Texas Border Business
ST. GEORGE, Utah – University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s basketball team fell 89-86 to the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Saturday at Burns Arena in a game that featured seven ties and five lead changes.
UTRGV (9-16, 3-11 WAC) had five players score in double figures with sophomore Iyana Dorsey leading the way with 26 points, on 7-of-17 shooting. Junior Mele Kailahi scored 14 points with three rebounds and two steals. Freshman Charlotte O’Keefe scored 14 points with eight rebounds and two assists. Junior Tiffany McGarity added 13 points with four rebounds.
Utah Tech (16-9, 8-6 WAC) was led by Breaunna Gillen, who scored 24 points with six assists and seven rebounds. Emily Isaacson scored 22 points with five rebounds. Amber Kartchner scored 15 points with five rebounds and five assists and Maggie McCord chipped in with 15 points.
The Vaqueros came out of the gates and scored the first six points of the game as O’Keefe knocked down a jumper, Ogayemi made a layup, Kailahimade a pair of free throws to give them the 6-0 lead. The Trailblazers answered with a 12-2 run before a three-pointer from junior Arianna Sturdivant made it 12-11 with 2:37 left in the first quarter.
After Utah Tech took the 18-15 lead into the second quarter, Kailahi opened the scoring with a three-pointer to tie it at 18-18. Kailahi’s three-pointer kicked off a UTRGV 13-2 run that was capped by a three-pointer by McGarity making it 28-20 in favor of the Vaqueros. After a 13-3 run by the Trailblazers, O’Keefe knocked down a jumper to tie the game at 33-33.
Late in the second quarter, the Vaqueros and Trailblazers exchanged three-point plays as junior Jena’ Williams knocked down a pair of free throws to close out the scoring in the first half as Utah Tech took the 39-38 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the Vaqueros took the lead with a 19-3 run that featured four three-pointers from Dorsey as they took the 57-42 lead. Utah Tech answered with a 9-2 run but UTRGV held off that run with a run of their own as buckets from Kyle, O’Keefe, and a pair of free throws from Ogayemi made it 65-41 with 2:37 left in the third quarter.
The Trailblazers cut the Vaqueros lead to 68-64 by the end of the third. Both teams exchanged buckets to start the fourth but after a pair of free throws by Dorsey, but the Trailblazers put together a 7-0 run to regain the 77-74 lead with just over four minutes to play.
Dorsey converted on a three-point play to tie the game at 77-77. A few minutes later, Dorsey knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game at 82-82 but Utah Tech put together another 7-0 run to regain the lead for good.
The Vaqueros will be back in action on Thursday, February 22, when they host Tarleton at 6:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Tickets are on sale now at UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. The party starts in Vaquero Village at 5:30 p.m.
Fans unable to attend in person can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.
