EDINBURG — Eighty percent of the starting lineup for the UTRGV women’s basketball team joined the program during the summer. The fifth starter, junior guard Halie Jones, served as the Vaqueros’ sixth-woman last season.
With only six returners from the 2021-22 campaign and a majority of the roster made up of new additions who signed out of high school or from the transfer portal, UTRGV head coach Lane Lord and the Vaqueros have spent the first third of the season putting pieces of the puzzle together.
The result is a 6-5 overall record, but the picture that’s still coming together game by game is of a battle-tested team that relies on its defense to get the job done.
Now, UTRGV is set to tip-off Western Athletic Conference (WAC) competition this week with home games against New Mexico State at 6:30 p.m. tonight and versus Seattle at 2 p.m. Saturday, both at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
“I think the way we’ve competed the last couple weeks, the schedule that we played with four top 50 teams in the country out of 11 games, and to show the heart that we play with, the tenacity we play with, we’re excited for conference play,” Lord said.
| University of Texas Rio Grande Valley guard Iyana Dorsey (2) drives the ball down the court against St. Maryâs University in a non-conference game at the UTRGV Fieldhouse on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected]) Joel Martinez |
Sophomore guard Iyana “Yaya” Dorsey is in her first year with the program after spending her first two seasons at Tarleton. Her knack for scoring came with her to the RGV from Stephenville as she’s averaging 14.8 points per game, the highest on the team.
She’s displayed fearlessness when driving to the basket, finishing through contact and consistency at the free throw line. Dorsey has also drilled a team-high 21 3-pointers in 10 games this season.
“We just want to win this year. We have a lot to accomplish and we have a lot to prove, so that’s what we’re here to do,” said the Saginaw native Dorsey.
Her running-mate in the UTRGV backcourt is Mele Kailahi, a junior college transfer from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. Kailahi has been a sharpshooter for the Vaqueros through the first 11 games with a team-high .426 shooting percentage from long range with 20 made 3s.
| University of Texas Rio Grande Valley guard Mele Kailahi (20) drives to the basket against Texas A&M Corpus Christi in a non-conference game at the UTRGV Fieldhouse on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, in Edinburg. Joel Martinez |
While Dorsey and Kailahi provide lethal scoring threats for the Vaqueros, their frontcourt starters have been the backbone of the defense.
Jones is in her fourth year with the program and has made a name for herself by playing hard defensively. Her tenacity and willingness to hit the floor to win 50-50 balls rubs off on every other player that enters the game for UTRGV. She leads the Vaqueros in steals with 1.5 thefts per game.
| Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Halie Jones (24) attempts a steal on Seattle U’s Ramona Jagger (3) during an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Edinburg, Texas. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected]) Delcia Lopez |
Tyler Junior College transfer Deborah Ogayemi, a 5-foot-11 forward, has made the transition from playing the five (center) to playing the four (power forward) for the Vaqueros. The move required adjustments to her game, but she’s become a force down low for UTRGV whenever a bucket inside is needed with an average of 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
“It’s different, but it’s a good different,” Ogayemi said. “I started off as a five, not really around the perimeter, but my teammates, they’ve helped me build my confidence in driving and shooting.”
| UTRGV Falcons’ Deborah Ogayemi (33) pushes past Bowling Green Falcons’ Sophie Dziekan (3) to try to score Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, during Day 2 of the South Padre Island Classic at the South Padre Island Convention Center.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Holding down the five spot is Charlotte O’Keefe, the lone freshman on the team who stands at 6-foot-3. Her presence in the paint spreads the floor for shooters offensively, while her length and hustle impacts every game on the defensive end.
“She’s (O’Keefe) exceeded all expectations already and I think she’s going to continue. I think she’s got a chance to be freshman of the year in the (WAC) if she continues to grow the way she has in five months,” Lord said.
| UTRGV Vaqueros’ Charlotte O’Keefe (1) searches for an open teammate as the Bowling Green Falcons’ defense moves to cut her off Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, during Day 2 of the South Padre Island Classic at the South Padre Island Convention Center.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
UTRGV has also received consistent production from its bench, led by KaCee Kyle, Ashton McCorry, Tiffany McGarity, Zariah Sango and Jena’ Williams.
| Bowling Green Falcons’ Nyla Hampton (12) guards UTRGV Vaqueros’ Jena’ Williams (11) Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, during Day 2 of the South Padre Island Classic at the South Padre Island Convention Center.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
UTRGV’s six wins this season have come against McNeese, Northern Colorado, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Houston Christian, St. Mary’s and Boise State. Four of the Vaqueros’ five losses have come against teams — Bowling Green, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State — ranked inside the top 50 of the NCAA’s Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings.
Now, the Vaqueros’ goal is to protect home court as they open WAC play against New Mexico State (5-7) and Seattle (0-10) this weekend.
“Our philosophy is you got to win your conference home games and you got to at least try to split on the road. If you do that, you’ll be in the top four and that’s our goal, to be top four in the league and have good seeding in the tournament,” Lord said.