Nelson leads UT Rio Grande Valley against Abilene Christian after 30-point outing

UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (7-15, 2-8 WAC) at Abilene Christian Wildcats (14-7, 6-5 WAC)

Abilene, Texas; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST

LINE: Abilene Christian -11; over/under is 153.5

BOTTOM LINE: UT Rio Grande Valley faces the Abilene Christian Wildcats after Marek Nelson scored 30 points in UT Rio Grande Valley's 93-79 win over the Lamar Cardinals.

The Wildcats are 10-3 in home games. Abilene Christian has a 2-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Vaqueros have gone 2-8 against WAC opponents. UT Rio Grande Valley is 1-2 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The teams meet for the second time in conference play this season. The Wildcats won 87-85 in the last matchup on Jan. 27. Coryon Mason led the Wildcats with 16 points, and Justin Johnson led the Vaqueros with 22 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mason is shooting 43.9% and averaging 12.3 points for the Wildcats. Makhi Morris is averaging 1.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Abilene Christian.

Johnson is scoring 17.3 points per game and averaging 6.5 rebounds for the Vaqueros. Xavier Johnson is averaging 13.7 points and 1.8 rebounds over the last 10 games for UT Rio Grande Valley.

LAST 10 GAMES: Wildcats: 5-5, averaging 70.4 points, 26.4 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 9.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 40.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.1 points per game.

Vaqueros: 2-8, averaging 75.3 points, 30.1 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 5.2 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 80.0 points.

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