ARKADELPHIA, ARKANSAS – UT Tyler was able to take a first quarter lead, but a cold stretch in the middle of the contest sunk the hopes of extending their winning streak to five games as Henderson State took a 67-57 victory.
 
A hot start saw Montse Gutierrez connect from deep, and two layups from Franzi Prinz and Destini Whitehead had the Patriots out to a 7-3 lead. That run was matched by a 7-0 run from the Reddies before another layup and three from Whitehead and Gutierrez was capped by an Ella Bradley layup to cap off a 14-10 first quarter lead.
 
A pair of three pointers from Enisa Kamerolli and Whithead marked the scoring over the first three and a half minutes of the second quarter for UT Tyler, but that was all they would get as the team went ice cold from the field. After holding a 20-18 lead, the Patriots would not score over the final 6:31 and that allowed the Reddies to run out to an 11-0 run to take a nine point halftime lead.
 
That cold streak extended all the way to the 6:03 mark of the third quarter before Lovisa Hevinder finally broke the seal with a layup. However, a lot of damage had been done as the Reddies went on a 22-0 run over that lasted a total of 10:28 of gametime. The two teams would go shot for shot over the remainder of the third quarter that saw Henderson State hold a 54-31 lead heading into the final frame.
 
Needing to climb out of the big hole with just ten minutes left, the Patriots got hot early, going on an 11-2 run over the first 4:26 of the period. UT Tyler's tough defense buckled down, holding the Reddies scoreless for 3:55 of gametime. That hot start would cut the lead down to just 14, but the lead never got lower than 10 as the Reddies big lead outlasted the Patriots.
 
UT Tyler forced Henderson State into 23 turnovers on the day and had 14 steals while turning those into 22 points.
 
Destini Whitehead led the way with 22 points for the Patriots on 7-16 shooting from the floor while adding in four steals.
 
Ella Bradley led the way with five rebounds for the Patriots and also chipped in six points.
 
Montse Gutierrez also led the way with four steals while also adding three assists.
 
The Patriots will now get the chance to take a step back and take a break as they get a week off from competition. Next up for UT Tyler will be the first Lone Star Conference game of the season on November 30^th against Cameron. That game will also double as the home opener for the Patriots and Veteran's Appreciation Day. The contest against the Aggies is scheduled for 5 p.m. inside the Herrington Patriot Center.