The UTRGV Men’s Basketball Team lost 87-79 at home Thursday night in a battle for supremacy against Grand Canyon University.
The Vaqueros are on a four-game losing streak and are currently 2-5 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Head Coach Lew Hill discussed his frustrations with his team’s defensive performance.
“Our defense [wasn’t] very good,” Hill said after the game in the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus. “Our defense hasn’t been really good all year and that’s been our sticking point all year. … [We] were top 10 in about five, six categories last year and this year we’re just not defending. That’s the bottom line. I mean, we’re scoring enough. We scored 76 points, but you’re giving up 55%. … It’s just not acceptable.”
The team was struggling to play hard defense, leaving the opportunity for GCU to score more 3-pointers.
GCU shot 58% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc, leaving UTRGV to play from behind most of the game.
Junior guard Javon Levi cited UTRGV’s lack of defense for GCU’s ability to get high-percentage shots.
“No, we just ain’t play defense,” junior guard Javon Levi said. “That’s why they had open shots. Anyone can have open shots.”
The men’s basketball team will return to the home court against the California State University Bakersfield Roadrunners at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Asked how the team will improve defensively for Saturday’s matchup, Coach Hill replied, “Just play harder and tough and defend. If you defend, we’re scoring the ball and we’re scoring the ball good.”
