Victoria Gonzalez | Vaquero Radio
The UTRGV Men’s Basketball Team fell 87-79 to the Abilene Christian University Wildcats Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
The Vaqueros, whose overall record is now 6-18 and 2-11 in WAC play, were still within four at 82-78 with 1:12 remaining, but they soon fell behind.
Before the game, junior guard Ellijah Elliot shared how he and his fellow teammates worked hard during their practices for a week since their last game against Stephen F. Austin University.
UTRGV junior guard Hasan Abdul-Hakim suffered a foot injury on Jan. 18 during the loss against UT Arlington and was ready to hop back onto the court. However, Figger said he did not expect Abdul-Hakim to return so swiftly.
“I didn’t expect him to be available,” he said. “He hadn’t played a game in, you know, over a month, so I knew he’d be rusty. I don’t know if this is a one-game deal or what. I don’t know what his foot’s gonna feel like tomorrow, and, you know, I give him credit. He wanted to try to step up through the injury.”
Head coach Matt Figger said the team’s defense strategies ultimately contributed to the loss.
“We played middle-school defense,” Figger said. “Defense was awful, nonexistent. This was a game of heart. They had more heart than we did. They played with a tougher edge. We weren’t very good defensively.”
As the UTRGV Men’s Basketball Team has only two conference wins, Figger said the only way to improve is to have more heart.
“Heart, commitment, I mean all those words that we like to say in sports,” he said. “Believing in one another. It goes back to the lack of leadership, and it starts with me.”
Figger added the team gave the game away by feeling sorry for itself and pointing fingers.
“The game’s not over,” he said. “It’s not like they’re coming in on this crazy winning streak. It was a battle of who had the most heart and will. They had it, and we didn’t.”
Figger elaborated on things he will emphasize moving forward for future games.
“It just comes down to the guy’s character,” he said. “That’s all: character. Character, heart, toughness, resiliency, testicular fortitude, you know. Whatever analogy you wanna use, that’s all it boils down to.”
The Vaqueros will take on the UT Arlington Mavericks at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
For more information, visit goutrgv.com.
