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For Immediate Release: Saturday, March 01, 2003 BRONCS FALL TO MORRIS BROWN, 72-71 ATLANTA, GA-Anthony Adams hit an off-balance jumper at the buzzer to give Morris Brown a 72-71 victory over The University of Texas-Pan American men's basketball team in the final game of the season for both teams at the John Lewis Arena Saturday night. Adams took a pass from Stephen Walton and threw up a jump shot that hit the left side of the rim, bounced straight up, and went in as the final buzzer to allow the Wolverines to outlast the Broncs in a battle of independent teams. The Broncs had taken a 71-70 lead with 25 seconds remaining when sophomore guard Eric Montalvo (La Joya, TX/La Joya HS) made a driving layup. Walton's jump shot with 35 seconds left gave MBC a 70-69 lead, after UTPA senior forward Tomas Sitnikovas (Panevezys, Lithuania/Panevezys HS#5/Mid-Plains CC) made one of three free throws after being fouled while attempting a three-point shot with the score tied at 68 with 1:20 remaining. The teams traded runs. UTPA extended a 13-0 run that ended the first half into a 22-0 run that spanned 10 minutes and 11 seconds, holding Morris Brown scoreless and building a 48-39 lead early in the second half by scoring the first nine points after the halftime break. The Wolverines fought back, using a 22-10 run to take a 62-59 lead on free throws by Ed Benton and Amien Hicks. Morris Brown led, 65-60 with four minutes left when the Broncs came back. Senior guard Kevin Mitchell (Copperas Cove, TX/Copperas Cove HS/McLennan CC) hit a three-pointer, and Montalvo stole the ball and scored on a layup to tie the score at 65 with three minutes left. Akiem Claborn made a pair of free throws, Mitchell drained another three, and Hicks made a free throw to tie the score at 68 and set the stage for the final moments. The Wolverines started off quickly, building an early 20-9 lead and holding a 37-26 lead with 4:36 remaining in the first half. The Broncs rallied, getting three consecutive layups from junior forward Allen Holcomb (Chicago, IL/Steinmetz HS/Allen County CC), and three-pointers from junior guard Prince Thompson (Tupelo, MS/Tupelo HS/Itawamba CC) and sophomore guard Eric Montalvo (La Joya, TX/La Joya HS) to conclude the first half with a 13-0 run and take a 39-37 lead at halftime "When you are on the road, you have to take care of business, and you have to have more of a cushion to finish," said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. "Once again, we had opportunities to win, and it just didn't happen. We had some balls that we just couldn't get to stay in the basket. We've fought hard all year, and we've never quit, and our seniors are special people, they've tried to do everything we've asked of them. It's definitely a credit to our guys when you are battling and are in every game on the road." Mitchell led Texas-Pan American with 18 points, Holcomb had 17 points and nine rebounds, Montalvo had 12, and freshman forward Derrick East had 10. Adams and Larry Washington had 22 points each to lead MBC, while Hicks had 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for a double-double. It marked the seventh time this season that the Broncs had lost a game by four points or fewer. Two of those losses came in overtime, and two more were at the buzzer. The Broncs fell to 10-20 with the defeat, while Morris Brown improved to 9-19 as both teams concluded their seasons. MBB-53-03030103 |