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EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's basketball team clinched its third-straight winning season by beating Grand Canyon University (GCU) 52-49 on Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
 
UTRGV (16-9, 6-3 WAC) is now off to the best 25-game start in program history, two games ahead of last year's record-setting pace that saw the team finish with a program record .576 (19-14) winning percentage.
 
Senior Shawnte' Goff led UTRGV with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists.
 
Casey Rarrick led GCU (12-9, 4-4 WAC) with 14 points. Jessica Gajewski scored 13 points. Brie Mobley posted a double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds (seven offensive) and five assists.
 
Junior Weslaco alum Laura Van Tilburg hit a layup and two free throws while Goff made a trio of bank shots to help UTRGV jump out to a 10-3 lead.
 
GCU pulled within 10-5 at the end of the first quarter, but sophomore Bernesha Peters opened the second with a three and then junior Hildur Björg Kjartansdóttir made a layup to push UTRGV's lead to 15-5.
 
UTRGV took its largest lead of the half late in the quarter when a Goff jumer put UTRGV up 23-11.
 
GCU responded with a 12-4 run to climb within 27-23 on a Mobley three-point play midway through the third.
 
UTRGV pushed its lead back to eight at 38-30 on a Van Tilburg layup at the end of the quarter, but GCU opened the fourth on a 12-5 run to pull within 43-42 on a Rarrick three.
 
Then, after Goff made a layup and a three, Rarrick and Mobley made layups before Laura Marcos-Canedo nailed a three to give GCU its only lead of the game at 49-48 with 23 secodns to go.
 
On the ensuing inbound pass, Goff raced down the court and fed Kjartandóttir underneath the basket for a layup to restore UTRGV's lead.
 
UTRGV applied full court pressure, leading sophomore Nichelle Hyman to steal the ball.
 
GCU fouled to send Goff to the line. She hit both free throws and Mobley missed a half court heave at the buzzer to end the game.
 
UTRGV is back in action on Saturday at 7 p.m. when it hosts CSU Bakersfield for a game that will be televised regionally on Spectrum Sports channel 323. One lucky fan will win a Valentine's Day dinner for two, courtesy of University Draft House. There will also be various in-game raffles for pink UTRGV gifts and gear. Raffle entries will take place at the iPad station located outside the main entrance. Doors open at 6.

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