The UTRGV Vaqueros closed out the regular season by taking down the Western Athletic Conference’s top team, Stephen F. Austin, ending a 32-game conference winning streak by the Ladyjacks.
UTRGV (12-18, 8-10) will look to carry over the momentum into the opening round of the WAC Tournament beginning at 2 p.m. today at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
“It was the most complete game we’ve played all year and it couldn’t come at a better time. SFA hasn’t lost a conference game in almost three years. … We’re excited to be here in Vegas and see if we can ride that momentum,” UTRGV head coach Lane Lord said.
The first test for the No. 8 seed Vaqueros is a matchup against No. 9 Seattle. UTRGV and Seattle split their regular season series with each team winning on their home court.
“Everybody’s 0-0 at this point, so everybody’s playing for their lives. You got to bring your A-game from the tip and we got to play as a team, play together and play harder than everybody else,” Lord said.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UTRGV sophomore forward Sara Bershers earned WAC Player of the Week honors after averaging 23.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, and 2.5 steals during two games last week for the Vaqueros.
Bershers started the week with a career-high 30 points on 9-of-18 shooting against Lamar on Thursday to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, and a career-high tying six blocks.
Bershers then helped the Vaqueros knock off Stephen F. Austin, who was undefeated in WAC play and had a 32-game conference win streak, by posting her third double-double of the season with 16 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high tying three steals.
Bershers is averaging 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season, while posting 15 games of double-figure scoring, including seven games of over 20 points.
ALL-WAC
UTRGV forward Taylor Muff was named to the All-WAC second team and all-newcomer team, as voted on by the WAC’s 13 head coaches, for her performance throughout conference play.
Muff averaged 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals during WAC competition. Muff has reached double figures in scoring in 15 out of 18 WAC games this season, including five games over 20 points.
Muff also recorded four of her five double-doubles this season in WAC play with the most recent coming against Tarleton. Overall, Muff has started all 30 games for UTRGV this season and is averaging 14.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
