ALPINE, Texas (January 3, 2025) – The first game of 2025 for the University of Texas Permian Basin was victorious as the women's basketball team defeated Sul Ross State University 79-50 on the road on Friday night.

It was a balanced effort for UTPB (7-5 overall, 5-1 Lone Star Conference), which saw five players score in double figures and saw four players make at least two 3-pointers.

Taysha Rushton scored 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from three, Nikki Green had 11 points on three 3-pointers, and Kamari Portalis, Makala Bingley and Mikalah Buckley each scored 10 points.

In addition to earning the start, Portalis matched her season-high in points while she and Buckley both made two 3-pointers for the first time on the season.

Khiara Flugence added nine points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the floor and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, and Avalon Munoz added seven points and six rebounds.

Head Coach Rae Boothe said, "Tonight was a great team win with balanced scoring. Khi dominated the boards and set a new career-high. We've had a great week of practice and it was so good to see it translate into tonight's game."

The Falcons jumped out to a 15-2 lead just three and a half minutes into the contest after making six of their first 10 shots from the field and three of their first five 3-point attempts.

Sul Ross got its offense together and cut its deficit to five points (20-15) after hitting its fourth 3-pointer of the first quarter with under three minutes left in the first period. UTPB, however, scored the final five points of the first quarter and the first five points of the second quarter and doubled up the Lobos at 30-15 after the second 3-pointer of the game by Rushton two minutes into the second period.

After kicking off the scoring with a 3-pointer, Portalis' second 3-pointer of the game made it a 17-point Falcons' lead (38-21) in the final three minutes of the first half, and then two 3-pointers in the final two minutes by Green, including one just before the halftime buzzer, made it a 21-point margin (44-23) at the break.

A steal and a layup by Portalis made it a 27-point game (55-28) four minutes into the third quarter, and then Rushton's fourth 3-pointer of the game made it a 31-point lead (65-34) in the final two minutes of the period.

After shooting 5-for-7 from three in the second quarter, UTPB added four more 3-pointers in the third quarter and was 12-for-29 (41 percent) from long range through three periods.

The largest lead of the night was a 32-point lead after a third-chance layup by Natalie Milwood to make it 78-46 just before the halfway mark of the fourth quarter.

Aided by five rebounds by Milwood off the bench, the Falcons were particularly strong on the boards, outrebounding the Lobos by 25 overall (53-28) and by 13 on the offensive glass (19-6), leading to an 18-2 lead on second chance points. It was a season-high in rebounds for UTPB against a conference opponent.

In addition, the UTPB defense held the opposition to its lowest point total allowed and lowest field goal percentage allowed (30.2 percent) in conference play this season.

The Falcons are back in action Sunday (Jan. 5) at Western New Mexico University at 1 p.m. Central Time / 12 p.m. Mountain Time.