EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's basketball team fell to the New Mexico State Aggies 85-73 on Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

Graduate student Xavier Johnson led the Vaqueros (5-10, 0-3 WAC) with a season-high tying 20 points on a season-high four three-pointers. Graduate student Mike Adewunmi scored 11 points with five rebounds. Sophomore BJ Simmons scored 11 points while hitting a career-high tying trio of three-pointers. Junior Justin Johnson finished with 11 points. Sophomore Quinton Johnson II scored a season-high nine points with a season-high eight rebounds and a season-high three assists. Graduate student Marek Nelson scored seven points with a career-high tying five assists, two steals and one block.

Teddy Allen led the Aggies (13-2, 3-0 WAC) with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Will McNair Jr. scored 17 points with six rebounds. Sir’Jabari Rice scored 14 points with seven rebounds and four assists. Johnny McCants scored 13 points with seven rebounds and three blocks. Mike Peake finished with 10 points and two blocks.

Adewunmi opened the game with a three-pointer before the Aggies scored nine-straight points to take the lead. The Vaqueros responded with a 10-3 run, capped by a three-pointer and a three-point play by Xavier Johnson, to take a 13-12 lead.

The Vaqueros led 16-15 on a Simmons three when the Aggies went on an 8-0 run to go up 23-16.

Simmons answered with a three and then Xavier Johnson hit back-to-back threes to put the Vaqueros up 25-23.

The Vaqueros led 28-26 on another Xavier Johnson three before the Aggies went on a 9-2 run to go up 35-30.

The Vaqueros tied the game at 35 on an Adewunmi layup, but the Aggies closed the half on a 9-2 run to go up 44-37.

Adewunmi opened the second half with a layup before the Aggies went on a 9-2 run to take a 53-41 lead.

The Vaqueros pulled within 53-46 on a Quinton Johnson three and 58-51 on a Quinton Johnson three-point play with 13:26 remaining.

The Aggies pushed their lead to 69-55 six minutes later before a layup and a three by Simmons helped the Vaqueros score six-straight points to make it an eight-point game.

The Vaqueros were again within eight at 71-63 on a pair of Justin Johnson free throws with 5:55 left, but that’s as close as they got.