SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- St. Mary's completed a two-game Lone Star Conference series sweep over UT Tyler with a 60-38 win over the Patriots Saturday in San Antonio.
UT Tyler was led by Azaria Reed, who scored 8 points to lead a balanced scoring effort. St. Mary's was led by 12 points each from Briley Perkins and Hannah Wilson. Perkins scored all 12 of her points on three-pointers, and Wilson grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to post a double-double.
With the defeat, UT Tyler fell to 0-8 on the season, while St. Mary's improved to 4-6.
Turning Point: There wasn't much to separate the teams through the first two and a half quarters, and Azaria Reed's three-pointer with 5:59 left in the third quarter tied the game at 29-29. However, St. Mary's finished the third with a 10-0 run to start a 25-1 run that gave the Rattlers a 24-point lead, 54-30, with just over three minutes left in the game.
How It Happened: St. Mary's broke a 9-9 tie with a three-pointer late in the first quarter to take a 12-9 lead after the opening period, and the Rattlers pushed the lead to 11 after scoring 10 straight to answer Josephine Elliott's jumper in the paint on the opening possession of the second quarter. The Patriots rallied with a 7-0 run to finish the second quarter and cut the St. Mary's halftime lead to 26-22.
The Patriots kept the pressure on to start the second half, scoring 7 of the first 10 after halftime to cap a game-tying 14-3 run. Azaria Reed's three-pointer with 5:59 left in the third quarter tied the game at 29-29, but St. Mary's held UT Tyler scoreless the rest of the quarter, scoring 10 straight to close out the third before scoring 15 of the next 16 to start the fourth. The Rattlers led by as many as 27 points with a minute left in the contest.
UT Tyler Standouts: Azaria Reed was UT Tyler's leading scorer with 8 points, while three Patriots (Tyreesha Blaylock, Kelsey Crouse, Shala Robinson) each collected a team-high 7 rebounds. Kayla James dished out a team-high 5 assists on UT Tyler's 13 made baskets.
St. Mary's Standouts: Briley Perkins scored all 12 of her points on three-pointers for the second straight game, hitting 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, while Hannah Wilson matched her teammate for the team scoring high in a 12-point, 11-rebound effort. Mya Culiver added 7 points and 5 assists.
By The Numbers: St. Mary's finished with a 41-37 rebounding edge, although UT Tyler's 37-rebound total was its second-highest of the season… The Patriots committed just 9 fouls in the contest… The Rattlers posted a 17-6 edge in second chance points and a 21-12 advantage in points off turnovers… UT Tyler shot 24 percent (13-for-54) from the field, including a 32 percent (9-for-28) clip in the first half and a 15 percent (4-for-26) rate after halftime… St. Mary's shot 41 percent (23-for-56) overall and 37 percent (11-for-30) on three-pointers.
What's Next: UT Tyler takes on UT Permian Basin at home on Wednesday, Feb. 3, in a makeup game of the originally-scheduled season opener which was postponed. The Patriots go back on the road next weekend to visit Cameron University on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 5-6).
