SECOND HALF SURGE LEADS UTRGV WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PAST SAM HOUSTON FOR FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON

HUNTSVILLE – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s basketball team scored 39 points in the second half to defeat the Sam Houston Bearkats 66-58 on Saturday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum for their first win of the season.

The Vaqueros (1-10) were led by junior Kade Hackerott, who recorded her second double-double of the season with a career-high 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Sophomore Charlotte O’Keefe added 11 points and four rebounds. Graduate student Ashton McCorry scored 10 points with five rebounds and junior Iyana Dorsey scored 10 points with six assists.

The Bearkats (5-7) were led by Raanee Smith, who recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Sydnee Kemp, Kaylee Jefferson, and Diana Rosenthal each added 10 points each.

Hackerott got the scoring started with a layup before the Bearkats rattled off five-straight points. Dorsey followed with a fastbreak layup and then Hackerott knocked down a jumper to give UTRGV the 6-5 lead midway through the first quarter.

After the Bearkats put together a 6-0 run that gave them the 13-7 lead, the Vaqueros closed out the quarter with a 7-3 lead that was capped by a pair of Dorsey free throws tying the game at 14-14.

Sam Houston opened the second quarter with a pair of layups before freshman Jayda Holiman, who was making her collegiate debut, made a three-pointer to get UTRGV within 20-17. The Vaqueros then took the lead at 25-24 after a jumper from Dorsey, a free throw from Holiman, and a three-pointer from Hackerott but the Bearkats took a 28-27 lead into the half after a jumper from Kemp.

The Vaqueros kicked off the third quarter with a 10-2 run that would give them the lead for good as it was capped by a pair of buckets from Holiman that made it 37-30 UTRGV with 4:14 left in the quarter. Sam Houston mounted a comeback with a 7-0 run, but McCorry converted a fastbreak layup to give the Vaqueros the 41-36.

In the fourth, junior Arianna Sturdivant knocked down a three-pointer to open the scoring in the quarter before O’Keefe made a layup to push the UTRGV lead to 46-38. The Bearkats answered with another 7-0 run, but the Vaqueros got a layup from junior Tierra Trotter and a three-pointer form Dorsey to push their lead to 51-45.

Hackerott and O’Keefe combined for six-straight points to push the UTRGV lead to 57-46 with 3:53 left. Sturdivant knocked down a clutch three-pointer with just under two minutes and Hackerott and O’Keefe put the game away with free throws down the stretch.

The Vaqueros will be back in action on January 4 when they visit Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. at the William R. Johnson Coliseum.