McALLEN — When the Rio Grande Valley Silverados took the hardwood on Sunday against Great Falls, some observers believed the first-year franchise’s struggles would continue after suffering an embarrassing 21-point home loss the previous night.

But the loss proved to be an incentive for the Silverados, who claimed their first home victory of the season in a 93-75 victory over the Explorers at the McAllen Convention Center.

“It was a great win for us,” Silverados coach Derrick Rowland said. “The effort was there tonight by the players. It’s our first home win, and I tell you it feels like we won the championship. We just got to build from this.”

“I know what we’re capable of doing once we bring the effort and the preparation for it. It was just a great win, and everybody contributed.”

With the win, the Silverados (2-16) end a six-game slide after posting their first victory of the season Dec. 8 against the Explorers on the day Rowland was hired.

He was serious about turning things around for the organization, and the Silverados looked like a different team, playing with more hustle and enthusiasm.

Great Falls (5-14) took a 4-2 lead before the Silverados went on a 9-0 run and never looked back. They led by seven points after one quarter and increased the edge to 10 by halftime.

RGV shot 48.6 percent (17-of-35) from the field during the first half and limited the Explorers to 14 field goals on 42 attempts. For the game, the Silverados committed 11 turnovers and outrebounded Great Falls 43-32.

“The big keys (in the win) were us playing defense and us playing together,” Silverados guard Renaldo Norman said. “We rebounded the basketball and cut down on our turnovers.”

The Silverados continued their dominance in the second half, building a 21-point lead after three quarters. The fourth quarter was won by the Explorers, but the Silverados gained three points in the CBA standings after winning the first three.

“We stuck to our defensive strategy tonight,” Rowland said. “We didn’t have the mental errors we had (Saturday), and we matched their effort. If we do that, we’ll have a chance to win a whole lot of basketball games.”

“We wanted it tonight, and we had to have this. We did not want to end the year on a losing note.”

The Silverados had five players in double figures, with Rod Nealy and Brian Evans leading the pack with 19 points apiece. Nealy added 13 rebounds, and Evans recorded five rebounds and five assists.

The Silverados next play at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, beginning a two-game series against the Oklahoma Calvary. RGV returns home Saturday to face the Minot Skyrockets.