GREENVILLE, N.C. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men's basketball team rallied back from a 19-point deficit to pull within four before falling to East Carolina University (ECU) 69-64 on Monday at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
 
Senior Terry Winn III led UTRGV (3-2) with 16 points. Graduate student Tyson Smith scored 14 points. Junior Lesley Varner II scored 10 points with six rebounds and a career-high five steals. Sophomore Javon Levi finished with eight points, a season-high eight rebounds, five assists and a career-high five steals.
 
Jayden Gardner led ECU (3-2) with 15 points and six rebounds. Seth Leday scored 12 points with eight rebounds. Tyler Foster scored 11 points.
 
A Winn jumper helped UTRGV take an early 5-4 lead, and then a Smith layup put UTRGV up 9-8. ECU responded by scoring 17-straight points to take a 25-9 lead.
 
Bowie broke the scoring drought with a three that helped UTRGV go on an 8-1 run to pull within 10, but ECU followed with a 10-1 run to go up 37-18 with less than four minutes remaining in the first half. That's when a layup and a three-point play by Winn sparked a 10-0 run to bring UTRGV within nine.

UTRGV then opened the second half on a 14-5 run, capped by a Smith three, to climb within 46-42 midway through the period.
 
UTRGV was still within four at 48-42 after a pair of Smith free throws with 9:03 remaining, but ECU went on a 7-0 run over the next three minutes to push its lead back into double-figures.
 
UTRGV made one more charge, as a Winn layup and a pair of Smith three-pointers brought UTRGV within 59-54 with 3:21 to go. A Varner three and a layup by graduate student Solomon Hainna brought UTRGV back within four with 37 seconds left, but that's as close as UTRGV got.
 
UTRGV is back in action on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Georgia Tech.

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