RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s basketball team dropped an exhibition game, 70-64, to the St. Mary’s Rattlers Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. 
 
Sophomore forward Charlotte O’Keefe led the Vaqueros with 18 points and nine rebounds and also had two assists. Junior Kade Hackerott added 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal. Junior Arianna Sturdivant hit four 3-pointers and had seven rebounds and one block. Senior Mele Kailahi scored 11 points with three 3-pointers and recorded two steals. Freshman Ja’Shelle Johnson had five points and one steal. 
 
St. Mary’s was led by Taylor Haggan’s 17 points while Teanna Huggins and Sheridan Kavanagh scored 12 each. The Rattlers notched 10 steals. 
 
UTRGV started the first quarter with good energy and pace. Sturdivant sunk the first shot for three, giving the Vaqueros the lead after an early 0-1 deficit due to St. Mary’s making a free throw after a pre-game technical foul. 
 
O’Keefe picked up where she left off last season, cleaning up on the offensive boards and playing incredibly hard to aid a 10-5 lead and a Rattlers timeout. O’Keefe cleaned up a miss and finished with a putback bucket, then dove for a loose ball to extend a possession that led to Sturdivant’s second 3-pointer. 
 
St. Mary’s rallied with four unanswered points and good defense to keep the Vaqueros off the board for a stretch, but Sturdivant and O’Keefe knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the lead to 16-9. The Rattlers responded again behind Haggan and jumped on top 17-16 in the final minute of the opening quarter after a pair of free throws. Fittingly, another 3-pointer for the Vaqueros – this one from Kailahi – put UTRGV up 19-17 at the end of the frame. 
 
The Vaqueros scored quickly to start the second quarter, growing the gap to 25-19. St. Mary’s turned up the defensive effort and kept the Vaqueros scoreless for over four minutes, going on an 11-0 run in that time. Hackerott nailed a 3-pointer to end UTRGV’s drought, making it 30-28. The Rattlers closed the half on a 6-0 run and led 36-28 at the break. 
 
O’Keefe and Kailahi pushed UTRGV’s motor to start the second half, with O’Keefe showing good moves in the paint to knock down a jumper Kailahi hitting the seventh Vaqueros 3-pointer. A 6-0 run from the Rattlers extended their lead to 48-34, forcing a timeout. UTRGV came back to the court with an improved defensive effort and good energy to create some momentum. Hackerott finished a hard three-point play and Kailahi hit the eighth 3-pointer of the game to get within 50-44. The Rattlers finished the quarter strong and held a 59-48 advantage heading to the final quarter. 
 
The Vaqueros battled in the fourth quarter, playing tough defense and finding a rhythm late. Sturdivant brought down a good defensive rebound which led to a fast drive up the court from Johnson, who finished at the bucket on a good play. O’Keefe was determined down low on both ends of the court and Sturdivant stayed hot from 3-point range. 
 
Hackerott’s consistent effort cut UTRGV’s deficit to six points inside of three minutes to play as she finished a tough layup. She drew a foul on another drive and knocked down one free throw, making it 67-62 with 1:13 to play. 
 
St. Mary’s used solid defense to keep the Vaqueros from completing a comeback and hit some shots late to take the exhibition contest. 
 
The Vaqueros officially open their 2023-24 season Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Texas Tech. Fans unable to attend the season opener can watch the contest on ESPN+. 

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