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LAS VEGAS – Second-seeded The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's basketball team fell to top-seed New Mexico State 76-73 in double overtime in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament Championship Game on Saturday at Orleans Arena.
 
UTRGV (18-14) will find out Monday whether or not the team will be chosen for a postseason tournament.
 
Graduate student Madison Northcutt earned All-Tournament team honors by averaging 12.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in three games.
 
In this game, senior Quynne Huggins led UTRGV with 19 points while going 5-for-6 from behind the arc. Sophomore Amara Graham scored 15 points with seven rebounds. Senior Idil Türk also scored 15 points. Junior Megan Johnson finished with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Northcutt grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots.
 
Brooke Salasled NM State (26-6) with 27 points, 11 rebounds and two steals. Gia Packscored 22 points with seven rebounds and four steals. Stabresa McDaniel finished with 10 points.
 
Salas scored nine quick points to help NM State build a 12-3 lead. Huggins hit a jumper and a three as UTRGV went on a 12-5 run to pull within 17-15.
 
UTRGV opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run to take its first lead at 25-23 on a Graham layup.
 
That game stayed within one possession until midway through the third quarter when a Huggins three sparked a 9-0 run to put UTRGV up 51-44.
 
Then, in the fourth, with the score 54-48, NM State went on an 8-2 run to tie the game. Northcutt and McDaniel hit layups after that to tie the game at 58 and force overtime.
 
UTRGV never trailed in the first overtime, going up 61-58 on a Huggins layup and 63-61 on a Türk layup before a Salas layup in the final seconds forced a second overtime.
 
The lead went back and forth in the final period, with UTRGV going up 70-68 on a pair of Türk free throws with 1:51 remaining.
 
The game was tied at 72 on a Graham jumper with 40 seconds left, but Salas made a layup and two free throws to give NM State the lead for good.

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