RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's basketball team fell 88-52 Saturday to the California Baptist (CBU) Lancers in a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) game at the Fowler Events Center.
Senior forward
Daylen Williams led UTRGV (6-23, 2-16 WAC) with 21 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard
Elijah Elliott scored 14 points with four rebounds.
Scotty Washington paced CBU (15-14, 8-10 WAC) with 20 points, while
Blondeau Tchoukuiegno added 19.
Yvan Ouedraogo had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and
Kendal Coleman also scored 11 with nine rebounds.
Williams and Elliott were the story of the first half for the Vaqueros, combining to score 19 points as UTRGV trailed 41-24 at the break. Williams dropped 10 points and Elliott added nine, and they facilitated as efficiently as they scored in the opening 20 minutes.
After falling behind 7-0, Elliott scored five consecutive points. Good ball movement opened things up in the paint for a Williams two-handed dunk to tie things up at 9-9. The Lancers went on a run to open things up, quickly taking a 23-13 lead. Elliott and Williams hit back-to-back jumpers, then Williams hit a three to get within 28-20. But UTRGV scored just four points in the final 5:30 of the half while CBU continued to make baskets at a high percentage.
Williams got the scoring started in the second half with an impressive and-1 layup, showing off his moves in the paint. Redshirt freshman guard
C.J. Booker showcased his handles to work through the trees in a half-court set, driving to the basket to make a wraparound layup. Elliott hit a three and kept pushing the offense, but the Lancers used an offensive outpouring in the first 10 minutes of the second frame to hold a 64-39 lead at the media break.
A long scoreless drought for the Vaqueros helped CBU extend its cushion to 30+ points as the contest rolled on. Williams continued to play hard, driving to the basket and finishing a layup through contact. Junior
Sherman Brashear got into the box score with a three-point play late in the game. But the Lancers put up some good shots and held an 87-47 lead with three minutes to play following a dunk.
Redshirt sophomore
Fadi Mougharbel scored his first points of the season in the final minute, knocking down a hook shot through contact and making the free throw for the three-point play.
Up next for the Vaqueros is a 6:30 p.m. WAC game Thursday against Utah Tech at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
GoUTRGV.com/Tickets. 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. The party starts in Schlotzsky's Vaquero Village at 5:30 p.m.
Fans unable to attend in person can watch domestically on
ESPN+ or internationally via
WAC International.
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