EDINBURG – In a game that was never separated by more than six points, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's basketball team fell to three-time defending Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Champion New Mexico State 79-77 in overtime on Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
 
Graduate student Weslaco alum Laura Van Tilburg led UTRGV (11-11, 1-6 WAC) with a career-high 23 points on 11-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds. Sophomore Megan Johnson scored 15 points with four rebounds and three steals. Junior Jameka Dowell scored 12 points. Graduate student Alicia McCray finished with eight points and six rebounds.
 
Gia Pack led NM State (12-9, 6-1 WAC) with 29 points and nine rebounds. Zaire Williams scored 17 points with 11 assists. Tonishia Childress finished with 11 points.
 
UTRGV trailed 54-49 early in the fourth quarter when junior Idil Türk made a three and Van Tilburg knocked down a layup to tie the game. Then, after a Williams jumper, Johnson hit a free throw and a layup and junior Krisynthia Sampson made a three to put UTRGV up 60-56.
 
UTRGV maintained the lead until the final seconds, going up 67-64 on a jumper by freshman Brownsville Saint Joseph alum Valeria Tapia, but Williams tied the game on a three with 14 seconds left in regulation.
 
NM State took the early lead in overtime as Pack made two three-pointers, a layup and a pair of free throws to make the score 77-73.
 
Dowell followed with two free throws and then Van Tilburg tied the game on a layup with eight seconds left.
 
Williams made a pair of free throws with two seconds left, however, to complete the scoring.
 
UTRGV scored the first three points of the game before Childress and Pack hit threes to help NM State go up 8-3.
 
NM State extended its lead to 14-8 on a Monique Mills layup late in the first quarter, but UTRGV hit four of its next six shots to go on a 12-3 run and take a 20-17 lead on a three by junior Quynne Huggins at the start of the second.
 
NM State scored nine of the next 10 points to regain the lead and push its lead back out to six at 30-24 on a Pack jumper.
 
Türk closed the quarter with a three and then UTRGV opened the third on an 11-3 run to go up 38-33 on a Johnson layup.
 
NM State responded with a 10-0 run to take a 48-43 lead on a Williams three-point play.
 
UTRGV came back to tie the game at 47 on a layup by freshman Amara Graham late in the quarter.
 
UTRGV is back in action on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Grand Canyon.

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