RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's basketball team dropped a tight 64-59 Southland Conference (SLC) game in overtime Thursday to the Northwestern State (NSU) Lady Demons in front of 1,556 fans at the UTRGV Fieldhouse as part of School Day, presented by Whataburger.
Defense set the tone in the overtime period. Neither team scored for the first half of the extra five minutes, then they went bucket for bucket. Redshirt junior guard
Erin Maguire knocked down a clutch three-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock dwindled down to give UTRGV the 59-56 lead, but
Nya Valentine answered with her own three just 30 seconds later to even things up again.
Clarence Djuela went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to give the Lady Demons a 60-59 lead with 31 seconds to play. It was NSU's first lead since the 3:45 mark of the third quarter then it led, 37-36. The Lady Demons made three additional trips to the free throw line down the stretch to secure the win.
Senior forward
Charlotte O'Keefe tabbed her 13
th double-double and fourth 20-point game to lead UTRGV (17-12, 14-6 SLC), scoring 21 points with 17 rebounds. Maguire and junior guard
Jalayah Ingram both scored 14 points. Ingram tabbed seven rebounds, six assists and a career high four blocks.
Vernell Atamah and Valentine led Northwestern State (15-13, 12-8 SLC) to victory. Atamah scored a game-high 26 points with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Valetine added 19 points with four assists and three steals and was clutch down the stretch.
Both offenses got out to a slow start. The first points weren't put on the board until two minutes came off the clock as Ingram got to the free throw line. The Lady Demons found their rhythm and scored seven unanswered as Atamah got her big day started with a flurry.
The Vaqueros responded to the NSU run as O'Keefe hit a hook shot with her left hand and Maguire made a trio of layups with her speedy drives to the basket to get UTRGV within 12-10. The Lady Demons held a 15-12 advantage after the opening quarter.
Northwestern State's defense forced a handful of misses for UTRGV and the Lady Demons quickly extended their lead to six points at two different points as Atamah continued to score at a high rate. After a three-and-a-half-minute scoreless drought, O'Keefe caught fire to bring the Vaqueros back within one possession of the lead. She made a quick-release three and added an old fashioned three-point play as she scored six points in the final four minutes of the half, but NSU still took a 31-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
O'Keefe continued to spark UTRGV in the third. She scored seven points in the quarter, including five in a row to start an 11-0 run that gave the Vaqueros their first lead since 1-0 at 41-36. Freshman forward
Chazlyn Dettor hit a nice layup to give the Vaqueros the edge at 37-36. O'Keefe was a force on both ends and Ingram made her way to the free throw line to send the game to the fourth with UTRGV leading, 43-41.
The fourth quarter was a physical, fast, all-out fight as the rowdy fans in attendance got loud to increase the intensity in the gym. The Lady Demons, powered late by Valentine, got within 54-53 of the lead with three minutes to play. But the veteran trio of O'Keefe, Maguire and Ingram pushed UTRGV late.
Maguire nailed a triple from the corner and O'Keefe showed off her footwork in the low post to beat a one-on-one defender for a layup to keep UTRGV on top. Sophomore guard
Gianna Angiolet made a clutch jumper to extend the lead to three with 2:58 to play, but a late foul call sent Atamah to the free throw line and she made one shot to tie the game at 56-56 with 20 seconds on the clock. UTRGV had the last possession after a NSU turnover, but the winning shot attempt fell short, sending the game to overtime.
Up next for the Vaqueros is a 2 p.m. SLC game Saturday against East Texas A&M at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. O'Keefe will be recognized as part of Senior Day before the game. Fans can purchase single-game 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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