HAMMOND, La. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s basketball team fell 79-74 to the Southeastern Louisiana University Lions on Saturday at the University Center snapping their five game win streak.
The Vaqueros (10-5, 2-2 SLC) had four players in double-figure scoring led by senior Cliff Davis, who finished with 14 points. Fifth year guard K.T. Raimey scored 13 points while senior Hasan Abdul Hakim added 11 points. Redshirt sophomore Marshal Destermau added 11 points with seven rebounds.
The Lions (7-8, 1-3 SLC) had three in double-figure scoring with Jakevion Buckley leading the way with 25 points. Jeremy Elyzee scored 16 points and Sam Hines Jr. added 14 points with five rebounds.
It was a tightly contested first half as both teams put together runs. The Vaqueros opened with a 10-2 run powered by a couple of three-pointers from Davis. The Lions used the free throw line to climb back in it, but the Vaqueros put together an 11-0 run with seven points coming from Raimey as they took the 21-6 lead.
An 8-0 run by the Lions got them within 21-14 with just under 12 minutes in the half and then got within 26-21 after a layup from Elyzee. UTRGV got their lead back to 31-21 on a three-pointer from Agwa but the Lions closed out the half with a 15-7 run to make it 38-36 at the end of the half.
The second half saw seven lead changes as the Lions took their first lead with 17:44 left in the game after a three-pointer by Jaiden Lawrence. Davis gave the Vaqueros the lead back with a three-pointer that made it 50-49 but the Lions put together a 15-6 run to grab the 64-56.
Destremau and Davis converted free throws with under 4:30 minutes to play to give the Vaqueros their last lead of the night as the Lions knocked down six of their 25 free throws in the final minutes to seal the game.
The Vaqueros will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 11 when they visit Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, as part of the South Texas Showdown presented by Rally Credit Union, at 3:30 p.m. at the American Bank Center.
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