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EDINBURG – The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs men's basketball team fell to the Utah Valley University Wolverines 72-54 on Thursday at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
 
Sophomore Janari Joesaar led the Broncs (7-13, 1-3 WAC) with a career-high tying 29 points, marking his 10^th 20+ points game of the season. Joesaar went 8-for-13 from the field, including 4-for-5 from behind the arc, plus 9-for-10 from the line, with six rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals.
 
Donte Williams led the Wolverines (7-10, 2-1 WAC) with 23 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-4 from behind the arc, plus 5-of-6 from the line. Zach Nelson scored 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting with eight rebounds.
 
The Wolverines jumped out to a 7-2 lead on layups by Nelson and Boston Gubler and a three by Williams. The Broncs pulled within 8-6 thanks to layups by freshman Dan Kimasa and senior Shaquille Boga, but the Wolverines scored the next six points to go up 14-6 on a Nelson layup.
 
The Broncs pulled within five twice, at 14-9 on a three by Joesaar and 16-11 on a layup by Isaiah Hobbs, but the Wolverines scored eight-straight points to kick-off a 19-2 run and take a 35-13 lead.
 
The run, which lasted 5:12, saw the Wolverines go 6-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-4 from behind the arc, plus 5-for-6 from the line. The Wolverines grabbed four steals to limit the Broncs' opportunities, as the Broncs went 1-for-4 from the field while making just one trip to the line.
 
Joesaar followed with a 10-point burst as the Broncs responded with a 17-6 run over the next 10 minutes to pull within 41-30 at the 16:23 mark of the second half. The Broncs forced four turnovers during the run while going 4-for-9 from the field, 2-for-3 from behind the arc and 7-for-9 from the line. The Broncs held the Wolverines 2-for-11 from the field.
 
The Wolverines scored nine of the game's next 10 points to go up 50-31, but the Broncs hit three of their next four shots to pull within 12 at 52-40 with 11:21 remaining.
 
The Wolverines went back up by 18 at 60-42 on a Nelson layup before the Broncs used a 6-1 run, capped by a Joesaar three, to pull within 61-48, but that's as close as they got.
 
The Broncs play host to Grand Canyon on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the UTPA Fieldhouse. The first 100 fans in attendance will receive Broncs basketball stress balls. Doors open at 6.

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