LAKE CHARLES, La. — No. 3 seed UTRGV delivered a dominant performance Monday night, defeating No. 6 seed Nicholls 86–68 to advance to the semifinals of the 2026 Air Force Reserve Southland Conference Basketball Championships presented by the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

Competing in its first-ever Southland Conference Tournament, the Vaqueros controlled the game from start to finish, shooting a blistering 58.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. UTRGV also knocked down all 12 of its free throw attempts while placing five players in double figures.

Filip Brankovic led the balanced attack with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting while adding five rebounds and three assists. Koree Cotton added 18 points and five assists, Jaylen Washington finished with 15 points, Marvin McGhee III scored 13, and Julien Gomez chipped in 12.

UTRGV built a 44–32 lead at halftime and never allowed Nicholls back within single digits in the second half. The Vaqueros continued to pour it on after the break, shooting 68 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes and stretching the lead to as many as 25 points midway through the second half.

Nicholls (14–19) was led by Trae English with 17 points while Jalin Rice added 13.

The Colonels briefly grabbed an early lead in the opening minutes, but UTRGV responded with a decisive run midway through the first half and led for more than 39 minutes of the contest.

With the win, the Vaqueros improve to 19–13 and advance to the semifinals where they will face No. 2 seed McNeese on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.