Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders sign Jalayah Ingram
April 25, 2026 | Women's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech Lady Raiders have signed Jalayah Ingram out of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley announced by head coach Krista Gerlich on Monday.
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"Jalayah, aka Bunny, is a bucket," Gerlich said. "She is a dynamic scoring point guard with great handles and court vision. Bunny plays with great tempo and change of pace, which allows her to be explosive to the rim and crafty off of ball screens. She is in the top one percent in the nation of drawing fouls and produces at an 80-percent rate from the line. Bunny has a great work ethic and brings a veteran leadership style to the floor general position. She is a fantastic addition to this portal class."
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Ingram spent her junior year with the UTRGV Vaqueros in 2025-26. While there, Ingram earned Southland Conference (SLC) Newcomer of the Year and All-Conference First Team accolades. Ingram aided the Vaqueros to a 21-14 record and a 16-6 record in the SLC to finish tied for third in league play. Earning a spot in the Southland Conference Basketball Championship semifinals and a second-round appearance in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), Ingram helped lead UTRGV to a historic season after setting program records in overall wins, conference wins, road wins (11) and consecutive-road wins (8), while tying the program-best seven-game winning streak. The Vaqueros also picked up their first road postseason victory, and second postseason win in program history.
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At UTRGV, Ingram started in all 33 games she played in. She led the Vaqueros in points per game (16.9), points (558), field goals (180), free throws (193), assists (137) and steals (49), while ranking second in blocks (32), rebounds (235) and rebounds per game (7.1). Ingram shot 40.0 percent from the field (180-for-450) and an impressive 80.1 percent from the free throw line (193-for-241). Ingram recorded 27 double-figure scoring games, 12 games with 20-plus points and six double-doubles. Her first double-double of the year came against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 7, 2025 with 15 points and a career-high of 10 assists. Her five other double-doubles were with rebounds and points as she totaled a career-best of 15 boards against SFA on Feb. 14.
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On March 2, Ingram posted her first 30-plus point performance with a career-high of 31 against Incarnate Word. In that game, she went 11-for-24 (.458) from the field, 9-for-9 from the free throw line, while adding five assists and eight rebounds. Ingram was also named SLC Player of the Week after aiding the Vaqueros to wins over Northwestern State and East Texas A&M, totaling 23 points and 29 points, respectively, in those games. Ingram finished the season leading the SLC in free throw attempts (241) and free throws made (193), while also ranking second in the conference in field goals (146), field goal attempts (450), points (558) and points per game (16.9). Nationally, Ingram checked in at sixth in both free throw attempts and free throws made.
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Ingram spent her first two seasons at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, where she aided the team to two-consecutive North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference championships. In her sophomore year, Ingram was named an All-Conference First Team selection after helping McLennan win the Region V Championship to secure a spot in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament. That season, she started in all 32 games for McLennan and led the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game, while adding 5.1 rebounds per game, 3.1 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game. In her freshman season (2023-24), Ingram averaged 7.7 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game.
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"Jalayah, aka Bunny, is a bucket," Gerlich said. "She is a dynamic scoring point guard with great handles and court vision. Bunny plays with great tempo and change of pace, which allows her to be explosive to the rim and crafty off of ball screens. She is in the top one percent in the nation of drawing fouls and produces at an 80-percent rate from the line. Bunny has a great work ethic and brings a veteran leadership style to the floor general position. She is a fantastic addition to this portal class."
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Ingram spent her junior year with the UTRGV Vaqueros in 2025-26. While there, Ingram earned Southland Conference (SLC) Newcomer of the Year and All-Conference First Team accolades. Ingram aided the Vaqueros to a 21-14 record and a 16-6 record in the SLC to finish tied for third in league play. Earning a spot in the Southland Conference Basketball Championship semifinals and a second-round appearance in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), Ingram helped lead UTRGV to a historic season after setting program records in overall wins, conference wins, road wins (11) and consecutive-road wins (8), while tying the program-best seven-game winning streak. The Vaqueros also picked up their first road postseason victory, and second postseason win in program history.
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At UTRGV, Ingram started in all 33 games she played in. She led the Vaqueros in points per game (16.9), points (558), field goals (180), free throws (193), assists (137) and steals (49), while ranking second in blocks (32), rebounds (235) and rebounds per game (7.1). Ingram shot 40.0 percent from the field (180-for-450) and an impressive 80.1 percent from the free throw line (193-for-241). Ingram recorded 27 double-figure scoring games, 12 games with 20-plus points and six double-doubles. Her first double-double of the year came against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 7, 2025 with 15 points and a career-high of 10 assists. Her five other double-doubles were with rebounds and points as she totaled a career-best of 15 boards against SFA on Feb. 14.
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On March 2, Ingram posted her first 30-plus point performance with a career-high of 31 against Incarnate Word. In that game, she went 11-for-24 (.458) from the field, 9-for-9 from the free throw line, while adding five assists and eight rebounds. Ingram was also named SLC Player of the Week after aiding the Vaqueros to wins over Northwestern State and East Texas A&M, totaling 23 points and 29 points, respectively, in those games. Ingram finished the season leading the SLC in free throw attempts (241) and free throws made (193), while also ranking second in the conference in field goals (146), field goal attempts (450), points (558) and points per game (16.9). Nationally, Ingram checked in at sixth in both free throw attempts and free throws made.
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Ingram spent her first two seasons at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, where she aided the team to two-consecutive North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference championships. In her sophomore year, Ingram was named an All-Conference First Team selection after helping McLennan win the Region V Championship to secure a spot in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament. That season, she started in all 32 games for McLennan and led the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game, while adding 5.1 rebounds per game, 3.1 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game. In her freshman season (2023-24), Ingram averaged 7.7 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game.
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