MANHATTAN, Kan. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's basketball team dropped the season opener to the Kansas State Wildcats 93-59 on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Senior
Justin Johnson led the Vaqueros (0-1) with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-2 from behind the arc, plus 6-of-8 from the line. In his collegiate debut, freshman
Adante' Holiman scored 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 1-of-1 from behind the arc, plus 6-of-10 from the line. Junior
Daylen Williams scored nine points with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Graduate student
Dima Zdor scored six points with three rebounds and one block.
Nae'Qwan Tomlin led the Wildcats (1-0) with 14 points, eight rebounds and one block.
Markquis Nowell scored 14 points with seven assists and four steals.
Kayontae Johnson scored 13 points with four assists.
Abayomi Iyiola scored 12 points with five rebounds.
Desi Sills scored 10 points with five rebounds and three assists.
Ismael Massoud scored 10 points with three rebounds.
Sophomore
Sherman Brashear hit the Vaqueros' first basket of the season, a 3-pointer at the 16:53 mark, but the Wildcats jumped out to a 15-3 lead over the opening six minutes.
Johnson tried to give the Vaqueros a spark late in the first half, sinking a pair of free throws and then answering a Nowell 3 with a 3 of his own to make the score 39-17.
The Wildcats scored the next eight points before the Vaqueros responded with a 7-0 run that included a pair of Williams free throws and a layup and three free throws by Holiman to pull within 47-24 at the 59-second mark.
The Vaqueros were again within 23 on a Jackson layup that made the score 49-26 in the closing seconds of the half.
The Vaqueros put together three-straight baskets for the first time early in the second on a Johnson jumper, a Williams layup, and a Johnson layup to make the score 56-32.
The Vaqueros went on an 8-4 run that included a pair of Zdor baskets midway through the second half to pull within 78-49.
UTRGV is set for the home opener on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Southwestern Adventist at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Tickets are on sale now at
UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at
GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag.
Fans unable to attend in person can watch domestically on
ESPN+ or internationally via
WAC International.
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