SILVER CITY, N.M. -- Western New Mexico dialed up an impressive long-range shooting performance Saturday, knocking down 17-of-31 three-pointers in a 73-40 victory over UT Tyler Saturday afternoon.

The Patriots' leading scorer was Kelsey Crouse, who tied her season-high with 18 points to go with 6 rebounds. Beezy Birchette also scored in double figures, finishing with 10 points and a team-high 3 assists.

With the loss, UT Tyler dropped to 3-14 overall and 1-12 in Lone Star Conference play, while Western New Mexico improved to 7-10 overall and 4-6 in the LSC.

Turning Point: Western New Mexico answered an early Beezy Birchette three-pointer with 15 consecutive points, drilling 4 three-pointers during the run, which spanned over five minutes of the opening quarter and resulted in an early 15-3 lead for the Mustangs.

How It Happened: Western New Mexico outscored UT Tyler in all four quarters, and the Mustangs scored 20 points in three of the four 10-minute periods in the contest. The Patriots' highest-scoring quarter was the third quarter, when Crouse scored 11 of her 18 points to lead UT Tyler to an 18-point quarter.

The Mustangs built a 33-15 halftime lead, extending the lead to 53-33 after three quarters before finishing the game on a 17-2 run over the final 7:09 to pull away for the win.

UT Tyler Standouts: Kelsey Crouse tied a season-high in scoring and led all scorers with 18 points, her third straight game in double figures, and Beezy Birchette added 10 points to go with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Tyreesha Blaylock and Miranda Villegas each recorded a pair of steals, and Villegas registered a game-high 8 rebounds.

Western New Mexico Standouts: A trio of Western New Mexico players knocked down at least four three-pointers, led by Kaela Chavez, who made a team-high five threes while scoring a team-high 17 points. Paulina Rodriguez also scored 17, hitting four three-pointers, and Amanda Perea came off the bench to score all 12 of her points on three-pointers as she hit four-of-five from distance. Kayla Clark added 13 points, and Taylor Allison led the Mustangs on the boards with 8 rebounds.

By The Numbers: Western New Mexico hit five three-pointers in three of the four quarters (first, third, fourth) and went 2-for-5 in the second quarter from long range… The Mustangs finished the game 17-for-31 (55 percent) from three-point range and shot 44 percent (25-for-57) overall… UT Tyler shot 25 percent (14-for-57) overall… The Patriots posted a 22-14 edge in points in the paint, but Western New Mexico produced a 32-8 advantage in bench scoring… Both teams committed 11 turnovers, but WNMU notched a 12-2 advantage in points off turnovers… The Mustangs also claimed a 35-29 rebounding margin… Kelsey Crouse is averaging a team-high 12.1 points per game in Lone Star Conference play, scoring in double figures in 10 of the Patriots' 13 conference games.

What's Next: UT Tyler returns home for a pair of Lone Star Conference matchups next week, hosting Angelo State on Thursday, Jan. 30, and Lubbock Christian on Saturday, Feb. 1.