RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's basketball team earned an incredible overtime victory, 65-61, over the Sam Houston State (SHSU) Bearkats on Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse to send four graduates out in style.
The Vaqueros were 18-of-26 from the charity stripe throughout the exciting contest, showing often how valuable the "free" throw can be. Freshman
Charlotte O'Keefe made two free throws and sophomore
Iyana Dorsey added a third to tie the game at 55-55 and force overtime.
UTRGV (11-16, 5-11 Western Athletic Conference) won the overtime tip and junior
Halie Jones promptly got the offense going with a turnaround jumper. Back-to-back layups by sophomore
Deborah Ogayemi and Dorsey put UTRGV on top 61-56, and the Vaqueros never looked back. An O'Keefe jumper, two more free throws and incredible defense – including a block by Dorsey – secured the victory for the Vaqueros.
UTRGV honored four graduates – Jones, junior
Tiffany McGarity, graduate student
Burcu Soysal and junior
Jena' Williams – before their final home game. All four started and played a role in the win.
Dorsey led the Vaqueros with 20 points, three steals and one block while shooting 75 percent from the free throw line. Jones scored 10 points and recorded three steals and five rebounds. Williams and O'Keefe both contributed nine points, and Williams dished out five assists while O'Keefe hauled in eight rebounds. Ogayemi had 10 rebounds.
Sam Houston (12-14, 8-8 WAC) was led by
Madelyn Batista's 17 points and nine rebounds.
Mikayla Woods contributed 14 points,
Kaylee Jefferson scored 13 and
Tierney Coleman added 12. Jefferson also had two blocks.
After falling behind 5-2, UTRGV tied the contest at 7-7 with help from good free throw shooting. The Vaqueros trailed 11-9 after the opening quarter, cutting the deficit in half off an O'Keefe layup that was set up by a great assist by McGarity. Dorsey and McGarity paced UTRGV's offense in the first quarter, and Dorsey recorded a steal.
SHSU kept the Vaqueros off the board for the first three minutes of the second quarter. Then, a layup by
Zariah Sango sparked an offensive outburst that resulted in a 23-point frame for UTRGV and a 32-28 lead at halftime.
Down 18-11, Dorsey knocked down a layup through contact then finished the three-point play at the free throw line. That made free throw put her at 1,000 career points, which ignited a loud, appreciative cheer from the crowd.
UTRGV took that energy and ran with it. Williams knocked down a deep three-pointer to give the Vaqueros their first lead since the opening bucket, 25-24. Jones quickly followed suit with a three-pointer of her own to make it 30-26 after swiping a steal to set up the play. Dorsey drained a buzzer-beating jumpshot just before half.
Sam Houston opened the second half with a 6-0 run to take the lead, 34-32. Jones tied things up with a layup, then O'Keefe drilled a three-pointer to give UTRGV the edge, 37-34.
The middle part of the third quarter saw the two teams swapping baskets, then the Bearkats went on an 8-0 run to take a 44-39 lead. Williams made one free throw to end the streak. Coleman notched a steal and then hit a layup as time expired to put Sam Houston on top, 48-40, heading to the fourth quarter.
Two free throws by McGarity put UTRGV within six at 48-42, but Sam Houston's defense forced another long scoring drought for the Vaqueros. UTRGV's defense also kept the Bearkats offense contained to allow the Vaqueros to stay within a couple of possessions. An offensive rebound by O'Keefe led to a jumper by Williams, making it 50-45.
Ogayemi tied the contest at 52-52 with three minutes remaining.
UTRGV's next game is Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Utah Valley.
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