LAS VEGAS – #9 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's basketball team dropped an 81-80 heartbreaker to the #8 California Baptist University Lancers in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday at Mandalay Bay's Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Graduate student
Xavier Johnson led the Vaqueros (8-23) with a season-high 27 points. Graduate student
Marek Nelson scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting with nine rebounds and three steals. Graduate student
Mike Adewunmi scored 14 points with eight rebounds and two steals.
Taran Armstrong led the Lancers (18-14) with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Tre Armstrong scored 13 points.
Ty Rowell, Reed Nottage and
Chance Hunter all scored 12 points.
Juhlawnei Stone finished with 11 points
The Vaqueros trailed 72-62 with 4:39 remaining. That's when sophomore
Quinton Johnson II hit a jumper,
Marek Nelson knocked down a layup and Adewunmi dunked the ball to bring the Vaqueros within 72-68.
Then, after a pair of Taran Armstrong free throws, an Adewunmi layup and a
Xavier Johnson 3 made the score 74-73.
Tre Armstrong made a 3 of his own before Quinton Johnson knocked down a jumper and Nelson made a layup to tie the game at 77 with 56 seconds left.
Taran Armstrong hit a free throw and Nottage made a 3 to put the Lancers up four.
Xavier Johnson banked in a 3 to make the score 81-80 with 35 seconds remaining.
The Vaqueros got a stop and took the ball down quickly. Adewunmi launched a 3 as time expired but it hit the backboard and the rim before bouncing out.
Down 5-0 early, junior
Justin Johnson made a pair of free throws and then junior
Ricky "Doc" Nelson knocked down a layup, starting a streak of five-straight made shots as the Vaqueros tied the game at 12 on a
Marek Nelson jumper.
The Lancers responded with an 8-1 run to go up 20-13.
Marek Nelson answered with back-to-back jumpers and then Adewunmi made a layup to bring the Vaqueros within 20-19.
The Lancers pushed back again, scoring the next seven points to take a 27-19 lead.
Xavier Johnson hit a 3 to spark a 6-2 run and bring the Vaqueros within 29-25.
The Lancers went up eight with about a minute left, but Quinton Johnson hit a 3 just before time expired to bring the Vaqueros within 37-32.
The Lancers pushed their lead to 12 at 50-38 early in the second half. Adewunmi followed with a 3 and then
Xavier Johnson made four-straight baskets, including a 3 to cap a 12-3 run and bring the Vaqueros within 53-50.
The Lancers pushed their lead back out to eight before a
Xavier Johnson 3-point play brought the Vaqueros within 62-57.
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