EDINBURG, Texas – The Prairie View A&M women's basketball team was nipped 66-63 by Texas-Rio Grande Valley Saturday afternoon during the South Padre Island Classic at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. 

How it Happened:

Following a back and forth first quarter, Prairie View A&M used tenacious defense to help fuel a 9-2 run to open the second frame and go ahead by as many as six. Though the Vaqueros tied the game with back-to-back threes, Tiffany Tullis sparked a 6-2 close for the Panthers, with Diana Rosenthal scoring with seven ticks left in the half to send PVAMU to the break with a 28-24 advantage.

The Panthers ended up trailing 36-32 after finding themselves on the wrong end of a 12-4 run, but Kennedi Heard and Kennedy Paul sparked an 8-0 surge for the Panthers to regain the lead. The Panthers took a 44-43 lead into the fourth and quickly added to it with baskets from Paul and Tabreea Gandy.

The Vaqueros managed to pull within one midway through the fourth, but Paul knocked down a trey to push the Panthers back up four. UTRGV jumped ahead briefly, but clutch baskets by Rosenthal kept PVAMU in the driver's seat until an Amara Graham three-pointer gave the Vaqueros the lead. Jasmin Dixon tied it for the Panthers at 60 with 40 seconds left, but despite a late Rosenthal three to bring them within one, the Panthers were ultimately unable to overcome late free throws from the Vaqueros. 

Top Performances: 

Paul led the Panthers with 13 points. Gandy added 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Rosenthal scored 11 points while hauling in five boards.

Graham led UTRGV with 21 points and five assists, including the go-ahead free throws in the final seconds.

Next Up:  

In its final non-conference game of the season, Prairie View A&M hosts Houston Baptist on Dec. 29 at the Baby Dome. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.  

Keep up with all the latest news and information for PVAMU athletics by following pvpanthers.com as well as through Twitter via the PVAMU general sports account (@PVAMUPanthers). You can also follow along on Instagram.com/pvamupanthers.  

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