Vaqueros cut down Ladyjacks

Hackerott draws first blood, double-doubles again

The UTRGV Women’s Basketball Team defeated Stephen F. Austin State University 62-49 tonight in front of an electric crowd of 1,497 at the Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus.

This brings the Vaqueros’ record 5-16 (4-8 Western Athletic Conference), while the Ladyjack’s record dropped to 15-8 (9-3 WAC).

UTRGV Women’s Basketball Team head coach Lane Lord spoke to the media after the game.

“[With] Stephen F. Austin, we’ve kinda created a little rivalry here these last couple of years,” Lord said. “This was no different. Every game has been a physical battle, and what a performance by our guys. This is one of the best teams in the league, that’s in [third place], and we struggled to close out games. We not only started the game good, we finished the game good.”

Vaqueros junior guard Kade Hackerott recorded her fourth double-double of the season, tallying 17 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, followed closely by junior guard Iyana Dorsey, who scored 15 points and was 7-7 from the free-throw line.

Asked about her performance after the game, Hackerott replied it felt “good.”

“I like winning and I like, you know, helping my team win,” she said. “So, coach was pointing at zero turnovers for me, so that’s pretty good. Last time we played them, I had quite a few, so that was a good change, but just doing what I can to help us win and I think everybody did that tonight.”

Stephen F. Austin redshirt senior center Kurstyn Harden netted a double-double of her own with 20 points and 11 assists. Redshirt sophomore guard Avery Vansickle finished with 9 points and shot 3-8 from the field.

The Vaqueros would start the first quarter on a torrid pace, with Hackerott drawing first blood nearly two minutes into the game on a jumper, sparking a 4-0 run to start the game for UTRGV.

A free throw from junior forward Ituau Tuisaula would get the Ladyjacks on the board and make it 4-1.

After a 5-0 Vaqueros run, Ladyjack sophomore guard Kyla Deck would then sink a jump shot to cut the Vaqueros’ lead to 9-3.

After another three from Deck made it 10-6, graduate forward Ashton McCorry would respond with a jumper of her own, sparking a 5-0 run for UTRGV, extending their lead to 15-6.

The Ladyjacks would end the first quarter on a 4-0 run, capped by a three-point shot from Vansickle in the final seconds to make it a two-possession game at 16-12.

Hackerott would open the scoring in the second quarter on a layup to make it 18-12. This and a couple of three-pointers from Arianna Sturdivant and McCorry would complete an 8-0 run for UTRGV.

The Ladyjacks would respond by going on a 7-0 run powered by four free throws from Harden to cut the lead to 26-21.

Sturdivant would end this run with a three-pointer, sparking a 7-0 run to extend the Vaqueros’ lead to 33-21.

Vansickle would end that run on a three-point shot of her own. After which, Hackerott would respond by netting a layup. The first half would end with the Vaqueros in front, 35-24.

The Ladyjacks would open the scoring in the second half by going on a 4-0 run to cut the lead to 35-28.

Freshman guard Jayda Holiman would sink a three-pointer to extend the UTRGV lead to 38-30. After this, the Ladyjacks would go on a 6-0 run to make it a one-possession game at 38-36.

Sophomore forward Charlotte O’Keefe would make two crucial layups to extend the Vaqueros’ lead. This, along with Hackerott’s free throw, would end the third quarter with a 46-41 UTRGV lead.

The fourth quarter began with a 4-0 UTRGV run by Hackerott, extending the Vaqueros’ lead to 50-41.

After a back-and-forth defensive affair, O’Keefe would foul, sending Harden back to the line, where she would make a free throw to make the score 50-42.

Ladyjack senior guard Tyler McCliment-Call would foul and bring Holiman to the free-throw line. She would respond, sinking both to spark a 6-0 Vaqueros’ run to make it 56-42.

The Ladyjacks responded by going on a 5-0 run, cutting UTRGV’s lead to 56-47.

A foul on Vansickle would allow Dorsey to end that run from the line, sparking a 6-0 Vaqueros run that would extend the lead to 62-47.

The game would end in a Vaqueros victory, with a final of 62-49.

The Vaqueros embark on a two-game road trip after tonight’s game, where they will face Abilene Christian University on Feb. 15 and the University of Texas at Arlington on Feb. 17. Both games will be available to stream on ESPN+ and on WAC International for international viewers.