HAMMOND, La. (Interstat) — A surging Texas-Rio Grande Valley squad looks to continue its climb in the Southland Conference standings when it visits struggling Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday at the University Center. The Vaqueros (15-12) have won seven of their last nine games, including a 70-65 home victory over Lamar on Monday. They currently sit in the upper half of the conference. The Lions (8-19), meanwhile, have lost four of their last five and are near the bottom of the league. UTRGV will lean on the hot hand of guard Filip Brankovic. The standout has averaged 17.1 points over his last eight contests, including a 24-point outburst in the win over New Orleans on Feb. 7 and 19 points against Lamar. His scoring efficiency has been a catalyst for the Vaqueros’ offensive uptick. Southeastern Louisiana will counter with forward Isaiah Gaines, a consistent presence in the paint. Gaines is coming off a 10-rebound performance in a loss to Texas A&M-Commerce and has shown versatility with multiple games this month featuring points, rebounds, assists and blocks. The teams met just over a month ago in Edinburg, Texas, with UTRGV escaping with a 68-65 win. The Vaqueros have relied on a balanced attack, as seen against Lamar where Koree Cotton added 15 points and Jaylen Washington dished out eight assists. For the Lions, recent struggles have stemmed from offensive inconsistency, failing to reach 70 points in any of their last five outings. They will need a strong defensive effort to slow Brankovic and contain a UTRGV team averaging 78.4 points during its recent 7-2 stretch. Saturday’s contest is the only scheduled meeting between the programs this regular season. Following this game, UTRGV travels to face McNeese State on Monday, while Southeastern Louisiana hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.