UTRGV grinds out win over SFA to open conference play

EDINBURG — UTRGV’s men’s basketball team snapped a six-game losing streak to Stephen F. Austin on Thursday, taking down the Lumberjacks 68-65 to open Southland Conference play at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg. 

The win was the Vaqueros’ first against the Lumberjacks since 2006, while also marking their first win in their new conference.

“I’m really proud of our players man,” UTRGV head coach Kahil Fennell said. “Stephen F. Austin is a really well coached team. They just make the game really hard in every respect. They’re going to challenge you as far as catches. They’re going to challenge you on the glass. They’re going to challenge your decision making and how quickly and confidently you can make decisions with the basketball. They’ll turn you over. Obviously, they’re very big and physical. They’re a really difficult team to beat. I’m proud of our players and the way they responded, particularly in the second half where we looked a lot more like ourselves. Just very proud of ourselves and our ability to win ugly.”

Stephen F. Austin and UTRGV played a physical contest from the opening tip, with the Vaqueros battling for a 24-22 halftime lead over the Lumberjacks. 

UTRGV roared to life during the second half behind a dominant performance by graduate student DK Thorn. 

The 6-foot-4 guard erupted for 17 of his game-high 20 points during the period, including a stretch where he scored 14 straight for UTRGV to put them up. His back-to-back 3-pointers with 9:17 remaining put the Vaqueros up for good with UTRGV never trailing again. 

UTRGV’s DK Thorn (3) drives to the basket during a Southland Conference game against Stephen F. Austin on Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | The Monitor)

“Like I said last game, it is just about getting the confidence from my teammates and coaches,” Thorn said. “I started off bad and when I started off bad I put my head down. They just told me it is a 40 minute game and to keep going and everything will fall into place. The rest was history.”

Thorn finished 5-of-10 from beyond the arc during the win, tying a career-high. Senior KT Raimey continued to provide a spark off the bench, finishing second in scoring with 17 points. Cliff Davis and Trey Miller each enjoyed career nights as well, with Davis nabbing a career-high nine boards, while Miller dished a career-high 8 boards. The duo finished with eight and seven points, respectively. 

The win improves UTRGV to 3-0 at home this season, including back-to-back to start their seven game home stand.

UTRGV’s KT Raimey (4) goes up for a layup during a Southland Conference contest against Stephen F. Austin on Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | The Monitor)

The Vaqueros (5-3, 1-0) continue their string of home games at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, taking on Lamar University in a Southland Conference match at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg. 

“The crowd is everything,” Raimey said. “They feed into the game. Honestly, I don’t think they know how much they help us. We were picked eighth in this conference. We’re just trying to bring back more respect here to the Valley.”

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