TYLER, Texas - The UT Tyler Women's Basketball team hosted the nation's #14/15 team in East Texas Baptist on Thursday in the Louise Herrington Patriot Center. The Patriots moved to 10-8 overall after falling 64-72.

The Patriots opened the game on an 8-2 run that lasted just under five minutes. A pair of three's from Bianca Valderrama fueled the run as the Senior sparked the hot start. The Tigers took their first lead with 3:17 remaining at 11-10. Through 10 minutes of play, UT Tyler trailed 13-19. UT Tyler would respond in the second quarter with their best offensive stretch of the night. The second quarter saw UT Tyler cut the lead to just two points as the Patriots outscored the Tigers 20-16. At the half, UT Tyler trailed 33-35. 

The Patriots came out of the break with a tough defensive set, holding ETBU to just 11 points. UT Tyler evened the game at 37 in the first 2:30 of play before taking a 48-46 lead on a layup from Tori Shoemaker with :41 remaining. The Patriots and Tigers would trade two-point leads throughout the final 10 minutes of play, combining for 42 points. Late free-throws allowed ETBU to pull ahead 72-64 when the final buzzer sounded. 

BY THE NUMBERS:
UT Tyler shot 41% from the field while connecting on five shots from behind the arc. The Patriots went 9-14 at the line and scored 26 points in the paint. The UT Tyler bench added 18 points. Thursday's game saw 14 lead changes and 11 ties throughout. 

UT TYLER LEADERS:
Valderrama paced the Patriots on offense, finishing the night with 17 points and five rebounds. Carissa Spiker finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Aubree Adams picked up a team-high nine rebounds while Samantha Odom recorded eight boards.