Women’s Basketball Defeats St. Mary’s

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s basketball team defeated the St. Mary’s Rattlers, 73-42, Monday in a non-conference game at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

UTRGV (3-3, 0-0 Southland Conference) was led by 18 points from graduate student Kade Hackerott, who shot 71% from the field and had four rebounds and two steals. Junior forward Charlotte O’Keefe added 11 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Ja’Shelle Johnson and freshman guard Sophia Zufelt scored eight points each as Johnson matched her career high.

St. Mary’s (3-1, 0-0 Lone Star Conference) got nine points from Raynne Malik and Lena Newby, while Quezia Bertoni added eight. Newby had a team-high six rebounds.

The Vaqueros dominated the first half, using stifling defense to limit the Rattlers to 12 points while shooting just 19% from the field as UTRGV led 36-12 at halftime. St. Mary’s scored only two points in the second quarter on a buzzer-beating layup by Sian Phipps. 

UTRGV forced 19 turnovers in the first half with one dozen of those coming in the lobsided second quarter. The Vaqueros were quick to cash in those turnovers and pushed the pace of play as both teams raced up and down the court. Senior guard Tierra Trotter made a highlight reel play to close the first quarter, snagging an interception fit for the football field before launching a buzzer-beating three-pointer for the 24-10 lead. Johnson showed her one-on-one defensive skills to pick the pocket of a Rattler and finish at the basket with the wide-open layup late in the half.

Shots didn’t fall for the Vaqueros early in the third quarter, but the effort never wavered and the points came down the stretch. O’Keefe, Zufelt and freshman guard Gianna Angiolet knocked down three-pointers and Hackerott scored six consecutive points for UTRGV to help a 57-26 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.

The Vaqueros opened the final frame with a quick 7-0 run as senior Edinburg High alum Brianna Sanchez scored four tough points in the paint. From there, both teams played tight defense to slow their opponents down and swapped buckets down the stretch. They scored 16 points each in the fourth, and UTRGV’s early advantage made the difference.

UTRGV is back in action Saturday at 2 p.m. against Texas State at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Fans can receive free admission with a donation of six nonperishable food items as part of a food drive to benefit the student food pantry. Tickets can be purchased at UTRGVTickets.com. A clear bag policy is in place for all fans at UTRGV facilities.