Box Score COMMERCE, TEXAS – Four Patriots scored in double figures on the evening and the bench outscored Northeastern State 21-4 to help pace UT Tyler to an opening win in the Lion Hoopsgiving in Commerce, Texas.
 
The Patriots jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead three and a half minutes into the game thanks to four straight buckets in the paint from four different Patriots. Northeastern State responded by ending the quarter on a 14-4 run and holding UT Tyler scoreless for almost four minutes to take the lead heading into the second period.
 
The Riverhawks added an additional four points in the first 1:26 of the second quarter to stretch the lead to six. UT Tyler responded with a big run of their own, outscoring Northeastern State 14-6 in the final 8:34 of the quarter to take a two point lead into halftime. The big momentum swinging play was a driving layup by Elli Emrich to give the Patriots the lead for good in the contest with just 49 seconds to play in the first half.
 
The second half proved to be an offensive showcase for the Patriots as they scored 43 of their 69 points. Liah Davis led the team with 14 points in the half on 6-8 shooting in the half. Emrich and Destini Whitehead each added nine points. UT Tyler also shot 57.6% as a team in the second half and added 80% shooting from the free throw line.
 
The Patriots continue to use their paint prowess as they outscored their fourth straight opponent in the paint, this time by a 54-30 margin. On the night, UT Tyler had an incredible 78% of their points come from inside the paint.
 
They also made it a fourth consecutive game outrebounding their opponent with a margin of 33-24 over the Riverhawks. The Patriots also outpaced Northeastern State in fastbreak points and second chance points with 11 and 17, respectively.
 
Davis led the Patriots with 16 total points and also chipped in four rebounds. Whitehead, Emrich, and Montse Gutierrez also added in 11 points each.
 
Gutierrez also filled in the stat sheet with seven rebounds, and Emrich added six of her own.
 
UT Tyler will be back at it tomorrow to wrap up their time in the Lion Hoopsgiving tournament. They will face off against Arkansas-Monticello and tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
The Patriots will next return to the Herrington Patriot Center on Dec. 16 against UAFS. That game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tipoff.