The UTRGV Vaqueros improved to 2-0 at home, cruising past the Paul Quinn Tigers 85-68 on Tuesday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
Junior Justin Johnson led the Vaqueros in scoring, with a career-high 18 points, while adding seven rebounds. Point guard Ricky “Doc” Nelson tallied 16 points and four assists, while LaQuan Butler recorded his first career double-double, racking up 10 points and 10 assists.
Chris Scaife led the Tigers with 15 points, while Ja’Mere Redus added 10 points and three steals.
Trailing the Tigers 9-8 during the first six minutes, an alley-oop to freshman Donte Houston Jr. sparked a 10-0 run to put the Vaqueros ahead 18-9. The Tigers answered back by scoring six of the next eight points before the Vaqueros pulled away with a 19-4 run sparked by Mike Adewunmi.
Freshman Rayquan Taylor helped spark a 7-0 run during the second half to put the Vaqueros up 61-33, their largest lead of the game.
Up next, the Vaqueros (2-1) host Northern Arizona for the first game of the inaugural UTRGV South Padre Island Battle on the Beach at 1 p.m. Saturday at the South Padre Island Convention Centre.
