The Vaqueros defeated the Chicago State University Cougars 83-75 in their Homecoming game Saturday night in the UTRGV Fieldhouse, improving their record to 15-15 overall and 6-7 in conference play.
“We played better,” Head Coach Lew Hill said. “We didn’t finish the game like I wanted to, but we had some really good spurts in there and the guys played together.”
Guard Nick Dixon led the Vaqueros with 23 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal; fellow guard Lew Stallworth scored 14 points; and forward Terry Winn tallied a career-high 16 rebounds.
Dixon and the Vaqueros scored early in the first half, but Chicago State came back into the lead, keeping the Vaqueros at bay. With 2:38 left, the Vaqueros bounced back, ending the half with a 33-27 lead.
The Vaqueros opened the second half with a 14-2 run, but the Cougars kept up the pace, closing the gap 55-60. The home squad still maintained the momentum with a 10-2 run to give them a 70-57 lead against the visitors.
“Coach always says, ‘First four minutes of the first half, first four minutes of the second half are the keys to winning the game,’” Stallworth said. “So, we wanted to come out and definitely make a push to open this game up.”
Cougar guard Glen Burns led Chicago State with 21 points, 12 rebounds and four steals; forward Cameron Bowles scored 20 points and three blocks; and guard Fred Sims Jr. ended with 19 points.
Hill said the team’s loss against the University of Missouri-Kansas City last Thursday and its win tonight will motivate them for their next game against New Mexico State University.
“You learn from a loss like [the one against UMKC],” he said. “Sometimes, that’s a blessing in disguise. You need to drop back down a few notches and then you come back, and you fight, and we never quit. … We’ve got a whole week to get prepared for New Mexico State.”
UTRGV men’s basketball will take on the New Mexico State University Aggies at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Fieldhouse for its last conference game of the regular season.
