UTRGV wins season opener against TAMIU

Despite 17 turnovers that disappointed head coach Matt Figger, the Vaqueros beat the Dustdevils 74-59 in their season opener tonight at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. 

Before a crowd of 1,711 UTRGV (1-0) held a double-digit advantage for most of the game, with their biggest lead, 18 points, right before halftime.

Texas A&M International University would try to close the gap and lingered around but it was not enough to overcome their point deficit. 

“We held them defensively to think it was 30% [field goal percentage] of the game,” Figger said. “So, that’s a positive. I don’t find nothing else positive about this game besides we got a win.” 

TAMIU had a 30.6% field goal percentage, or 19 out of 62. The team also went 3 for 19, or 15.8%, from the three-point line and 18 for 27 from the free-throw line. 

UTRGV posted a 45.5% field goal percentage, going 25 out of 55. From the three-point line, they went six for 18, or 33.3%, and 18 for 25, or 72% from the free-throw line tonight. 

Figger said Texas A&M International University came with a physical game plan and took UTRGV out of what they wanted to do. 

“They took a lot of charges and that’s where a lot of those turnovers came from, and we didn’t have the discipline to stop,” he said. “We just ran on top guys repeatedly.” 

Figger said UTRGV let TAMIU hang around by giving up fouls, offensive rebounds and turning the ball over. 

“We got lucky tonight because we had some guys that did rebound when the game was on the line,” he said. “The two guys I had there at the end, RayQuan [Taylor] and [Mike] Adewunmi, they both got close to double figures in rebounding.” 

Freshman forward Taylor finished the night with eight rebounds and nine points while graduate guard Adewunmi had 10 rebounds and nine points. 

Junior guard LaQuan Butler led the team in points with 19 tonight. 

“I just go out there and do what I do,” Butler said. “I do it in practice every day, so it’s only right that I come to the game and use the best of my abilities.”

Dustdevils’ guard Greg Bowie II led TAMIU with 17 points and two rebounds tonight.  

TAMIU head coach Mac McConnell told The Rider he knew UTRGV was going to play a physical game and its defensive pressure made his team miss shots. 

“I felt like the pressure took them out of the rhythm offensively,” McConnell said. “I had point guards breaking down, not understanding how to run the playbook. Pressure had guards breaking down, giving straight-line drives to the basket.” 

UTRGV takes on the University of Arizona next at 8 p.m. Friday in Tucson. 

Asked what Figger thinks about going against the University of Arizona next, he replied, “I don’t even want to think about those guys right now. If I think about them right now with this side of my brain, it’s thinking about this performance. I don’t even want to think about it.”