On Friday, the game of basketball was secondary to the game of life as UTRGV women’s basketball fell 61-82 versus undefeated California Baptist University at the Edinburg Fieldhouse.
In a postgame news conference via Zoom, UTRGV Head Coach Lane Lord’s opening statements centered around the difficult week everyone within the athletics department has had with the sudden passing of men’s basketball Head Coach Lew Hill Sunday, Feb. 7.
“Coach Hill is so important to this university, not only to his players, his staff, but the whole V-Nation,” Lord says. “Our players had to overcome a lot this week and we continue to try to overcome and heal but really right now our thoughts and prayers are with coach Hill’s family.”
With the men’s basketball program not playing this weekend’s scheduled matches at California Baptist University to mourn the loss of Hill, Lord says his team was also faced with a similar predicament during this time of hurting but ultimately decided to take the court.
“It was a really tough decision, we spent a couple days just meeting with the team, counseling, just trying to be around each other to see if we wanted to continue,” Lord says. “We decided to continue. I think the players deserve a lot of credit for their courage, they’re all hurting, we are all hurting, but just proud of our character and their ability to put a few things behind for a couple hours and go play the game.”
UTRGV sophomore guard Sara Bershers ended the game with a career-high 25 points and eight rebounds but echoed similar thoughts as Lord during her postgame news conference via Zoom.
“It’s just a tough time for everybody in the community and I feel like by playing we’re kind of helping some people take their mind off this sometimes and that’s what we are hoping to do,” Bershers says.
Both programs honored Coach Hill’s legacy as they wore black ribbons on their jerseys and sneakers.
The Lancers dominated the game as they held the lead from start to finish as they never trailed in and sophomore forward Caitlyn Harper scored 20 of her team-high 24 points in the first half and also corralled a team-high eight rebounds.
Senior point guard Ane Oleata, recorded her third double-double of the season for the Lancers with 10 points and 13 assists in 33 minutes of play.
For the Vaqueros, junior guard Jordan Lewis posted a new career-high in the rebounding department with 15 and was able to find the bottom of the net on multiple occasions to finish with 12 points.
UTRGV will be back in action at 1 p.m tomorrow as they wrap up their season series against California Baptist University.
As the team continues to play with a heavy heart, Lord wants to see his team compete during these trying times.
To listen to the game live, visit utrgvradio.com or download the RadioFX app on the Apple Store or Google Play and search Vaquero Radio.
Twitter: @Radio_Rubio
