UTRGV men’s and women’s basketball teams ended their regular season at the Western Athletic Conference Tournament hosted March 13 to 16 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The Vaqueros faced the California State University, Bakersfield Roadrunners in the quarterfinals game, where they won 85-70 and earned their opportunity to face the top seeded team New Mexico State University in the semifinals. UTRGV made its first appearance in the semifinals, but fell short 79-72 against the Aggies.
Graduate guard Tyson Smith was selected as part of the All-Western Athletic Conference Tournament Team. Smith scored 19 points and made two assists in the quarterfinals game against CSU, Bakersfield, helping the Vaqueros reach the semifinals.
Head Coach Lew Hill talked about the experience on these two games at WAC tourney.
“We saw what we’ve been seeing all year–resiliency… toughness… togetherness,” Hill said. “The first game, our guys played tremendously. We just came out and took a big lead. CSU, Bakersfield made a run and we answered it. The second game, we didn’t come out with the same intensity, the same fight, but ashas been happening all year, the second half, when we were down 19, our guys never quit. They never stopped playing. We came back and made it a game. We had a chance to win it. We used so much energy coming back that I think we got a little fatigued at the end, so we couldn’t finish it out.”
The women’s basketball team also played in Las Vegas. It faced Seattle University in the quarterfinals game. The Vaqueras won 56-54 against the Redhawks. In the semifinals, the team, coached by Head Coach Lane Lord, defeated the CSU, Bakersfield Roadrunners 69-58, earning the opportunity to play in the Championship game.
The Championship game was played between UTRGV and New Mexico State University. The Vaqueras forced the game into a double overtime, but at the end, the Aggies won 76-73.
Graduate forward Madison Northcutt earned All-Tournament team honors by averaging 12.7 points and 11.7 rebounds.
