The UTRGV men’s basketball team took down Lamar on Monday night 70-65.

With the win, the Vaqueros officially clinched a spot in the Southland Conference tournament.

Filip Brankovic led the way for UTRGV with a game-high 19 points including the dagger three with 20 seconds remaining to put UTRGV up by four and ostensibly seal the victory.

“I'm just very proud of our guys for the grit and resilience they showed,” Vaqueros head coach Kahil Fennell said after the game. “Not just turning the page after a super difficult, disappointing loss against Stephen F. Austin, to turn the page mentally and come back and fight and win a tough game, but also within the game.”

Koree Cotton also had a strong game for the Vaqueros with 15 points while Jaylen Washington added eight assists in the victory.

With Nicholls and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi losing on Monday, UTRGV moves back into sole possession of third place and controls its own destiny for finishing in the top-four and securing a first round bye in the Southland Conference tournament.

Three of the Vaqueros final four games remaining on the schedule come against teams in the SLC with a conference record of 6-12 or worse.

UTRGV’s next game is on Saturday on the road against Southeastern.