TYLER, TEXAS – Despite a sluggish start to the game that saw the Patriots go down by as many as 13, UT Tyler women's basketball battled back with some balanced scoring to earn its second consecutive Lone Star Conference win.
It was the most points for UT Tyler since January 6, 2018 when they scored 95 points against Sul Ross State. The Patriots shot 50% from the floor in the contest and held Midwestern State to just 37%.
It was all Midwestern State in the early goings, taking an eight point lead thanks to an 8-0 to start the game. Natalie Stice buried a pair of triples and had eight of the first ten points of the game for the Mustangs.
Midwestern State shot 47% from the field and 50% from deep in the first quarter, and also connected on seven of their eight free throw attempts. They got big success on the defensive side, holding the Patriots to 33% from the field and from deep to build a 10 point lead early on.
UT Tyler decided to switch from their typical zone to more of a man-to-man style defense, and that paid off in a big way. They held the Mustangs to just 3-13 in the second quarter while shooting 55% on the offensive side of the ball to climb themselves within one at the half.
The key to the Patriots bounceback was a massive 18-3 run over 4:20 of gametime in the second quarter to put them out in front by two. This was in response to Midwestern State pushing their lead out to 13, their largest of the night. UT Tyler was led by
Destini Whitehead and
Tina Machalova, who scored seven and five points, respectively, during the run.
That big run charged up the Patriots on offense and defense as they headed into halftime down just one point. Another big 13-5 run that saw five different players contribute over the five minute stretch of game time allowed the Patriots to grab the lead for good.
Heading into the final frame up just two points,
Lovisa Hevinder drained a three pointer to open up the quarter and started the downhill slide for the Mustangs. Machalova would use this time to go on her own tear, scoring seven straight points by herself to stretch the lead out to eight.
At the 2:53 mark, a big four point play from Hevinder got the lead out to 84-71, which was the largest of the night for the Patriots. The two teams would trade free throws through the end of the game, before UT Tyler dribbled the ball out to earn a 91-79 victory.
Five players reached double figures on the night for UT Tyler, with
Tina Machalova leading the way at 19.
Destini Whitehead and
Frances King each tacked on 15, Hevinder scored 12, and
Meagan Mendazona scored her first 10 points in a Patriots uniform.
Whitehead and King would each lead in the rebound department with five, and also lead the assists category with five.
Next up for UT Tyler will be a week off from competition due to finals week, before making the long road trip to New Mexico to take on Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico on December 15 and 17. The contest against the Greyhounds is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. CST start, while the matchup with the Mustangs is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST.
