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EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team fell to the Portland State University Vikings 79-61 on Sunday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
 
Senior Shaquille Hines led the Vaqueros (1-3) with 18 points, five rebounds, a career-high four steals and two assists. Sophomore Dan Kimasa posted his first double-double of the season and fifth of his career with 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.
 
Isaiah Pinero led the Vikings (2-1) with 24 points on 11-of-14 shoting to go with 14 rebounds. Cameron Forte scored 16 points with 10 rebounds. Collin Spickerman finished with 13 points.
 
Graduate student Dakota Slaughter hit a jumper on the opening possession of the game to give the Vaqueros the lead, and then he hit a layup to tie the game at 4.
 
Forte responed with a pair of layups to help the Vikings score eight-straight points and go up 12-4.
 
It was still an eight-point game after a free throw by Hines made it 21-13, but Pinero scored nine of the game's next 11 points to push the Vikings ' lead to 30-15.
 
The Vikings took their largest lead of the half in the final minute when Calalen Robinson hit a three to make it 40-20.
 
Hines hit a layup at the halftime buzzer and two more in the opening minute of the second half to spark an 11-2 run to make it 42-31.
 
The Vaqueros were still within 11 at 51-40 following back-to-back Slaughter layups with less than 14 minutes left, but, but the Vikings hit six of their next nine shots over a five minute span to outscore the Vaqueros 13-4 and push their lead back out to 20.
 
The Vaqueros still trailed by 20 at 66-46 after a Spickerman jumper, but the Vaqueros hit four of their next five shots while going on an 11-2 run to pull within 68-57.
 
The Vikings, however, went 7-for-7 from the line down the stretch to put the game on ice.
 
The Vaqueros conclude the home stand on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they host Southeast Missouri State at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in a game that will be televised lived throughout the state of Texas on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (323). Doors open at 6.

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