RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's basketball team dug deep to overcome a 13-point deficit and take a 12-point lead before giving up the game-winner in the closing seconds and falling to the Abilene Christian University Wildcats 87-85 on Wednesday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
Junior
Justin Johnson led the Vaqueros (6-14, 1-7 WAC) with 22 points, nine rebounds, and a career-high six assists. Sophomore
Quinton Johnson II scored a season-high 19 points. Graduate student
Marek Nelson scored 15 points with four rebounds and two blocks. Freshman
RayQuan Taylor scored 14 points with six rebounds and three blocks. Graduate student
Mike Adewunmi scored seven points with four rebounds. Graduate student
Xavier Johnson scored six points with three rebounds, three assists and one block.
Mahki Morris led the Wildcats (13-7, 4-5 WAC) with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Coryon Mason scored 16 points with three steals.
Damien Daniels scored 15 points with three rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Cameron Steele scored 12 points.
Airion Simmons scored 11 points with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Vaqueros trailed 33-20 with 5:07 remaining in the first half. That's when an
Xavier Johnson 3 sparked a 14-6 run to bring the Vaqueros within 39-34 at halftime.
The Wildcats extended their lead to nine early in the second half. That's when a Quinton Johnson 3, a Nelson dunk and a
Justin Johnson layup brought the Vaqueros to within 52-50.
One basket later, Quinton Johnson nailed a 3 to cut the deficit to 54-53.
Then, down 56-53,
Justin Johnson hit a jumper and four free throws to give the Vaqueros a 59-56 lead with 8:36 remaining.
Ultimately, from the time the Vaqueros were down 52-43, the Vaqueros went on a 24-8 run to take a 67-60 lead at the 6:07 mark.
The Wildcats closed to within 67-64 before
Justin Johnson scored nine points as part of a 14-5 run to give the Vaqueros their largest lead at 81-69 with 1:59 remaining.
Down the stretch, however, the Wildcats went 4-5 from the field and 7-10 from the line to go on an 18-4 run, regaining the lead on a Simmons three with nine seconds remaining.
UTRGV hosts Tarleton on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
UTRGVTickets.com. The party starts in the Schlotzsky's Vaquero Village at 5:30 p.m. Those unable to attend the game in person can watch in the United States on
ESPN+ or internationally on the
WAC Digital Network.
Support UTRGV Men's Basketball |
Become a Fan on Facebook |
Follow us on Twitter |
Follow us on Instagram |
Follow us on YouTube
