Edinburg, Texas – The Chicago State women's basketball team shot 46.6 percent from the floor and had three players in double figures but dropped a hard fought 77-68 road contest at UT Rio Grande Valley.
Alexandria Cliff (Manitowoc, Wis./Roncalli) lead the Cougars with 19 points and was joined in double figures by
Tyeshia Bowers (Flint, Mich./Southwestern) and
Bethany Carstens (Kenai, Alaska/Nikiski) with 18 and 13 points, respectively.
The first quarter the two teams battled to a 19-19 stalemate. The home team scored the first two baskets but the Cougars battled back to tie the game at 4-4 at the 8:09 mark and the teams traded buckets for the remainder of the period with neither team taking more than a two-point lead in the first stanza. The second quarter was equally as close throughout but the home team took a slim 31-28.
The second half the home team pulled away. With the Vaqueros leading 36-33, they went off on a 12-0 run to take a 48-33 lead at the 6:44 mark. The lead ballooned to 21 points with 3:22 left in the quarter and wouldn't get to single digits the remainder of the contest.
The Cougars tried to cut into the lead late and were able to get it to seven points with 1:44 left on a pair from Cliff but they couldn't stop the home team who went 7-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch.
Up Next
The Cougars will head back to Chicago for the next two games. Starting with a match up with Cal State-Bakersfield on Thursday at 7 pm. It will be a Think Pink game for the Cougars and all fans are encouraged to wear pink.
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