OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – UT Tyler got to work early and often in the first quarter, but Oklahoma Christian responded in the middle 20 minutes of the game before the Patriots closed out the contest with a 16-9 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Destini Whitehead carried the load in the first quarter for the Patriots, putting up eight of her 16 total points in the first 10 minutes alone. All eight of those points came with under six minutes left, and it was eight of the final 10 points of the quarter for UT Tyler.
A 9-3 run from the Eagles cut the lead down to just one with six and a half minutes to play in the first half, but a 15-3 run in response by UT Tyler ran the lead out to 13 just three and a half minutes later.
Ella Bradley was the big contributor on that run, knocking down a pair of three pointers and chipping in a pair of free throws. Oklahoma Christian refused to go away, going on a 10-1 run of their own over the final two and a half minutes of the first half to cut the lead to just five at the break.
A 6-0 run to begin the third quarter gave the Eagles just their second lead of the ballgame with 7:50 remaining. That run extended to 16-4 by the 2:22 mark of the third quarter and the Eagles had their largest lead of the game to that point at five points.
Montse Gutierrez cooled off the attack with a three pointer, but another layup from the Eagles ensured a four point lead heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter started with the Eagles running their lead to five, but the Patriots stepped up both on offense and defense in a big way to turn the tide in their favor. A pair of Whitehead free throws was followed by big time three pointers from Gutierrez and
Lovisa Hevinder gave the Patriots a three point lead with three minutes left. During the run from UT Tyler, their defense held Oklahoma Christian scoreless for a 6:31 stretch of game time to ultimately allow them to take the lead and secure the win.
Friday night's win by UT Tyler marks the fourth consecutive game they have forced their opponent into 20 or more turnovers, The Patriots were able to capitalize on those turnovers, outscoring the Eagles 17-13 in that department and also beat the Eagles 12-2 in fastbreak points.
Whitehead led the team with 16 points, and
Ella Bradley joined her in double digits with 11.
Bradley also chipped in a team high seven rebounds, while Hevinder added in five.
Frances King led the way with a game high seven assists.
The Patriots will now make the short trip over to Fort Smith, Arkansas to take on UAFS. That game will be the first game of 2023 and will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m.
