UT Rio Grande Valley visits Tarleton State following Johnson's 20-point performance

UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (7-20, 2-13 WAC) at Tarleton State Texans (12-15, 7-7 WAC)

Stephenville, Texas; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: UT Rio Grande Valley visits the Tarleton State Texans after Justin Johnson scored 20 points in UT Rio Grande Valley's 67-61 loss to the Sam Houston Bearkats.

The Texans have gone 8-5 in home games. Tarleton State has a 6-14 record against opponents over .500.

The Vaqueros are 2-13 in WAC play. UT Rio Grande Valley is ninth in the WAC with 12.5 assists per game led by Ricky Nelson averaging 4.4.

The teams meet for the second time in conference play this season. The Texans won 79-64 in the last matchup on Jan. 30. Freddy Hicks led the Texans with 29 points, and Johnson led the Vaqueros with 23 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Montre' Gipson is averaging 15.2 points and 3.1 assists for the Texans. Hicks is averaging 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds over the last 10 games for Tarleton State.

Johnson is scoring 18.0 points per game and averaging 6.7 rebounds for the Vaqueros. Xavier Johnson is averaging 11.8 points and 1.8 rebounds over the last 10 games for UT Rio Grande Valley.

LAST 10 GAMES: Texans: 4-6, averaging 66.4 points, 26.9 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 6.9 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 41.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.8 points per game.

Vaqueros: 1-9, averaging 69.2 points, 33.5 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 5.0 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 43.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.5 points.

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