Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s basketball team blew out the Texas A&M International Dustdevils 79-52 on Monday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
Graduate student Jordan Jackson led the Vaqueros (2-4) with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-4 from behind the arc plus 6-of-7 from the line. Freshman Quinton Johnson II scored 11 points while hitting a trio of three-pointers, dishing out five assists and grabbing two steals. Senior Lesley Varner II finished with 10 points and three steals.
Matija Novokvic led the Dustdevils with 13 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Jackson started the game with a dunk and then added a three as the Vaqueros jumped out to a 12-3 lead. Then, with the score 12-7, UTRGV went on an 11-0 run, capped by a back-to-back Johnson three-pointer, to go up 23-7.
The Dustdevils pulled within 29-18 late in the first half, but Jackson hit a three-pointer and then capped what became an 11-2 run with a dunk to put the Vaqueros up 40-20 at halftime.
The Dustdevils climbed to within 16 three times at the start of the second half, including 48-32 before a Raines three, a jumper by junior Rob McClain Jr., and a Jackson layup put the Vaqueros up 55-32 and push the game out of reach.
Freshman Weslaco alum Isaiah Garcia made his collegiate debut with two minutes remaining, and in the final seconds, drilled a three-pointer on his first-career shot attempt.
UTRGV is back in action on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the UTRGV Fieldhouse as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union. It’s the second game of a single-admission doubleheader, as women’s basketball hosts UTSA at 4:30. Fans can take advantage of family four-packs featuring four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $44. The first 200 fans in attendance for the men’s game will receive #BeatCorpus t-shirts. Current UTRGV students get free general admission with a valid UTRGV student ID. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at UTRGVTickets.com. Fans purchasing their tickets online prior to game day can save up to $2 per ticket. Doors open at 6.
