LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA — The UTRGV Vaqueros women’s basketball team fell to the Nicholls Colonels 55-53 on Monday afternoon in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament.

After a back and forth first quarter, UTRGV took control with a 13-0 run in the second quarter led by two threes from star guard Kade Hackerott. That allowed UTRGV to head into the halftime locker room with a six-point lead.

In the second half, Nicholls bounced back thanks in large part to some great three point shooting. Nicholls shot 46.2% from three in the second half, including 75% from deep in the fourth.

Nicholls built an eight-point lead with five minutes left to play, but that’s when the Vaqueros powered back into things.

UTRGV went on another big run over the next four minutes, outscoring Nicholls 10-2 to tie the game up with 1:10 to go.

The last minute was about as intense as a basketball game can get. With 47 seconds to go, Jesslynn Jalomo hit a clutch three to put the Colonels up three. Needing an answer on the other end, UTRGV tried to go to sharpshooter Kayla Lorenz who’s shot from beyond the arc was blocked. Chynel Mitchell’s putback attempt was off the mark, but Charlotte O’Keefe pulled down another offensive rebound and subsequently knocked down the and-one bucket to tie things up.

On the other end, looking to wind down the clock and end the game in regulation, Nicholls guard Britiya Curtis drove left, put up a fall away layup attempt off glass and in to give Nicholls the lead with 1.3 seconds left.

UTRGV had one final chance, but Madison Huhn’s game-tying corner three was blocked and Nicholls walked away victorious.

“She made a big time play at the end of the game,” UTRGV head coach Lane Lord said of Curtis’s game-winning shot. “Kade had her in great defensive positioning and she just made a play… Give Nicholls a lot of credit. They got us tonight.”

“I’ve had an incredible two years here.” Vaqueros graduate student Kade Hackerott said after her final game with the team. “I’m thankful for every single person in that locker room… Coaching, our staff, obviously my teammates. I think we’ve done a lot of things that people didn’t expect us to do this year and I’m so excited to see where these girls take it next year.”

UTRGV’s first season in the Southland ends with a 16-16 record. Star forward Charlotte O’Keefe and freshman guard Gianna Angiolet are among the top players expected to return next season.