TYLER, Texas -- UT Tyler fell to 0-2 in Lone Star Conference play after the Patriots dropped the second game of the opening conference weekend in an 81-53 defeat to St. Mary's Saturday afternoon.
Beezy Birchette was the Patriots' leading scorer, finishing with 9 points to go with 5 rebounds, and the balanced UT Tyler offense recorded 15 assists on 17 made baskets.
With the defeat, UT Tyler dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in Lone Star Conference play, while St. Mary's improved to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the LSC.
Turning Point: Both teams scored on their opening possessions of the game, with Beezy Birchette sinking a short jumper in the paint to answer an Alexia Torres three-pointer to cut the Rattlers' early lead to 3-2. However, St. Mary's scored 25 consecutive points and kept UT Tyler scoreless until the final minute of the quarter. By that time, the Rattlers owned a 28-2 lead and maintained a lead of at least 16 points the rest of the way.
How It Happened: After St. Mary's opened the game with a 28-2 run in the first 9 minutes of play, UT Tyler responded with a 10-0 run. Lauren Riles snapped the scoring drought in the final minute of the opening quarter with a short jumper from the left baseline, and Aubree Adams followed with a layup inside on the next possession. Addyson Moseley splashed a deep three-pointer as time expired in the quarter, cutting the St. Mary's lead to 28-9 after the first quarter, and she banked in another trey in the opening minute of the second quarter to trim the margin to 28-12.
St. Mary's scored 9 in a row in less than 2 minutes midway through the second quarter, extending the lead to 37-12, and the Rattlers led by at least 20 points the rest of the way and cruised to a 46-23 halftime lead. St. Mary's outscored UT Tyler by a 23-11 margin in the third quarter, but the Patriots trimmed the final margin to 81-53 with a 19-12 scoring edge in the fourth quarter. UT Tyler shot 50 percent (6-for-12) from the field in the fourth quarter, hitting 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the final 10 minutes.
UT Tyler Standouts: Beezy Birchette scored a team-high 9 points with 5 rebounds, and Lilli Stewart knocked down a pair of three-pointers in an 8-point effort. Four others finished with 6 points, and Kylea Johnson came off the bench to grab a team-high 6 rebounds. Tyreesha Blaylock produced a team-high 4 assists, and Tori Shoemaker notched 6 points, 4 rebounds, and a blocked shot in just over 10 minutes of action off the bench.
St. Mary's Standouts: Four players reached double figures in the Rattlers' first Lone Star Conference win, led by Soteria Banks' 13-point performance. Sydney Hardeman finished with 12 points, all on three-pointers as St. Mary's hit 14-of-37 (38 percent) )from long range, and Bella Hughes added 11 points. Hannah Wilson scored 10 points, and Jessica Barbosa recorded game-highs of 8 rebounds and 4 steals for the Rattlers.
By The Numbers: St. Mary's made 14 of its first 29 three-pointers before missing its final eight from long range to finish the game 14-for-37 (38 percent) from beyond the arc… The Rattlers also recorded a 40-36 rebounding edge… St. Mary's finished the game shooting 44 percent (30-for-69) overall, while UT Tyler went 6-for-12 in the final quarter to finish at 32 percent (17-for-53) from the field… The Patriots made at least one three-pointer in all four quarters, finishing 5-for-20 (25 percent) on three-pointers… The largest St. Mary's lead was 39 points (73-34) with 9:05 left in the fourth quarter… The Rattlers produced a 28-9 advantage in points off turnovers, along with edges in scoring in the paint (24-16), second chance points (21-1), fast break scoring (13-2), and bench scoring (41-22)… The Patriots produced a season-high free throw percentage for the second consecutive game, hitting 14-of-16 (.875) from the charity stripe with Kelsey Crouse leading the way by going 6-for-6 on free throws.
What's Next: UT Tyler meets Texas College across town in Tyler in a non-conference road game on Monday, Nov. 25, at 5:30 p.m., and the Patriots are back in Lone Star Conference action at home against Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, Dec. 14.
