SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's basketball team fell 100-79 to the South Dakota (USD) Coyotes on Friday at the Sanford Pentagon.
UTRGV (1-1) was led by junior guard
Elijah Elliott and senior forward
Ahren Freeman, who combined to score 56 of the team's points. Elliott had 30 points, shooting 75% from the free throw line, with seven steals and five rebounds. Freeman dropped 26, with 22 of those points coming in the second half, shooting 78.6% from the field with 11 rebounds and one block.
South Dakota (2-0) had five players in double figures –
Lahat Thioune (24 points, 10 rebounds),
Kaleb Stewart (19 points),
Max Burchill (13 points),
Bostyn Holt (12 points, eight rebounds, five assists) and
Felix Brostrom (11 points).
The Coyotes used their speed to quickly go up by double digits. Graduate student guard
DeAnthony Tipler Jr. led UTRGV's effort early, answering a South Dakota three-pointer with one of his own, then notching a steal and taking it coast-to-coast for a layup to cut the deficit to 19-7.
South Dakota used efficient shooting to grow a large lead, building a 40-15 advantage after knocking down its sixth three-pointer with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter. Elliott and junior guard
Hasan Abdul-Hakim brought good energy to the court, pushing the pace and showing some good moves in the paint for points.
UTRGV's defensive effort slowed South Dakota down for a stretch, but the Coyotes hit their seventh from behind the arc to extend the lead to 49-18 and force another timeout. UTRGV played aggressive and fast, but the Coyotes defense didn't allow for many shooting opportunities and caused some turnover issues in the first half. The Vaqueros committed 11 turnovers while forcing six, and despite a buzzer-beating layup from Elliott, South Dakota held a 61-27 advantage at halftime.
The Coyotes shot 60.5% from the field in the first half and went 9-for-13 from the three-point line, while the Vaqueros shot just 28.6% from the field.
UTRGV took most of halftime to regroup in the locker room and came out with a new game plan and new fire. Freeman was the hot hand early as the Vaqueros played high-to-low, feeding the physical big man tight to the basket. Freeman scored 10 points in the first five minutes of the second half after having four in the first.
The Vaqueros played a pressure-filled style of defense and raced to the basket and earned a handful of trips to the free throw line to aid their hot start to the second half. With Freeman and Elliott leading the way, UTRGV outscored South Dakota 25-14 in the first 10 minutes.
South Dakota slowed down the pace of the game as the clock continued to wind down, maintaining its 20-point lead. UTRGV continued to bring a consistent effort, finding its way to the charity stripe and hitting some good shots.
The Vaqueros turned up the intensity again in the final five minutes, scoring eight in a row behind a relentless defense and fast-paced offense to cut the deficit to 93-79. Abdul-Hakim notched a steal and cashed it in with a dunk, and Elliott and Freeman continued to run the court.
UTRGV's second half was drastically different than the first, with the Vaqueros outscoring the Coyotes 52-39 in the final 20 minutes while improving their field goal percentage to 50%. South Dakota did just enough to hold on for the comfortable win.
The Vaqueros' next game is Tuesday at 7 p.m. at TCU.
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