Home College BasketBall UTRGV Men’s Basketball Triumphs 85-78 in Hard-Fought Road Win Over UIW

UTRGV Men’s Basketball Triumphs 85-78 in Hard-Fought Road Win Over UIW

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Courtesy Of The UTRGV Athletic Communications

San Antonio, TX — The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men’s basketball team showcased resilience and teamwork to pull off a hard-fought 85-78 road victory over the University of Incarnate Word (UIW) on Monday afternoon at the McDermott Convocation Center. With a relentless second-half performance and a balanced offensive attack, the Vaqueros (12-7, 4-4 Southland Conference) surged past the Cardinals (9-10, 2-6 SLC), with five players finishing in double digits, to claim the win.

UIW started strong, scoring seven unanswered points in the first 90 seconds of the game, prompting an early timeout by UTRGV. Davion Bailey was a standout, accounting for five of those points, and finished the game as the top scorer with 28 points, including five three-pointers.

Out of the timeout, UTRGV responded with a dunk by senior forward Kwo Agwa, who led the Vaqueros in the first half with 11 points. As the first half progressed, the Vaqueros found their rhythm, cutting the deficit to just one point. Trey Miller, assisted by Cliff Davis, added a dunk, and Miller finished with 10 points and six assists on the day. Davis also had an impactful performance, chipping in 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

With 4:54 remaining in the half, UTRGV took its first lead of the game with a layup from Howie Fleming Jr., who finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the hardwood and ended with 14 points. Despite the Vaqueros’ push, UIW held a narrow 37-33 advantage heading into the break.

Jayden Williams of UIW and Kwo Agwa compete for the tip-off to start the game. Photo Credit (Michelle Uzoh).

The second half saw UIW extend its lead to 12 points, its largest of the game, at 56-44 with 12:32 left. A key three-pointer by Jalin Anderson and a powerful dunk by Bailey sparked an emotional sequence, which saw both teams get into a heated exchange, leading to a UTRGV timeout.

The Vaqueros quickly regained control, launching a 16-5 run, capped by a Davis three-pointer, to close the gap to 61-60.

UTRGV would take its first lead of the second half at 64-63 following a free throw by K.T. Rainey, who finished the contest with 13 points. With 6:13 remaining, Agwa’s put-back gave the Vaqueros a 68-66 lead, and they never trailed again.

Agwa finished the game with a team-high 26 points and four blocks, helping secure the win.

The final score was 85-78 in favor of UTRGV.

Noteworthy:

  • Dylan Hayman scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for UIW, while Jordan Pyke added 11 points.
  • Bailey, who led all scorers with 28 points, is currently ranked second in the Southland Conference in scoring, averaging 18 points per game.

Up Next:

  • UIW will travel to Southeastern Louisiana University (11-8, 5-3 SLC) on Saturday, a team currently tied for third in the conference standings.
  • UTRGV will host undefeated conference leaders McNeese State University (14-5, 8-0 SLC) on Saturday, a team that has lost only once this season at home.