well this weekend, it’s the first time all year long that we went in as the underdog. I was pleased with our overall performance. We executed better, we played better defense, and we got more people involved.  We still have some more work to do, especially on defense.”

Texas A&M-Kingsville is 2-5, and is coming off a victory against East Central University last Saturday. The Lady Javelinas have yet to win on the road, but Nicholls said that they are a cause for concern.

“Texas A&M-Kingsville is a team that scares me,” said Nicholls. “They’re very athletic, they’re very quick, and they have a lot of height for a Division II school. They’re as good as some of the teams we’ve played this year, and we can’t afford to overlook anyone.”

Weber State is 4-4, and won at Kansas last Saturday. The Wildcats will be playing at home for only the third time this season. WSU is 1-1 at the Dee Events Center, having defeated California-Riverside and defeated Brigham Young.

“Weber State has gotten a couple of kids back who redshirted last year and transferred in,” said Nicholls. “They have a lot of height, speed and quickness, especially at the guard spots. With our injuries, it hasn’t been easy, but we need everyone to step up and be accountable, and continue to improve every day.”

The Lady Broncs will be off next week until they visit Wyoming December 21st.

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