The UTRGV Vaqueros lost 77-61 to the New Mexico State Aggies in their Western Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals matchup to bring an emotional and tumultuous basketball season in the Rio Grande Valley to a close.
The Aggies’ victory marked their second win over the Vaqueros during a 10-day stretch and ended UTRGV’s season on a six-game losing streak after an 8-3 beginning to the campaign, the best start for the program in nearly two decades.
“It’s frustrating that we couldn’t get a win or two with what these guys have overcome and the adversity,” UTRGV interim head coach Jai Steadman said. “It’s frustrating the way things had to end, but if you look back at what we’ve been through, it’s amazing these young men were even out there practicing and competing through the COVID, the winter storm, the Coach Hill loss and some of their family stuff that we haven’t shared with other people.”
UTRGV (9-10, 2-5) and New Mexico State (11-7, 7-6) exchanged blows through the opening minutes of the first half before the Aggies began to surge ahead, thanks to a hot shooting night from behind the arc and a sizable edge in the battle on the boards.
The Aggies tallied a 12-for-24 shooting night on 3-point attempts, giving them a massive advantage from deep over the Vaqueros, who knocked down two of their 16 attempts on the night.
New Mexico State also out-rebounded UTRGV 35-22, which translated to a number of Aggies second-chance points.
“I think we just didn’t execute as far as rebounding,” senior point guard Javon Levi. “I think that was really the game tonight. I think if we had been rebounding and giving them less second-chance opportunities, I think the game would have been a lot tighter.”
UTRGV fell behind by double digits during the first half and was able to trim the Aggies’ lead to as little as eight points with less than 3 minutes until halftime.
The Vaqueros’ comeback bid, however, was hampered by the team’s inconsistency shooting the ball and its inability to reliably get to the free-throw line until deep into the second half.
“I think we were being more ourselves tonight. We (just) didn’t get to the line,” Levi said. “We got in the paint and we got open shots, but we weren’t hitting them. All you can do is get open shots, good looks and be unselfish. I think we did a good job as far as staying together and continuing to share the ball.”
The WAC Tournament loss culminates an unpredictable and turbulent year for the Vaqueros’ basketball program.
One year ago, UTRGV entered the conference tournament with the second seed after its best regular-season finish in program history, but was prevented from taking the court due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After an offseason filled with uncertainty, the Vaqueros tipped off a delayed start to the regular season against the Texas Longhorns in late November before racing out to their best start since the 2001-02 season.
UTRGV was then sidelined for most of January due to scheduling changes and COVID-safety protocols before the program was rocked by the sudden, unexpected death of head coach Lew Hill, who passed away the day after announcing he would be stepping away from the team to focus on his health.
The Vaqueros banded together to finish the season in honor of Hill and set numerous defensive program records in a blowout win over Dallas Christian in an emotional return to the court before losing their last six WAC games to end the year.
“We wanted to come down here and win, but for us, there really is a bigger picture to look at. I’m really glad with how we came together, stayed together and how we continued to fight this year,” Levi said. “It was real tough on us and I’m just really glad we stayed together. Even though we didn’t win in the end how we wanted to, I think this is going to be something that stays with us forever.
“All 15-16 of us, coaches, trainers and everybody in that locker room is going to remember this forever. There will be a bond there forever,” he added. “I think that’s the big picture. We all got stronger as young men and you can throw basketball out the window. (It’s about how) we came back, continued to fight, play hard and stay together.”
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