LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men's basketball team fell to reigning Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament Champion New Mexico State 90-67 on Saturday at the Pan American Center.
 
Senior Nick Dixon led UTRGV (12-12, 3-4 WAC) with 15 points and three assists. Freshman Greg Bowie scored 14 points with six rebounds. Junior Terry Winn scored eight points with six rebounds. Sophomore Xavier McDaniel Jr. also scored eight points.
 
Zach Lofton led NM State (20-3, 7-0 WAC) with 34 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 7-of-12 from behind the arc, plus 7-of-9 from the line, and six assists. Jemerrio Jones scored 10 points with 20 rebounds and five assists.
 
McDaniel hit a layup and Winn made four free throws as UTRGV scored the first six points to jump out to a 9-2 lead.
 
UTRGV still led by seven at 11-4 on a Dixon jumper. Back-to-back layups by AJ Harris, however, sparked an 8-2 run to bring NM State within 13-12.
 
NM State tied the game at 17 on a Lofton three before senior McAllen-native Moe McDonald made a pair of free throws to restore UTRGV's lead.
 
Two baskets later, Bowie tied the game at 21 with a jumper, but NM State responded with a 19-6 run to go up 40-27 on a Lofton three-point play in the final minute of the first half.
 
Bowie and freshman Javon Levi hit three-pointers to help UTRGV open the second half on a 10-2 run to pull within 44-40.
 
Lofton nailed a trio of three-pointers and Kenyon Jones added two as NM State responded with a 22-5 run to push the game out of reach.
 
UTRGV returns home on Thursday at 7 p.m. against Grand Canyon for Greek Night at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. The first 100 current UTRGV Greeks in attendance will receive t-shirts. Doors open at 6.

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