TYLER, Texas -- Sophomore guard Tyreesha Blaylock scored a career-high 22 points to lead UT Tyler in a 76-54 defeat to visiting West Texas A&M Thursday night.

Blaylock surpassed her previous career-best of 18 points with the 22-point performance, hitting 9-of-18 shots including 4-of-9 three-pointers to lead the Patriots.

West Texas A&M never trailed, building a 10-point lead after the opening quarter en route to a 44-23 halftime lead. UT Tyler outscored the Lady Buffs by a 16-9 margin in the third quarter, cutting the margin to 14 points before West Texas A&M pulled away again in the fourth quarter.

After the loss, UT Tyler dropped to 3-20 overall and 1-18 in Lone Star Conference play, while West Texas A&M improved to 23-5 overall and 16-3 in LSC play heading into the Lady Buffs' Saturday visit to conference-leading Texas A&M-Commerce.

Turning Point: Tyreesha Blaylock hit a pair of three-pointers early in the second quarter, cutting West Texas A&M's 10-point lead after the first quarter down to six, 23-17, with 7:41 left in the half. The Lady Buffs responded with a 12-2 run over the next 2:17, part of a 21-6 run to close out the half and give WT a 44-23 halftime advantage. The Lady Buffs led by at least 14 points the rest of the game.

How It Happened: West Texas A&M built a 10-point lead in the opening quarter, and the Lady Buffs used a 21-6 run over the final 7:31 of the second quarter to take a 44-23 halftime lead. Delaney Nix hit four first-half three-pointers to lead all scorers with 12 points in the first half, and Abby Spurgin had 10 points for the Lady Buffs, who shot 59 percent (17-for-29) from the field in the opening half.

West Texas A&M went cold in the third quarter, hitting just 3-of-14 shots, and UT Tyler went 7-for-14 with a pair of three-pointers to outscore the Lady Buffs by a 16-9 margin in the third quarter and cut the lead to 53-39. When Blaylock hit her fourth three-pointer of the game just over a minute into the fourth quarter, it pulled UT Tyler within 14 points again, 56-42, with 8:52 left in the contest. West Texas A&M responded with a 15-0 run to extend the lead to 71-42 with less than five minutes remaining.

UT Tyler Standouts: Tyreesha Blaylock led the Patriots with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting, and she scored 14 of her 22 points after halftime. Blaylock's previous career-high was 18, which she posted in the Patriots 86-79 double-OT win at Texas A&M International (Jan. 11). Kelsey Crouse was also in double figures with 10 points, and Beezy Birchette grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

West Texas A&M Standouts: Abby Spurgin led all scorers with 24 points, hitting 9-of-11 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line, and she also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to post her third double-double of the season. Delaney Nix scored 15 points, all from three-point territory, as she knocked down 5-of-10 threes. Megan Gamble added 11 points and a game-high 6 assists, and Sienna Lenz added 10 points.

By The Numbers: UT Tyler committed 11 turnovers and forced 14 from West Texas A&M, cashing in a 17-11 edge in points off turnovers… The Lady Buffs claimed a 41-31 edge on the boards, although both teams grabbed 12 offensive rebounds… WT produced a 32-12 margin in points in the paint… West Texas A&M shot 57 percent or better in three of the four quarters, finishing at 52 percent (28-for-54) overall and 35 percent (8-for-23) from three-point range… UT Tyler finished at 35 percent (21-for-60) overall and 20 percent (6-for-30) on three-pointers… Tyreesha Blaylock's career-high 22-point performance was the seventh time she's scored in double figures this season.

What's Next: UT Tyler hosts Eastern New Mexico in the Patriots' final home game of the 2019-20 season, taking on the Greyhounds on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. The Patriots finish the season with a pair of road games next week at UAFS and Oklahoma Christian.