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EDINBURG – Graduate student J.J. Thompson hit a layup at the buzzer to propel the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team past the Angelo State University Rams, the No. 7 ranked team in NCAA Division II, 76-75 on Sunday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
 
The Vaqueros (3-5) led 68-61 with 1:36 remaining when Tre Bennett sandwiched a pair Thompson free throws with three-pointers. Thompson and senior Everett Osborne followed with free throws, but Prince Foster made a three to make it a two-point game. After another Thompson free throw, Bennett drove to the hoop for a layup. Thompson hit one more free throw before Bennett banked in a deep go-ahead three with 4.6 seconds remaining.
 
On the ensuing play, graduate student Dakota Slaughter fired a long pass to Thompson at half court. Thompson went left, split two defenders and then put up the shot over a third defender to win the game.
 
Thompson led the Vaqueros with a career-high 31 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including a caeer-best 4-of-5 from behind the arc, with six rebounds and six assists. Slaughter scored 18 points with five rebounds and two steals. Senior Shaquille Hines dished out a career-high eight assists while scoring six points with five rebounds.
 
Bennett led the Rams with 26 points and eight rebounds while hitting five three-pointers. Shelton Boykin scored 11 points with seven rebounds.
                                                                
The Rams led 9-6 in the opening minutes, but Thompson hit two free throws, a three and a layup, and then sophomore Dan Kimasa made a pair of baskets and a free throw to power a 12-0 run as the Vaqueros went up 18-9 with 10:37 remaining in the first half.
 
The Rams responded with a 13-5 run to pull within 23-22 on three Boykin free throws four minutes later, but Thompson hit a pair of threes as the Vaqueros scored 11 of the next 15 points to go up 34-26.
 
The Rams followed with another run, outscoring the Vaqueros 20-5 over an eight-minute span, including a 14-2 run to open the second half to take a 46-39 lead on a Boykin layup.
 
A Thompson layup snapped the run at the 13:09 mark of the second half and then Slaughter made a three and a layup as the Vaqueros outscored the Rams 17-7, including another 7-0 run at the end of the span, to take a 56-53 lead.
 
The Vaqueros are back in action on Friday at 7 p.m. when host Tennessee-Martin in a game can that can be seen live on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (channel 323). Doors open at 6.

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