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| Junior Travis Gabbidon poured in a career-high 31 points on Tuesday night. |
EDINBURG ? Junior Travis Gabbidon poured in a career-high 31 points, but Paul Stoll scored 20 to help lead Texas-Pan American to a 71-63 victory over UTSA on Tuesday night at UTPA Fieldhouse.
Gabbidon drained five 3-pointers and was 12-of-20 from the floor overall to lead all players with the most points scored by a Roadrunner in the Brooks Thompson era. The Phoenix, Ariz., native also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and posted three steals in 33 minutes of action. Junior Joey Shank added nine points and shared the team high of five assists with senior Isaiah Allen.
UTSA, playing without the services of freshman point guard Devin Gibson (concussion), dropped below .500 for the first time this season at 6-7. The Roadrunners shot 49 percent from the field for the game, including 55.6 percent in the second half, and posted 18 assists against 15 turnovers.
Gabbidon scored 19 of his 31 points in the first half, draining 8-of-13 from the floor ? including three 3-pointers. UTSA was down by as many eight points early in the half, but a 10-2 run pulled UTSA to within 23-22 at the 5:15 mark, and 25-24 at the break.
UTSA made its first six and nine of its first 10 field goals in second half to help build a 45-40 lead with 11:19 remaining.
The Broncs battled back to tie it at 47-all on a Danny Puente trey at the 9-minute mark. Another Puente conversion from downtown put UTPA up 57-51, but Shank and Gabbidon answered with 3-pointers to knot the score with just over four minutes remaining.
Zach Trader hit a pair of free throws and a layup 40 seconds later to give the Broncs a 61-57 advantage with three minutes left. Two more freebies from Nick Weiermiller pushed the lead to six with just over two minutes remaining.
UTPA converted 8-of-8 from the free throw line and UTSA was 2-for-2 from the charity stripe, but missed its final four field goal attempts in the final two minutes as the Broncs held on for the eight-point win.
Trader and Puente scored 14 and 12, respectively, for the Broncs, who shot 48.9 percent from the field and made 11 3-pointers on the night. UTPA also committed just nine turnovers, but were out-rebounded, 28-26.
The Roadrunners open Southland Conference play on Saturday when they travel to Beaumont to face Lamar.