EDINBURG — After being sufficiently out-rebounded in their Western Athletic Conference series opener against Tarleton State, UTRGV badly needed a rebound win in their rematch against the Texans.
The Vaqueros improved their offensive production and their work on the boards after being held to a season-low 47 points in their Friday matchup against their in-state rivals.
UTRGV, however, was bitten by the turnover bug during the second half, which allowed Tarleton State to pull away down the stretch and secure a 69-58 victory in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday night at UTRGV Fieldhouse.
The loss marks the fifth consecutive defeat for the Vaqueros in WAC play and their sixth loss in their last seven games as they prepare to jump into the conference tournament next week in Las Vegas.
“It’s beyond frustrating,” said senior point guard Javon Levi, who finished with a team-high 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. “It was turnovers and bad shots which led to easy buckets, but I had five turnovers so that starts with me when it comes to taking care of the ball. I have to be better in that aspect.”
“It’s disappointing losing on senior night, but I’m proud of the effort tonight,” UTRGV interim coach Jai Steadman said. “We played hard. Defensively, I don’t have much to complain about. … I switched it up to a lot of zone defense and our rebounding was great, but, man, we just missed a lot of shots.”
The Vaqueros and Texans traded blows and the lead throughout a chaotic first half during a game that featured 10 ties and seven lead changes.
Levi banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the arc seconds before the halftime buzzer to send UTRGV and Tarleton State into the break with a 28-28 tie.
The Vaqueros managed to keep it close by earning a big advantage on the interior by out-rebounding Tarleton by eight and recording eight blocks, too.
Senior center Anthony Bratton led UTRGV in the paint with a team-high nine rebounds and nine points, while graduate transfer center Jeff Otchere added five rebounds and four blocks.
“Coach Steadman was telling us no one can guard us, so we had to be tough,” Bratton said. “We have a lot of talent on this team. If we just play to our ability, that can and will happen. Nobody can out-rebound us if we just play hard. Tonight we played with that mindset of out-rebounding everybody and getting points (down low).”
The Texans, however, started to pull away down the stretch during the second half, when UTRGV went cold from the floor on the offensive end.
The Vaqueros coughed the ball up 11 times during the second half, which led directly to 16 points for Tarleton State and they couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the 3-point arc.
UTRGV converted on one of nine 3-point attempts after halftime that led to a double-digit deficit the team was unable to erase.
“We’re getting wide-open looks, we’re just not hitting shots,” Steadman said. “It’s frustrating on that point, but the guys are working hard to pass the ball and they’re running the plays we call. I keep saying the ball will fall. We’re going to rebound and defend because that’s who we are, but it would help if we were making shots.”
Tarleton State improves to 10-10 overall and 5-7 in conference play this season but will be unable to participate in this year’s WAC Tournament as the program makes its transition into Division I.
UTRGV falls 9-9 overall and 2-5 in WAC competition this season with the loss. The Vaqueros now enter the conference tournament with three wins against DI opponents during the last three months: a two-game series sweep against Dixie State on Jan. 15-16 in their WAC opener and a 68-64 victory at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 10.
The home loss also marks the final game at UTRGV Fieldhouse for Levi, the program’s all-time leader in career steals, Bratton and the other Vaqueros seniors.
“Looking back in the past, it’s been a joy,” Levi said. “I thank everyone who’s supported me here the last four years. It’s been really fun seeing how much things have improved here over the years as far as the fans and us as a program. I’m definitely going to remember this forever. It’s just too bad this is how I have to remember my senior night.”
UTRGV will face New Mexico State in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament at 10 p.m. Thursday at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas with the winner advancing to battle Utah Valley in the semifinals at 10 p.m. Friday.
