BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's basketball team defeated CSU Bakersfield, who entered the day atop the Western Athletic Conference standings, 66-52 on Saturday at the Icardo Center.  
 
Redshirt junior Zhane Tempelton led UTRGV (9-12, 4-4 WAC) with a career-high with 21 points as she tied a career-high with five three-pointers. Junior Amara Graham added 16 points with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals while Valeria Tapiachipped in with 10 points. 
 
Jayden Egglestonled CSU Bakersfield (13-8, 5-3 WAC) with 12 points while Ashley Austin chipped in with nine points. 
 
After a three-pointer by Tyonna Singletongave CSU Bakersfield the 8-6 lead, UTRGV got a pair of three-pointers from Templeton and a free throw from freshman Sara Bershers to take the 13-8 lead to end the first quarter.
 
That kicked off a 13-0 run for UTRGV as it pushed its lead to 19-8 into the second quarter. A layup by Austin got CSU Bakersfield within 22-16 but a layup by Templeton and a three-pointer by Graham made it 27-16 with 1:24 left in the first half. 
 
Graham went on a personal 5-0 run to start the scoring for the Vaqueros in the second half that made it 32-23 with 6:56 left in the third. Later in the quarter, Tapia knocked down a three-pointer before CSU Bakersfield answered with back-to-back three-pointers from Lexus Greenand Andie Easleythat made it 41-33 UTRGV. 
 
The Vaqueros answered right back with a 9-0 runto close out the quarter and open up play in the fourth as Templeton capped the run with a layup that made it 50-33. Later in the fourth, a Tapia layup gave UTRGV its biggest lead of the game at 58-38 with 7:28 left to play to put the game away.  
 
The Vaqueros will back in action on Thursday, February 6, when it hosts Kansas City at 7 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse for Believe in a Cure Night. Current UTRGV students get free general admission with a valid UTRGV student ID. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at UTRGVTickets.com. Fans purchasing their tickets online prior to game day can save up to $2 per ticket. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

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