Women’s Basketball Erases 17-Point Deficit to Earn Comeback Win at New Orleans

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s basketball team erased a 17-point deficit Saturday to earn a 64-62 victory over the New Orleans (UNO) Privateers in a Southland Conference (SLC) game at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.

Graduate student forward Chynell Mitchell and freshman guard Gianna Angiolet stepped up late to lead UTRGV (7-8, 2-2 SLC) to victory. Mitchell finished with six points and seen rebounds, while Angiolet scored 11 points with four rebounds. Graduate student guard/forward Kade Hackerott led the offense with 15 points and dished out four assists while recording two steals. Junior forward Charlotte O’Keefe led all student-athletes with 14 rebounds and scored eight points while recording three blocks and one steal.

Alexis Calderon led New Orleans (0-12, 0-3 SLC) with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Nora Francois scored 14 points with two steals and Gabbi Cartagena ccontributed 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

New Orleans played relentless defense to hold a 38-24 lead at halftime. The Privateers kept UTRGV scoreless for over five minutes in the first quarter as they grew an eight point lead despite O’Keefe and Co. holding a lead on the boards and snagging five offensive rebounds for second-chance points in the opening frame.

The deep ball started falling for the Vaqueros in the second quarter. Freshman guard Kayla Lorenz knocked down two threes, while senior guard Tierra Trotter and Angiolet. The opening minutes of the frame saw momentum shift in UTRGV’s favor, but the Privateers took control late. UNO outrebounded UTRGV, 13-5, in the second quarter, helping it expand the lead to 17 points.

UTRGV showed tremendous fight in the second half to rally from behind and get its first win of 2025. The Vaqueros shot 60% from the field and made four three-pointers in the third. Hackerott got the team fired up with a strong start, scoring UTRGV’s first nine points of the second half with a three and a few hard drives to the basket. Trotter scored five consecutive points with a three and a hard drive through traffic to the basket to get the Vaqueros within seven, but they trailed 56-46 heading to the fourth.

The Vaqueros dominated in the final quarter, locking up on defense to keep the Privateers off the scoreboard for the first seven-plus minutes of the frame. UTRGV went on a 14-0 run in that span as Mitchell scored six consecutive points and with eight points from Angiolet, including a pair of clutch three-pointers. Mitchell hit a pair of free throws to give the Vaqueros the lead with four minutes left to play.

UTRGV outscored New Orleans 18-6 in the fourth and played elite defense, holding the Privateers to 9.5% shooting, to secure the come-from-behind win.

Up next for the Vaqueros will be a Thursday SLC game at 6:30 p.m. against East Texas A&M at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.