EDINBURG — UTRGV junior Hasan Abdul-Hakim hit the go-ahead, step-back jumper with 0.7 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Vaqueros past the Seattle U Redhawks 81-80 during a Western Athletic Conference game Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
The victory marked the first WAC win of the year for the Vaqueros, snapping a four-game conference losing streak.
“It was great,” UTRGV head coach Matt Figger said. “We just got to continue to grow. I like our spirit and our fight. We did something to Seattle that is very uncharacteristic to those guys and forced them to turn it over 18 times. That team doesn’t turn the ball over. Analytically they’re a top 20 or 30 team in the country defensively. They do a lot of things well. They’re really good, so this is a great quality win for us.”
The Vaqueros came out of the gate blazing hot, shooting over 55% from the field to take a 12-point advantage during the opening period.
UTRGV cooled off late during the first half, shooting 2-of-11 from the field during the final seven minutes of the half. The Vaqueros’ cold streak led to a 14-5 Redhawks run to close out the half, cutting UTRGV’s lead to 37-35 at the break.
“We just got to keep maturing every day,” Figger said. “We have to learn to take the good and not relax. The game swung after we were up 11 or 12. It felt kind of easy for them then we kind of started breaking off and started doing our own thing. We took a bad 3 followed up by a bad 3 followed by a travel instead of doing the things continuously that got us that lead. We lose sight of that sometimes.”
Neither team could pull away during the second, with the Vaqueros and Redhawks trading the lead 19 ties during the final period.
A steal by senior forward Ahren Freeman with one second remaining set the Vaqueros up for the go-ahead basket, but Elijah Elliot’s ensuing 3-point attempt was no good, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, the teams traded baskets before Abdul-Hakim’s game-winning bucket during the final seconds.
“We stepped up,” Figger said. “Our guys fought. We weren’t perfect by any means. We probably have to clean some things up. I give credit to Seattle. They’re good. I know we have been getting results though. I see it every day in practice. I see the commitment is there. The result just hasn’t been there yet. We’re in a situation now where we make it interesting.”
Abdul-Hakim finished with 15 points, four rebounds and four assists. Freeman recorded a double-double during the victory, scoring 22 points and nabbing 10 boards, and Freshman J.J. Howard added 14 points.
Alex Shumacher led the Redhawks with a game-high 25 points, adding six assists and four rebounds. Kobe Williamson chipped in 16 points and John Christofilis added 11.
The Vaqueros (5-11, 1-4) continue WAC play at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, hosting Utah Valley (8-8, 3-2) at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
