Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s basketball team is on a three-game winning streak after defeating the Our Lady of the Lake University Saints 91-68 on Friday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
The Vaqueros (3-1) have now won eight-straight home games dating back to last season.
Senior Chris Freeman led the Vaqueros with a career-high 21 points, a career-high nine rebounds and a career-high six assists. Junior Sean Rhea scored 17 points with seven rebounds and a career-high four blocks. In his first game for the Vaqueros, junior Marek Nelson finished with a career-high 12 points, six rebounds and a career-high tying two steals. Junior Uche Dibiamaka finished with 10 points, four rebounds and a career-high six assists. Junior Malik Lawrence-Anderson grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds to go with a career-high nine points. Sophomore Quinton Johnson II scored nine points with eight rebounds, two assists and a career-high tying two blocks.
Ruben Monzon led the Saints with 18 points. Darin Minniefield finished with 13 points, five assists and four steals.
The Saints hit seven of their first nine shots, including a trio of threes, to jump out to a 17-7 lead.
The Saints still had a big lead at 21-13 when the Vaqueros went on a 20-4 run, capped by a one-handed thunder dunk by Dibiamaka, to put the Vaqueros up 33-25.
The Saints scored the next four points to pull within four before the Vaqueros went on an 8-2 run that included two Rhea layups to take a 41-31 lead.
The Saints climbed to within six early in the second half, but sophomore Connor Raines hit a three and junior Marek Nelson sunk a layup to extend the Vaqueros’ lead to 54-43.
Then, with the score 54-47, the Vaqueros hit five-straight shots as part of a 12-4 run that was capped by a Freeman three to push the game out of reach.
UTRGV is back in action on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Texas A&M in a game that will be televised on SEC Network.
 Vaqueros men's basketball team is on a three-game winning streak after defeating the Our Lady of the Lake University Saints 91-68 on Friday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.){kind=link}