RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's basketball team battled with the first-place Stephen F. Austin (SFA) Lumberjacks Saturday in a Southland Conference (SLC) game, but fell, 66-57, in front of 1,223 fans at UTRGV Fieldhouse during #RallyTheValley Week, presented by McAllen International Airport. 
 
Junior guard Koree Cotton and sophomore guard Jaylen Washington had UTRGV (14-12, 10-7 SLC) within one point of the lead after falling behind 10 in the second half as the Vaqueros showed their fight. Cotton scored 15 points with six rebounds and two blocks and Washington added 13 points with three assists. Junior forward Filip Brankovic scored 10 points with three rebounds and one block. Graduate student guard Marvin McGhee III collected a team-high eight rebounds and scored five points. 
 
Keon Thompson scored 32 points and was 12-for-18 from the field with three steals to power SFA (23-3, 16-1 SLC) to victory. Narit Chotikavanic scored 11 points and Jerald Colonel brought in 13 rebounds. 
 
Defense set the tone for most of the first half. The Vaqueros were playing SFA tight, keeping the game within reach despite not finding the bottom of the basket for the first 7:10 of action. Even as UTRGV missed its first seven points, the Lumberjacks only opened up an 8-0 lead as the Vaqueros were stingy defensively.
 
The Vaqueros didn't panic with the slow start. Graduate student guard Zae Blake knocked down a three to get within five, then Brankovic took over with some strong moves in the paint and good defense, including a block early in the game. UTRGV created some momentum and held the 'Jacks scoreless for nearly four minutes while going on a big 7-0 run. 
 
UTRGV passed the ball extremely well to get the offense going and was tough on the boards. McGhee dished out a great assist on a would-be fastbreak layup to find freshman guard Julien Gomez for a wide-open three-pointer. McGhee then knocked down his own three-pointer to make it 21-17 late, but SFA held a 25-19 lead at halftime. 
 
Graduate student forward Kwo Agwa anchored a nice start to the second half for the Vaqueros, recording a block then being rewarded with a great assist from Washington for a layup. Cotton came alive in the second half, scoring four in a row with a jumper and a 2-for-2 trip to the charity stripe then forcing a loose-ball foul with extra defensive effort to give UTRGV a key possession. Washington snatched a big offensive rebound and fed it to McGhee for an up-and-under layup at the shot clock buzzer to make it a one-point game at 34-33. 
 
SFA responded to UTRGV's early flurry with a good stretch of shooting that saw the 'Jacks make a trio of three-pointers to grow the lead back up to 47-37 with 9:36 to play. Washington and Cotton were electric to lead UTRGV's answer and make it a one-point game. They nailed three-pointers and were tough getting to the hoop. Washington drilled a stepback jumper to make it a 54-53 game with just under five minutes remaining. 
 
The 'Jacks went on an 8-0 run to be able to control the tempo down the stretch. Brankovic made a hook shot jumper down low to end the two-minute scoring drought for UTRGV and Cotton converted his free throws to trim the deficit to five points with 1:15 on the clock, but the Lumberjacks controlled the final minute to put the game away. 
 
Up next for the Vaqueros is a 6:30 p.m. SLC game Monday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse as part of #RallyTheValley Week, presented by McAllen International Airport. It's a Monday Madness game that will feature a DJ for pregame and in-game festivities, party lights throughout the night, and glowsticks, presented by Vaquero Outfitters, that will be distributed to fans. Lights will be shutoff at various times during games to allow party lights and glowsticks to illuminate the gym.
 
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID but will need to claim a ticket at GoUTRGV.com/StudentTickets. Fans can learn more about game day, including parking information, maps, and the clear bag policy by visiting RallyTheValley.com.

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