NEW ORLEANS (Interstat) — The Texas-Rio Grande Valley women’s basketball team used a dominant defensive performance and a commanding double-double from Charlotte O’Keefe to cruise past New Orleans 71-53 in a Southland Conference game Saturday at Kiefer Lakefront Arena.

The Vaqueros (15-9, 9-2) never trailed, holding the Privateers (2-21, 1-10) to a frigid 28% shooting from the field, including just 4 of 29 from three-point range. The 53 points allowed marked a season-best defensive effort for UTRGV.

The most important part of the game was the opening quarter, where UTRGV established a tone of defensive control and offensive efficiency that New Orleans could never overcome. The Vaqueros opened the game on a 10-2 run, holding the Privateers without a field goal for the first four and a half minutes. While UTRGV’s own shooting was uneven early, their relentless work on the glass—they grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the period—created extra possessions and limited New Orleans to one-shot trips. The quarter ended with a defining sequence: after a New Orleans turnover with one second left, Kayla Lorenz inbounded to Charlotte O’Keefe, who drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Vaqueros a 20-10 lead. That momentum-swinging shot capped a period where UTRGV built a double-digit advantage it would not relinquish.

O’Keefe, a 6-foot-3 junior from Overland Park, Kansas, was the game’s top star, recording 14 points and 16 rebounds for her third double-double in the last four games. She also added three assists and a block in 35 minutes, anchoring the defense and controlling the paint.

UTRGV extended its lead to 32-24 by halftime and blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring New Orleans 23-12. The Vaqueros’ interior presence was overwhelming, scoring 28 points in the paint and outrebounding New Orleans 53-45, including a 15-12 edge on the offensive glass.

Jalayah Ingram complemented O’Keefe with her own double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while dishing out a game-high six assists. Chazlyn Dettor provided a significant offensive spark off the bench, leading all scorers with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting, along with five rebounds. Erin Maguire added 10 points and six rebounds for the Vaqueros.

New Orleans was led by Shanihya Brown’s 18 points. Sharon Smith came off the bench to score 10, all in the second half. The Privateers struggled mightily with ball security and shot creation, managing an offensive rating of just 69.0 points per 100 possessions.

The victory extends UTRGV’s winning streak to four games and keeps them near the top of the Southland Conference standings. It also avenged a much closer overtime win over the same Privateers team back on Dec. 29. New Orleans, meanwhile, has now lost 10 of its last 11 games.

UTRGV returns home to host Lamar on Thursday. New Orleans hits the road for its next contest, visiting Incarnate Word on Thursday.