California Baptist lance Vaqueros at Fieldhouse

The UTRGV Men’s Basketball Team lost to the California Baptist Lancers 63-54 tonight at the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus. This drops the Vaqueros record to 6-14 and 2-7 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Lancers extend their win streak to four games and improve to 12-7 overall and 5-3 in the conference.

The Lancers were led by Australian junior guard Hunter Goodrick, who netted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while graduate forward Yvan Ouedraogo had 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Vaqueros had two freshmen standouts: guard J.J. Howard, who netted 18 points, all in the second half, setting a career-high in points scored, and guard C.J. Booker, who had 10 points and four rebounds. Senior forward Daylen Williams netted 10 points and six rebounds.

UTRGV Men’s Basketball Coach Matt Figger spoke to the media after the game.

“The difference in the game was they capitalized on our mistakes,” Figger said. “I thought we defended really well. They just capitalized on our offensive mistakes. When you turn the ball over, we didn’t turn the ball over much, but our turnovers led to them scoring. We gave up offensive rebounds, which we said that was [CBU’s] big deal. Sometimes, their best shots they’re off the second shot off an offensive rebound. Those two things combined put us in an uphill battle.”

Scoring would open with a layup from CBU junior guard Dominique Daniels Jr. A layup and a 3-pointer from Goodrick would put the Lancers up 7-0. A foul on UTRGV sophomore forward Saiyou Seye would send Ouedraogo to the line. His two free throws would cap off a 9-0 run for the Lancers.

A 3-pointer from UTRGV junior guard Sherman Brashear would get the Vaqueros on the board 5 minutes into the game. A couple of step-back 3-pointers would bring the Vaqueros within three. However, Brantly Stevenson would answer back for the Lancers with a three of his own. Booker would sink another shot of his own to make it 17-13.

Lancers junior forward Kendal Coleman would then net back-to-back open dunks to make it 21-13. Williams would make a two-point shot to make it 21-15 before a CBU timeout.

A jumper from freshman forward Jonathan Griman and a layup from Coleman would start a 4-0 run for the Lancers, making it 25-15.

Brashear would then net a 3-pointer to make it 25-18. After two missed free throws from Lancers junior guard Blondeau Tchoukuiegno, Brashear would sink another 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game at 26-21.

Williams would be fouled, and Goodrick would sink both free throws to make it 28-21. A contested 2-pointer from Ouedraogo would cap off a 4-0 run for CBU, building the Lancers’ lead to 30-21.

Williams would sink a 2-point shot in the final two seconds, ending the first half 33-25 with CBU in front.

Howard would open the second half scoring with a jump shot to make it 33-27. CBU’s Ouedraogo would make a dunk to answer back to make it 35-27. This would start an 8-0 run for the Lancers, extending their lead to 41-27. Howard would end that run with a layup to make it a 41-29 game.

After a layup from CBU’s Coleman, Howard would net a layup of his own to bring the score to 45-31. A layup from Williams would make it 45-33. A free throw from Howard and a jumper from Booker would cap off a 5-0 run for the Vaqueros. It would promptly end after a 3-pointer from Lancer redshirt sophomore Scotty Washington, bringing the score to 48-36.

UTRGV sophomore forward Isaiah Bargainier would make a layup to make it a 10-point game at 48-38. Howard would make a layup and force a foul on Washington. The resulting three-point play would make it 48-41.

CBU’s Daniels would sink a 3-pointer to end the Vaqueros’ scoring run and bring it to 51-41. Goodrick would net a layup to make the score 53-43.

That run would end after a foul on Tchoukuiegno would send Howard to the line. His two free throws would make it a 60-47 game. A 3-point shot from Howard would follow this up to make it a 10-point game at 60-50.

A foul on Ouedraogo would send Williams to the line, where he would sink both free throws to make it a two-possession game with 1:29 on the clock.

After a foul on Williams, Ouedraogo would make a free throw of his own to extend CBU’s lead to 61-54. Another foul on Seye would send him back to the line in the closing minute, where his free throw would make it 62-54.

A couple of UTRGV fouls would send Daniels to the line. His free throws would be the catalyst of a 5-0 run, extending their lead to 60-54. After another free throw from Tchoukuiegno, the game would end in a California Baptist victory, with a final of 63-54.

The Vaqueros will go on the road for their next three games, starting at 8 p.m. Feb. 1 at Utah Tech University. They will also play Southern Utah University and Stephen F. Austin State University on the road trip. Fans can stream these games on ESPN+ or on WAC International for international viewers.