Vaqueros showdown vs. No. 2 Texas

Elise Horne (left), freshman forward, and Kayla Lorenz, sophomore guard, block the ball from the hoop during practice Wednesday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus. The team prepares for its next game against the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns Dec. 10 in the Bert Ogden Arena.
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Junior guard Madison Huhn reaches to catch the ball during practice Wednesday in the Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus.
Draya Rios/THE RIDER

As women’s basketball wraps up the non-conference portion of the 2025-26 season, UTRGV is anticipating a marquee matchup against one of the top programs in the country.

The University of Texas at Austin Longhorns (9-0) are set to play the Vaqueros at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg.

UTRGV Women’s Basketball head coach Lane Lord spoke to the media Thursday ahead of the game. Lord said the team can “hopefully compete” against what he calls “the best basketball team in the United States.”

“[The Horns] just beat No. 2, [University of] South Carolina, and No. 3 [University of California, Los Angeles] over the weekend,” he said. “You’re going to see a whole different style of athlete. You’re going to see a whole different style of strength and size that you’ve probably never seen in your life.”

The Vaqueros have faced Texas 11 times in the past, having lost all 11. Their last matchup was a 35-94 rout at the Moody Center in Austin.

Lord said the team anticipates another great atmosphere at the Bert Ogden Arena, where the program attendance record was set the last time UTRGV hosted the Horns in 2023 (6,591).

“We’re trying to get that to 8,000 this year and just shatter the record and showcase women’s basketball,” he said. “What other better way to do it than play our mothership, the University of Texas that we’re all a part of.”

Kayla Lorenz (right), sophomore guard, passes the ball to Elizabeth Romen, sophomore guard, during Wednesday’s practice in the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus.
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Through seven games played, the Vaqueros are 3-4, having lost three straight entering this game including its conference opener Tuesday at Lamar University 67-59.

The primary driver for UTRGV’s recent struggles is on offense. They have remained a solid defensive unit for most of the year. Lord said the team is still looking for consistent 70-point-a-game offense.

“I think we’re kind of laying our hat on defense right now,” he said. “Offensively, we’ve had stretches. We’ve played really good, but we haven’t been as consistent. We’ve got to get to that 70-point mark.”

Finding consistent offense will be a tall task, as UTRGV will enter the Texas game without two key players in junior guard Erin Maguire and senior forward Charlotte O’Keefe, with the latter having undergone surgery Friday.

“We’re gonna be out with one of our post players for about four weeks,” Lord said. “And then Erin Maguire, one of our other guards missed the last couple games, and we really need to get her back.”

He said they will rely on their depth to carry them through their injured stretch, with junior guard Jalayah Ingram, who is third in the Southland Conference in scoring and freshman forward Rylie Whitehair, who makes her first start Wednesday.

Vaqueros freshman forward Chazlyn Dettor spoke with The Rider and said, amid this stretch, the team’s mentality is “next man up.”

“As long as we play together and play as a team, I think we’ll be alright,” Dettor said. “[Wednesday’s] game is a great opportunity to showcase what we have as players and just grow and learn as a team.”

Students can claim their tickets through 11:02 p.m. Wednesday by logging into the Student Ticket Portal.