UTRGV shows poise and grabs win against East Texas A&M
EDINBURG — The UTRGV Women’s basketball team hosted the East Texas A&M Lions here at home on Saturday.
The Vaqueros (18-12, 15-6) showed poise against the Lions (13-15, 9-12) as they took the win, 71-64.
Senior forward Charlotte O’Keefe and junior guard Jalayah Ingram both took charge in their own avenues.
In the first half — especially from the opening quarter, there were some mishaps on defense as the visiting Lions hit four 3-pointers in the opening 10 minutes. The first half, the Lions went 6-for-11 beyond the arc.
Ingram, who is point guard for UTRGV, had herself a tremendous first quarter with 13 points. With savvy handles and aggressive drives, East Texas A&M had a bit of trouble stopping her.
O’Keefe found her footing as well as she was comfortable taking some mid-jumpers and also hitting a three of her own. Ingram had a buzzer-beating bucket at the end of the second quarter to give UTRGV a 38-36 lead. She had 22 on the night.
The third-quarter surge in which UTRGV outscored the Lions, 19-14, helped give the momentum to the home team to hold onto the win — especially on Senior Night.
Speaking of seniors, O’Keefe had herself a night with her 14th double-double. She had 15 points and more notably, 17 rebounds.
Following the game, O’Keefe said the win was impactful in more ways than one.
“I mean, it means a lot,” she said. “This place has been my home for the last four years, and this community means a lot to me playing here — it means a lot to me. So, yeah, it was really special to have that.”
The win was not just important to the senior but it was important to the team, especially as the Southland Conference tourney is about a week away.
This win against the East Texas A&M Lions solidifies a No. 4 seed in the tourney. The significance of that? The team gets a first-round bye.
Those who may be out of the loop when it comes to the postseason is that teams who win their respective conference tournament, get their ticket punched to the NCAA basketball tournament aka “The Big Dance.”
The UTRGV Vaqueros will play their final game of the regular season at home against Incarnate Word on Monday.