HUNTSVILLE – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's basketball team battled in the fourth quarter but fell 70-65 to the Sam Houston Bearkats on Saturday at Johnson Coliseum.
Sophomore
Deborah Ogayemi led the Vaqueros (7-12, 1-7 WAC) with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Junior
Mele Kailahi scored 15 points with seven rebounds and junior
Jena' Williams also scored 15 points with four rebounds.
The Bearkats (9-10, 5-4 WAC) had four players in double figures with
Madely Batista leading the way with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Sydnee Kemp scored 14 points and
Mikayla Woods and
Tierne Colemaneach adding 10 points.
UTRGV jumped out to the early 8-3 lead behind a three-point play by Kailahi, a three-pointer from sophomore
KaCee Kyle, and a fastbreak layup from sophomore
Tierra Trotter. Later in the first quarter, a layup by Ogayemi gave the Vaqueros the 17-8 lead but the Bearkats put together an 10-2 run to close out the quarter with the Vaqueros leading 19-18.
In the second, the Vaqueros opened with an 9-2 run behind free throws and a layup from Ogayemi and a three-pointer from Williams for a 28-20 lead. The Bearkats once again answered with a 12-0 run to take the 32-28 lead, but UTRGV closed out the half by scoring six of the final eights as the game was tied at 34-34 heading to the locker room.
The second half was back-and forth, as both teams exchanged leads in the opening minutes. The Vaqueros put together a 7-0 run on a Williams jumper and a three-pointer and a layup by Kailahi that gave them the 43-38 lead with 5:30 left in the third. A 7-1 run by the Bearkats gave them the lead once again but UTRGV held on to a 49-47 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Bearkats opened the fourth with back-to-back three-pointers from Kemp that gave them the lead for good. The Vaqueros got within one on three different occasions, but the Bearkats answered every time. The Vaqueros got within 65-64 after a jumper by Ogayemi with 2:53 left to play but the Bearkats closed the game on a 5-1 run to close it out.
The Vaqueros will be back in action on Thursday, February 2, when they host Utah Tech at 6:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Tickets are on sale now at
UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at
GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. The party starts in Vaquero Village at 5:30 p.m.
Fans unable to attend in person can watch domestically on
ESPN+ or internationally via
WAC International.
Support UTRGV Women's Basketball |
Become a Fan on Facebook |
Follow us on Twitter |
Follow us on Instagram |
Follow us on YouTube
