COMMERCE, Texas – Junior guard
Jalayah Ingram scored a career-high 29 points, including 16 in a massive fourth quarter, to lift The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's basketball team to a 60-55 victory over the East Texas A&M (ETAMU) Lions Saturday in a Southland Conference (SLC) contest at The Field House.
Ingram scored 14 consecutive UTRGV points in the fourth quarter to take the game from a 43-43 tie to 57-51 in favor of the Vaqueros with 31 seconds to play.
Tiana Ellison hit a three-pointer for the Lions with 10 seconds on the clock, trimming UTRGV's lead to 58-55, but Ingram knocked down two clutch free throws to secure the win.
Ingram went 11-for-12 from the free throw line and recorded five rebounds, two blocks and one steal to lead UTRGV (8-8, 5-2 SLC) to victory. Senior forward
Charlotte O'Keefe tabbed 15 rebounds, nine points and two blocks. Junior forward
Ivy Brown added eight points with six rebounds and two steals.
Ellison led the Lions (7-7, 3-4 SLC) with 21 points going 4-for-4 from the three-point line, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Ahmya Boyce scored 13 points with five rebounds.
UTRGV started strong and controlled the pace of the game, moving the ball well and getting through the Lions defense with ease to open up an 11-2 lead. ETAMU got hot from behind the arc, sinking a pair of threes to get within 16-15 after calling an early timeout. The Vaqueros didn't score from the field for the final three minutes of the quarter and found themselves locked, 17-17, heading to the second quarter.
The game went back-and-forth for the next two quarters. Sophomore guard
Gianna Angiolet made a three and Ingram scored six in the second, but the Lions were impressive on the boards and the game went to halftime still tied at 30-30.
Defenses dominated the third quarter. Neither team hit double-digit scoring in the quarter until the final minute, when a layup by Ellison gave ETAMU a 40-38 lead. Brown drained a three-pointer with four seconds remaining in the quarter to send UTRGV to the fourth with a one-point lead.
Angiolet scored the first points of the fourth, then Ingram took over. UTRGV was smart with the basketball in the crucial fourth quarter and committed a season-low eight turnovers in the contest. The Vaqueros went 9-for-10 from the free throw line in the fourth to put the game on ice.
The Vaqueros return to the UTRGV Fieldhouse to play Southeastern at 6:30 p.m. Thursday on Support Women's Sports Night, presented by HEB. Fans can purchase tickets at
UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID but will need to claim a ticket at
GoUTRGV.com/StudentTickets. Fans can learn more about game day, including parking information, maps, and the clear bag policy by visiting
RallyTheValley.com.
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