The UTRGV Women’s Basketball Team ended last season with a conference record of 8-10 WAC and 14-19 overall. The team began to pick up the pace near the end of the season and hopes to carry that momentum into this new season.
Head coach Lane Lord said they had a really good end-of-the-season performance.
“We offset the two top teams in the league on the road,” Lord said. “Grand Canyon [University] and Stephen F. Austin [State University]. We actually broke Stephen F. Austin. They had the longest winning streak in the country, 34 games, I believe, in a row at home, and we were able to beat them the last game of the regular season.”
Lord said he is excited for the season to start.
“Oklahoma State [University] is a great challenge for us, and we’re real excited about the matchup,” he said.
Asked what he is excited about in the new season, Lord replied that he is excited that out of the 29 games, they will play 15 at home.
“We have the kids game against Texas A&M [University]-Corpus Christi that we’ll play at home in front of 2,800 screaming little kids, so that’s gonna be fun.
“The South Padre Island is also always a highlight for us and then our conference schedule,” Lord said.
The UTRGV South Padre Island Battle on the Beach and the UTRGV South Padre Island Classic are basketball games hosted by UTRGV in the South Padre Island Convention Center.
The Vaqueras’ kids game will take place Nov. 29 in the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus against Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Children from throughout the Rio Grande Valley area will visit UTRGV to learn about the campus and watch the basketball game afterward.
Lord said the team will get to play conference teams twice and will have a “true champion in the league.”
He said they stay motivated by making the players believe in themselves and how good they can be.
“Because we really have a lot of talent, we just got to make sure they … work hard every day, and we got to keep each other accountable,” Lord said.
He said the returning players have done a good job and that they help teach the new players. This season has seven returning and nine new players.
One returning player is junior guard Jena’ Williams, coming back for her third year with the program.
Asked about the team chemistry, Williams replied that it is good, but it started off slow because they had a lot of new people.
“Over time, we’ve developed it,” Williams said. “I think we’re in a good place. Everyone gets along. We have fun. It’s a very goofy team, a lot of personality. Just different backgrounds kind of mixing together.”
Asked what has been some motivation for the new season, she said they started doing well at the end of last season and the team wants to return to the feeling of belonging and being one of the best teams in the conference.
“It was a good feeling, the buzz around our team, people stopping us in the hallways,” Williams said. “Even once we got back to campus, people were talking about it for a couple months.”
Asked how the team felt about Madness, she said she loves it and thinks it is one of the coolest events.
Madness is a UTRGV event in which the basketball teams are introduced. The event includes music, performances, dance competitions and giveaways. This year, it was held on Oct. 28.
“I know, like, other schools do stuff like that, and it is never as fun,” Williams replied. “Like, on visits when you’re coming out of high school, they bring you to stuff like that, and it doesn’t compare to Madness. I mean, the people show up, they’re loud, they’re energetic. We absolutely cannot get enough of Madness.”
Asked how they stay motivated, sophomore guard KaCee Kyle said they have a lot of new players, so it became a sort of reset.
“A lot of new players, so we can continue to have the same exact goal, and we’re able to accomplish that goal,” Kyle said.
She said the team chemistry is good.
“I think what I like is everyone has their own people, but it’s not super individual,” Kyle said. “Like, when we’re together, we’re together.”
The Vaqueras’ opening game is against Oklahoma State University today in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The team is set to play its first conference game against the University of Northern Colorado on Nov. 15 in the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus.
