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EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's basketball team beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 56-53 as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, on Tuesday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
 
UTRGV (3-0) now leads Corpus Christi (2-1) in the showdown standings 12.5-6.5.
 
Graduate student Weslaco alum Laura Van Tilburg led UTRGV with a career-high tying 14 points on 6-12 shooting and a career-high tying 12 rebounds (eight offensive) for her first-career double-double. Freshman Amara Graham scored a career-high 10 points on 4-4 shooting with three rebounds. Junior Krisynthia Sampson finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two steals.
 
Brittany Mbamalu led Corpus Christi with 26 points while hitting eight three-pointers, including six for all 18 of Corpus Christi's points in the third quarter. Emma Young scored 16 points with nine rebounds.
 
Corpus Christi jumped out to a 12-4 lead on the power of a pair of Mbamalu three-pointers.
 
Then, with the score 13-7 and under three minutes left in the first quarter, UTRGV embarked on a 9-0 run to take a 15-13 lead on a Van Tilburg layup. UTRGV expanded that run into a 24-6 advantage over the final 12:42 of the first half to go up 30-19.
 
UTRGV took its largest lead of the game at 38-25 on a layup by junior Shaiann Tramble with 2:41 remaining in the third before Mbamalu hit four three-pointers to fuel a 14-4 run and bring Corpus Christi within 42-38.
 
Corpus Christi closed to within 50-49 on a Young three with 2:34 to go, but Graham answered with a three and a layup to seal the victory.
 
UTRGV is back in action on Friday at 7 p.m. at (RV) Oklahoma State.
 
The next event of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, is on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when men's basketball visits Corpus Christi.

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