Women’s Basketball Defeated at Southeastern

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s basketball team was defeated by the Southeastern Louisiana (SLU) Lions Thursday, 80-41, in a Southland Conference (SLC) game at the University Center in Hammond, Louisiana.

Junior forward Charlotte O’Keefe led UTRGV (6-8, 1-2 SLC) with nine points and10 rebounds while recording one block. Graduate students Kade Hackerott and Chynell Mitchell and freshman guard Gianna Angiolet all scored eight points. Hackerott also recorded nine rebounds and had one block and Mitchell tabbed three steals.

Allasia Washington led Southeastern (9-3, 3-0 SLC) with 18 points and had five rebounds. Jalencia Pierre added 15 points with eight rebounds and three steals, and Alexius Horne scored 14 points with six rebounds.

Southeastern started the game strong, responding to the Vaqueros scoring the first points of the game by going on an 11-0 run. The Lions held a 14-7 lead after the first quarter and kept their momentum rolling with an 8-0 run to start the second, resulting in a 30-11 lead.

Senior guard Tierra Trotter used a big hustle play to spark the Vaqueros, snagging a Lions pass out of midair and taking the ball quickly down court for a layup. UTRGV continued chipping away, matching Southeastern’s physicality and controlling the boards. The Vaqueros went on a 5-0 run to close the half as Angiolet hit a corner three and O’Keefe showcased her footwork down low for a layup, cutting the deficit to 33-21 at the break.

The Lions were strong in the paint in the third, racking up rebounds and scoring consistently at the hoop. They grew their lead and limited UTRGV’s scoring chances with their physical play. The Vaqueros, though, went 9-for-9 from the free throw line in the frame, taking full advantage of their trips to the stripe but finding themselves trailing, 58-35, heading to the final quarter.

Southeastern shot 66.7% from the field in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice. Defensively, the Lions held UTRGV to 20.7% shooting while making three three-pointers on 33 attempts. UTRGV was sharp at the free throw line, shooting 73.7% (14-of-19).

The Vaqueros will be back in action Saturday at 2 p.m. for a conference game at New Orleans.