CORPUS CHRISTI – Senior Nick Dixon scored 39 points to lead the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men's basketball over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 82-75 in overtime on Wednesday at the American Bank Center.
 
The win snapped a nine-game losing streak against Corpus Christi (1-2) as UTRGV (2-1) also extended their lead in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union to 15.5-6.5. 
 
Dixon went 8-15 from the floor while setting a career-high with 21 free throws made out of a career-high 23 attempts. Sophomore Xavier McDaniel Jr. posted his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
 
Joseph Kilgore led Corpus Christi with 21 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Myles Smith scored 15 points while Kareem South chipped in 12 points and Sean Rhea added 10 points.
 
Three-pointers by McDonald and McDaniel Jr. got the scoring started for UTRGV as they took the 6-5 lead early in the first half. Freshman Greg Bowie knocked down a three-pointer of his own to give UTRGV a 10-9 lead at the 14:02 mark. 
 
Corpus Christi tied the game after a free throw by Sean Thomas but freshman Javon Levi gave the lead right back to UTRGV with a layup making it 15-13. It was a lead UTRGV would not give up in the first half as McDaniel Jr. knocked down a jumper to extend UTRGV's lead to 24-18 with 6:45 in the half. 
 
Corpus Christi battled back though as they pulled within 33-31 after a jumper from Kilgore with less than two minutes in the half but UTRGV went on a 7-3 run with Dixon scoring four straight points to close out the half and taking the 40-34 lead into the locker room. 
 
Dixon scored 14 of his 39 points in the first half while McDaniel Jr. scored seven with five rebounds.
 
Corpus Christi opened the second half on a 7-0 run to take the 41-40 lead but UTRGV answered with four-straight points to regain the lead at 44-41 with 16:06 left to play. Neither team held larger than a three-point lead until Corpus Christi took the 65-59 lead with 4:10 left in regulation.
 
Dixon converted on a three-point play and then knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 65. Kyle Brown converted on a three-point play to give Corpus Christi the lead before sophomore Leslie Varner Jr. knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 68.
 
In overtime, UTRGV took two different leads after buckets from redshirt junior Lew Stallworth and Dixon as Corpus Christi tied the game each time. Dixon gave UTRGV the lead for the final time with a layup and then added a pair of free throws making it 77-73 before putting the final touches with two more from the charity stripe.
 
UTRGV will be back in action on Saturday when they head to San Marcos to face Texas State University at 4:30 p.m.
 
The next event of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, is on November 29 when women's basketball visits Corpus Christi.

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