NORMAL, Ill. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's basketball team saw its historic season come to an end Sunday with an 81-52 loss to the Illinois State (ISU) Redbirds in the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) second round at CEFCU Arena.
UTRGV ends the season with a 21-14 record, setting program records in overall wins, conference wins (16), road wins (11) and consecutive road wins (8) while tying the program-best seven-game winning streak. The Vaqueros picked up the first road postseason victory and second postseason win in history.
Senior forward Charlotte O'Keefe ended her career with her 17th double-double of the season and 39th of her career, which ranks fourth in Southland Conference (SLC) history. O'Keefe scored 15 points with 14 rebounds. Junior guard Jalayah Ingram led UTRGV with 16 points and had nine rebounds, two steals, two blocks and two assists. Freshman forward Chazlyn Dettor scored eight with nine rebounds.
Illinois State (21-13) had five in double-figure scoring, led by 21 points from Doneelah Washington. Addison Martin and Madison Austin both scored 14 while Kya Hurt and Bella Finnegan contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Redbirds shot 52% from the field.
The Vaqueros found themselves trailing, 22-16, after a competitive first quarter. Both teams shot just under 50% from the field and found success driving to the hoop. UTRGV maintained a slim lead through the first five minutes of an action, going up 10-9 after a hook shot by Dettor and a three-pointer to start the game from Angiolet. The Redbirds scored four in a row to flip the momentum, then freshman forward Rylie Whitehair came off the bench and hit a clutch three-pointer to even things up. Ingram made a three-point play late in the frame, driving hard to the basket and finishing the floater through contact before cashing in the free throw. But Illinois State went on a 9-3 run in the closing 2:30 to hold the lead after one.
The second quarter was rough for UTRGV, which shot just 15% from the field while the Redbirds made 64% of their shots. ISU's defense forced misses and miscues and didn't allow a basket from the Vaqueros until the clock hit 4:24. Redshirt junior guard Erin Maguire hit a pull-up jumper to get the Vaqueros on the board, but the Redbirds built a 20-point lead with an 18-0 run. ISU took a 49-22 advantage into the locker room despite buckets from Ingram and O'Keefe.
Dettor showed her strength in the paint to get the Vaqueros going in the third quarter. O'Keefe and Ingram continued to battle, but the shooting woes continued for UTRGV and the Redbirds widened the gap. Ingram closed the quarter with four consecutive points and sophomore guard Kayla Lorenz drained a three-pointer to start the fourth to aid a game-high 7-0 run for the Vaqueros.
O'Keefe, Ingram and Dettor produced in the paint in the fourth quarter, snatching rebounds as well as scoring as they battled down low. But Illinois State was aggressive defensively and continued to shoot the lights out to the final minutes to keep the game in hand.
O'Keefe scored UTRGV's final five points of the game, including knocking down a three-pointer with 28 seconds remaining. She gave it her all to the very end and, as the only senior on the squad, left a legacy that changed the program and will inspire the younger Vaqueros to continue working for more success.
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