Vaqueros Defeat governors 63-50 in Teddy Bear Toss game

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s basketball team used strong defense and a double-double from junior Koree Cotton to defeat the Austin Peay Governors 63-50 on Sunday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Fans tossed 369 stuffed animals during the Teddy Bear toss, presented by Driscoll Children’s Hospital.

Cotton led the Vaqueros (3-5) with a career-high 22 points, a career-high 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Junior Always Wright scored 10 points with five rebounds and four assists. Graduate student Zae Blake and junior Filip Brankovic each added six points.

The Governors (4-5) were led by Rashaud Marshall with 19 points and eight rebounds. Tate McCubbin scored 16 points with four rebounds and four assists, and zyree Collins added nine points. Austin Peay’s leading scorer this season, Collin Parker, was held to six points on 2-of-12 shooting. The Governors shot 32% from the floor and 13% from beyond the arc.

With the game tied at 46 and just under six minutes remaining, the Vaqueros’ defense held the Governors to just four points while UTRGV scored 17 to secure the victory.

After Collins scored on a fastbreak layup, the Vaqueros went on a 9-0 run to lead 59-48. McCubbin made a pair of free throws for Austin Peay before sophomore Jaylen Washington made a layup and Wright added two free throws to close out the game.

The Vaqueros capitalized on space in the paint early in the game, getting baskets from Cotton and Blake.