UTRGV blown out against GCU

The UTRGV Men’s Basketball Team dropped its second-straight game and Western Athletic Conference home opener tonight, 84-70, against Grand Canyon University at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.  

“Credit to GCU,” UTRGV head coach Matt Figger said. “They’re a well-coached team and I think they were 11-2 coming in [tonight] for a reason.” 

Down 10-3 early in the first half, UTRGV (5-9, 0-2) and GCU (12-2, 2-0) went back and forth, but the Vaqueros could not close the gap from their shaky start. 

UTRGV managed to trim the lead to six points in the middle of the first half with a score of 21-15 but could not capitalize on the 11 GCU turnovers. UTRGV had seven turnovers in the first half.

“We left many opportunities in the game [and] in the first half, and we put ourselves in a hole,” Figger said. 

Late in the first half, the Lopes increased their lead by 10 points and would carry that gap into the second half with a score of 39-29. 

“On the last play of the [first half] … we take a bad shot and if we would have had the last possession, the score could have been, I think we were down eight, but it could have been a six-point game going into the half versus being down by 10 and that’s a different story,” Figger said.

Starting the second half, GCU extended its lead to 14 points to make it 49-35 within the first couple of minutes. The Vaqueros responded with a pair of free throws from graduate guard Mike Adewunmi and a 3-pointer from junior guard Justin Johnson to reduce the lead to single digits at 49-40. 

The Lopes answered with a dominating 14-0 run to make the score 63-40 halfway through the second half.

“We could never get our footing, especially when we got to 49-40,” Figger said. “We made plays that were negative that put them right back up 14 and it kinda just got away and spiraled from there.” 

The UTRGV head coach said GCU switching to zone defense changed the whole momentum of the game, something the Lopes have not done all year. He said coming back from facing Sam Houston State University with injuries, UTRGV had to install a new offense since it was missing players and size on the team. 

“Poor coaching,” Figger said. “I didn’t have them prepared to face the zone and I take all the blame when it comes to losses.” 

GCU would keep the double-point lead for all of the second half. UTRGV would try to squeeze back into the game with a 21-10 run to pull within 73-61 but could not overcome the large deficit. 

Adewunmi led UTRGV with his second double-double of the season, posting a season-high 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. 

“Tonight, we knew we were coming in to play a really good team and we came in and fought hard but, unfortunately, we came up short,” Adewunmi said. “I’m confident our guys are going to be able to bounce back.”

Asked how it feels to get a double-double, he replied, “It feels good that I feel like I’m contributing. … I think it’s important for me to build on that and take it to the next game.” 

Johnson was second in scoring tonight for UTRGV with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. 

Forward Gabe McGlothan led GCU with 18 points and two steals. 

UTRGV hosts New Mexico State University at 7 p.m. Saturday in the UTRGV Fieldhouse, where the Vaqueros will try to get their first conference win of the season. 

“It’s like playing Texas Hold’em,” Figger said about the Aggies. “You got to play with the hand that you’ve been dealt.”