The UTRGV Women’s Basketball Team earned a spot in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament with a win over Tarleton State University on Feb. 22.
The team’s current record is 6-12 in conference and 12-17 overall, with the first round of the WAC tournament starting today at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
Head coach Lane Lord said in a post-game interview Feb. 22 that the team was proud of their effort and had “punched [their] ticket to Vegas.”
In a Feb. 27 phone interview with The Rider, Lord was asked how it felt to be going to Vegas for the tournament. Lane replied it was the most “exciting” time of the year since it is March Madness.
He said he is glad to be a part of it, and thought they have been playing well, saying how they won two games in a row.
“We feel like we’re in a good spot,” Lord said.
He said before they even start thinking about the WAC Tournament, they have to finish off the regular season.
“And then, you know, hopefully, we’ll have some momentum going into the WAC Tournament,” Lord said.
Asked if there were any particular schools he was excited to compete against, he said they could not know for sure who they would be playing against, but he would be excited to play the Texas schools.
“Because, you know, we’re starting to form those rivalries, and they’ve been in our league now a couple years,” Lord said. “And so I’d say that’s probably the No. 1 thing, to play against the other Texas schools.”
He said the whole team is healthy and all are currently playing for the first time all year.
“Fourteen players [are] playing and I think our camaraderie is really good right now,” Lord said. “Chemistry is good, and we’re playing well together.”
Asked if there were any particular players to keep an eye on, he replied sophomore guard Iyana Dorsey just surpassed her 1,000 career points at the game against Sam Houston University on Feb. 25.
“She’s had three 30-plus-point games,” Lord said. “And I believe 10 games over 20 [points]. So, just a really, really terrific guard that we have. And she’s also a really good defender. So, you know, we’re really going to need her to have a great tournament.”
He also said freshman forward Charlotte O’Keefe had been excelling during her freshman year, as well as junior forward Zariah Sango and graduate center Burcu Soysal.
Lord said they want to stay as long as they can in the tournament and are aiming to win the whole thing.
Asked for any final thoughts, he replied, “Well, if anybody has never had the chance to go to WAC Vegas, it’s one of the greatest college sports events in the country.”
He said the atmosphere is great with all 12 teams competing, and it would be exciting to have the band, cheerleaders and dance team supporting them.
To follow the Vaqueras’ tournament journey, watch on ESPN+. For final scores, visit goutrgv.com.
