UTRGV WBB falls at home against Texas State

EDINBURG — The UTRGV women’s basketball team returned from the Thanksgiving holiday with a 68-59 loss against the Texas State Bobcats in a non-conference game Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.

UTRGV (3-4, 0-0 Southland Conference) saw junior forward Charlotte O’Keefe lead the way with 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Graduate student Kade Hackerott and freshman guard Gianna Angiolet scored nine each, while Hackerott snagged seven rebounds. Graduate student Chynell Mitchell added eight points and two blocks, and freshman guard Kayla Lorenz scored eight.

Texas State (3-3, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) was led by Destiny Terrell and Ja’Mia Harris, who each scored 13 points. Jaylin Foster added seven points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

The first quarter was a defensive battle that saw both teams struggle to hit shots early. Mitchell tabbed a pair of blocks as UTRGV’s defense stayed tight on the Bobcats, forcing misses down low and keeping the score close despite the Vaqueros shooting 19% from the field in the frame. Texas State’s dominance on the boards, resulting in a 16-6 rebound advantage, helped the Bobcats get rolling late to hold an 18-9 lead heading to the second quarter.

UTRGV opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to force an early timeout as the trio of O’Keefe, Hackerott and Mitchell did work in the paint. The Vaqueros got within one point at 21-20 after Lorenz knocked down the team’s first three-pointer and Trotter added a jumper. UTRGV’s defense kept Texas State scoreless for nearly three minutes as the lead shrunk, but the Bobcats responded and extended the advantage back to seven. Angiolet drilled a jumper and a three-pointer to get the Vaqueros within 29-27 heading to the locker room.

Texas State was tough in the paint on both ends of the court to hold a 49-41 lead heading to the final 10 minutes. The Bobcats shot 64% from the field as they fed the bigs under the basket, and the efficient play resulted in the lead growing to 11. Lorenz hit her second three-pointer of the game to trim the deficit at the quarter buzzer.

UTRGV came out strong in the fourth and quickly cut the lead to 52-48 after a pull-up jumper by senior guard Tierra Trotter. After a brief run by Texas State, the Vaqueros once again showed their grit on defense and kept the Bobcats from scoring from the field for over four minutes. During that stretch, O’Keefe and Co. got within 54-53 as they took advantage of matchups in the paint. UTRGV fought to the finish and cut it to a one-possession game with under 30 seconds to play, but missed free throws down the stretch and good rebounding from Texas State secured the win for the Bobcats.

Up next for the Vaqueros is a 6:30 p.m. game Wednesday against Abilene Christian at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Tickets can be purchased at UTRGVTickets.com. A clear bag policy is in place for all fans at UTRGV facilities.

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