Texas Border Business
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s basketball team fell 66-57 to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders on Sunday at the Dugan Wellness Center, as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union.
The Islanders (1-1) now lead 16-6 in the showdown standings after getting three points for the win.
Junior Jessica Martino led the Vaqueros (0-2) with 13 points, with nine of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Graduate student Taylor Muff added 12 points with six rebounds while sophomore Tiffany McGarity chipped in with nine points and three steals.
Makinna Serrata led the Islanders with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Nabaweeya McGill added 11 points and six rebounds while Alecia Westbrook chipped in with seven points and 10 rebounds.
The Islanders held the Vaqueros scoreless through the first 5:50 as they took the early 13-0 lead before freshman KaCee Kyle hit a three-point to get UTRGV on the board. McGarity stole a pass and then converted on the layup to cut into the Islander lead at 13-5 with 2:53 left in the quarter.
In the second quarter, sophomore Maria Llorente made a layup that put an end to Corpus Christi’s 6-0 run that made it 19-7. Later in the quarter, freshman Brooke Jessen knocked down a jumper before junior Martinoconverted on a pair of free throws to make it 28-15 Islanders with 2:11 left in the half.
Sophomore Jena’ Williams knocked down a floater before the Islanders got back-to-back field goals from Serrata and Olivia Dowden, but it was Jessen who put the cap on the scoring in the first half with a layup as the Islanders took the 25-19 lead into halftime.
The Islanders opened the second half with a 12-3 run to push their lead to 47-22 before freshman Arianna Sturdivant knocked down a three-pointer and McGarity converted on a fast break layup to get within 47-27.
In the fourth, Martino scored seven straight points that was part of a 12-3 run that helped get the Vaqueros within 62-52 with just under two minutes to play but the Islanders get them at bay the rest of the way.
The Vaqueros will be back in action on Tuesday when they hit the road to face the University of Northern Colorado Bears at 7 p.m. at Bank of Colorado Arena.
The next event of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, is on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. when men’s basketball hosts Corpus Christi.
