Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s basketball team used a season-high 30-point third quarter on its way to a 77-68 victory over Chicago State on Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
Redshirt junior Amara Graham led UTRGV (10-13, 5-5 WAC) with a career-high 25 points with a career-high 15 made free throws and four assists. Redshirt sophomore Ashlei Lopez added 12 points while graduate student Jordan Agustus chipped in with 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Chicago State (1-22, 1-9 WAC) had three players in double-figures with Alexandria Cliff leading the way with 19 points. Tyeshia Bowers added 18 points with six assists and Bethany Carstens scored 13 points with six rebounds.
The game stayed close throughout the first half as UTRGV took the 31-28 at the into the third quarter. A layup by Agustus kick-started a 17-5 run by the Vaqueros to extend its lead. Lopez followed with a pair of three-pointers that sandwiched a three-pointer from Graham. Later in the run, Agustus added another layup while a three-pointer from redshirt junior Zhane Templeton capped the run giving UTRGV the 48-33 lead.
After back-to-back jumpers from Cliff and Bowers got Chicago State within 58-42, UTRGV put together a 10-0 run that was capped by a Templeton layup with 3:22 left in the third.
UTRGV outscored Chicago State 30-19 to take the 61-47 lead into the fourth quarter. Chicago State answered with a 10-2 run to get within 63-57 with 4:38 left. Graham then took charge in the final three and a half minutes of the game as she scored 10 of her 25 points, including eight free throws to clinch the win.
The Vaqueros will back in action on Thursday, February 13, when it travels to Orem, Utah to face Utah Valley at 7 p.m.
 Vaqueros women’s basketball team used a season-high 30-point third quarter on its way to a 77-68 victory over Chicago State on Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.){kind=link}