TYLER, Texas -- UT Tyler dropped its Lone Star Conference women's basketball opener Thursday night, as unbeaten St. Edward's kept its perfect record intact with a 66-51 win over the Patriots.

The Patriots threw an early challenge towards the unbeaten Hilltoppers, racing out to a 10-2 lead, but St. Edward's finished the opening quarter with a 17-5 run to take a 19-15 lead by the end of the opening quarter. The Hilltoppers used an 18-8 second quarter to extend the lead into double digits all the way until a late UT Tyler run closed the gap to eight points with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

Junior guard Kelsey Crouse led a balanced UT Tyler scoring effort with a team-high 11 points, with four others scoring at least six points for the Patriots.

With the defeat, UT Tyler falls to 1-3 on the season and 0-1 in Lone Star Conference play, while St. Edward's improves to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in LSC play.

Turning Point: After St. Edward's took a 55-38 lead with just under eight minutes remaining in the game, Kelsy Crouse helped spark a 12-3 run which slashed the lead by more than half. Crouse hit 1-of-2 free throws to start the run, and her layup with 1:43 to play cut the lead to 50-42. The Hilltoppers held off the late rally, however, as Maryam Wilcher scored late in the shot clock on the next possession while St. Edward's held the Patriots to a single free throw the rest of the way.

How It Happened: Lauren Riles got the scoring started with a putback on UT Tyler's third offensive possession, and Kelsey Crouse hit a corner three which was followed by a Beezy Birchette triple to spark the early offense for the Patriots. Riles scored on a midrange jumper to complete the 10-2 run over a four-possession stretch. St. Edward's got back into the game with its second unit, as reserves Haley Blankinship and Lexi Cunningham came off the bench for 13 of the Hilltoppers' 19 first-quarter points.

UT Tyler got into trouble in the second quarter with 11 turnovers, which St. Edward's used to post an 18-8 second-quarter scoring edge while taking a 37-23 halftime advantage. Midway through the third quarter, a Falyn Taylor layup gave the Hilltoppers their only 20-point lead of the game, 47-27, which UT Tyler answered with a 9-2 run capped by Addyson Moseley's three-pointer with two minutes left in the third quarter.

Moseley's triple trimmed the margin to 49-36, and she got a 12-3 fourth-quarter run started with a short jumper. Tyreesha Blaylock hit a pair of free throws, and Lilli Stewart drilled a three-pointer before Blaylock and Crouse got into the paint for layups on consecutive possessions to cut the lead to 58-50 with 1:43 to play. St. Edward's closed out the game on an 8-1 run, going 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the final minute of play.

UT Tyler Standouts: Kelsey Crouse scored a team-high 11 points, and both Beezy Birchette (12 rebounds) and Ruth Nwokora (10 rebounds) helped lead UT Tyler to a 45-37 rebounding advantage. Birchette finished with 6 rebounds, a game-high 12 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Nwokora contributed a pair of blocks at the defensive end. Tyreesha Blaylock added 9 points, and Addyson Moseley finished with 8 points.

St. Edward's Standouts: Maryam Wicher scored a game-high 14 points, and Haley Blankinship came off the bench to contribute 13 points. No other player for the Hilltoppers registered more than 6 points. Fairen Sutton dished out a game-high 6 assists, and Jazmine Jackson registered a game-high 4 steals.

By The Numbers: UT Tyler posted a positive rebounding margin for the third straight game, controlling the boards by a 45-37 margin… Those rebounds led to a 13-11 edge in second chance points… St. Edward's produced a 23-9 edge in scoring off turnovers, and the Hilltoppers also posted a 20-7 margin in fast break scoring… The Patriots made 13-of-16 from the free throw line to notch a season-high free throw percentage of .813.

What's Next: UT Tyler is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 23, continuing Lone Star Conference play with a 2:00 p.m. matchup against St. Mary's.