Preview: Texas-Rio Grande Valley at New Orleans Women’s Basketball

NEW ORLEANS (Interstat) — A surging Texas-Rio Grande Valley team visits a struggling New Orleans squad in a Southland Conference women’s basketball matchup Saturday at Kiefer Lakefront Arena.

The Vaqueros (14-9) enter on a four-game winning streak, including a 69-66 road victory at Nicholls State on Thursday. The Privateers (2-20) snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 64-58 home win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi that same afternoon, securing just their second victory of the season.

Texas-Rio Grande Valley has been led by the dominant play of Charlotte O’Keefe. The standout posted 17 points, four assists and three blocks in 40 minutes against Nicholls State. Over her last eight games, O’Keefe has recorded two double-doubles, including a 19-point, 22-rebound performance at Houston Christian on Jan. 24, and has been a consistent force on both ends of the floor.

New Orleans will counter with guard Brialle Washington, who scored a team-high 18 points in the Privateers’ recent win. Washington has averaged 12.1 points over her last eight contests.

The Vaqueros won the season’s first meeting 87-81 in overtime at home on Dec. 29, 2025. In that game, UTRGV rallied from a double-digit deficit, a testament to the resilience they have shown during their current run.

For New Orleans, the challenge will be building momentum from its rare victory. The Privateers’ defense, which allowed an average of 74.3 points during their losing skid, held Corpus Christi to 58, offering a potential blueprint for competitiveness.

The matchup pits one of the conference’s hottest teams against its most beleaguered, with UTRGV looking to solidify its standing and New Orleans aiming to prove its latest win was a turning point.

Tip-off is set for Saturday afternoon.