TYLER, TEXAS – It was all about the three pointer tonight for UT Tyler as they made a season high 13 three's, their most in a game since making 13 against Texas College on Nov. 11, 2019.
Lovisa Hevinder is the owner of a new school record for made three pointers in a game after knocking down 9-12 attempts and scoring a career high 29 points. Four Patriots found themselves with a made three on the evening as the team mark of 61.9% will go down as the third best in school history.
The Patriots started the game on an 11-2 run thanks to a layup from
Liah Davis, a pair of three pointers from Hevinder, and
Montse Gutierrez knocking down the first of her two from beyond the arc. The quarter was closed out on a 11-6 run by the Mustangs to bring the deficit to just four after the first ten minutes.
That four point deficit was the closest Midwestern State got as Hevinder came out firing again in the second quarter. This time she knocked down another pair of triples and
Martina Machalova added in a layup to go on an 8-2 run in the first 2:21 of the second quarter. UT Tyler never slowed down, adding another nine points on the run before Morgan Lenahan made a three pointer for the Mustangs.
The stifling defense from UT Tyler held Midwestern State scoreless for a 4:51 stretch in the middle of the quarter, and held them to just eight points throughout the second period.
As a team, the Patriots shot 57.7% from the field in the first half and added a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. The UT Tyler defense held the Mustangs to just 23.7% shooting in the first half and just 1-14 from beyond the arc.
The third quarter was a battle for both teams as they each shot it well. Each team shot 50% from the field on 8-for-16 attempts. An 18-9 run through the first 5:03 of the third quarter by the Mustangs brought the lead down to just 10 for the Patriots. They responded by closing out the quarter on a 12-5 run thanks to a pair of three's from Hevinder and points inside the arc from
Kelsey Crouse,
Destini Whitehead, and Machalova.
Good defense was the mark of the fourth quarter as the Patriots held the Mustangs scoreless for two separate runs of 2:12 and 2:06. During the first scoreless run, UT Tyler was able to add on four points to their lead thanks to a free throw from
Keaundra Eddings and yet another three from Hevinder. During the second run, Hevinder knocked down another three, Davis added a layup, and Gutierrez knocked down two free throws to extend the lead by seven.
Those two free throws led to a 29 point lead for the Patriots. After a back-and-forth effort through the final buzzer, the Patriots came away with a 26 point win. That eclipses their win over Arkansas-Monticello on Nov. 28 as their largest win of the season. That is also the largest margin of victory since beating Sul Ross State by 26 back on Jan. 3, 2019.
Behind Hevinder's 29 point effort, three other Patriots scored in double figures. Machalova finished with 17, Davis added 14, and Gutierrez finished with 10.
Crouse stuffed the stat sheet again. This time scoring six points, grabbing eight rebounds, and displaying her court vision for 10 assists. That assist mark will go down tied for the sixth most in school history for a single game.
Davis also notched 12 rebounds and that is her third highest mark on the year.
Hevinder, Whitehead, and Eddings each ended the contest with two steals.
The Patriots will be back in action this coming Thursday as they head to Lawton, Oklahoma for their first LSC road contest. That game is scheduled to tip off at 5:30. That matchup will be followed by a trip to Canyon to take on West Texas A&M. That game will be on Jan. 8 and is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.
