TYLER, TEXAS - The University of Texas at Tyler women's basketball program showed they still have magic left in their season after their upset victory on Friday afternoon. On Saturday night at 8:30, the Patriots will look to keep it going as they face off against number three seed Texas A&M-Commerce for a chance at their first LSC Tournament Championship appearance.
THE SEASON CONTINUES
The Patriots refuse to go home to Tyler after yet another big win on Friday afternoon against the number two seed Texas Woman's. The UT Tyler defense has been strong all season long, and they have made a statement in their first two LSC Tournament games. Neither opponent that the Patriots have faced have shot over 25% from the field, and both opponents were held to their season low shooting percentage in the games against the Patriots.
HOW WE GOT HERE
The Patriots have battled in the LSC Postseason Tournament just as they have all season long. On Tuesday night, UT Tyler earned their first ever LSC Tournament win with a dominant 55-38 victory over Midwestern State. On Friday night in Frisco, Texas, the Patriots upset Texas Woman's by a score of 59-46 and advanced into their first ever LSC Tournament semifinal game.
Texas A&M-Commerce heads into Saturday's contest as the three seed. They earned a first round bye in the LSC Tournament and faced off against Cameron in their quarterfinal matchup on Friday. The Lions took the game handily by a score of 80-65, despite only leading 34-30 at the halftime break.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and the Lions have faced off twice this season, and the two programs have split the season series thus far. Back on January 18, UT Tyler earned their first victory over a nationally ranked opponent in the Division II era when they took down then #4 ranked Texas A&M-Commerce by a score of 80-67 in Commerce, Texas.
On February 12, the Patriots battled with the then #7 ranked Lions, and they had the upper hand in that matchup by a score of 73-52 in Tyler, Texas. Neither team has managed to win on their home floor this season, and this will be the first contest ever on a neutral site.
Overall, Texas A&M-Commerce holds a 5-1 record over UT Tyler all time in a series that began all the way back on December 19, 2006. The two teams played each other in 2006 and 2007, before taking a 12 year hiatus and matching up again in 2019 when UT Tyler became members of the Lone Star Conference.
THE SCOUTING REPORT
Texas A&M-Commerce will come in to the matchup with UT Tyler with the number one scoring offense and number one rebounding team in the LSC. The Lions are scoring 80.5 points per game and average 45.89 rebounds per game.
The Lions boast four different players who average double digit points per game, and they are led by Dyani Robinson and DesiRay Kernal. Robinson was recently named the LSC Player of the Year and averages 15.8 points per game on 41.4% shooting. She also ranks first in total assists and is tied for the team lead in steals.
Kernal is a member of the All-LSC Second Team and is averaging 11.9 points on 50.2% shooting. Kernal is the team leader in rebounding at 7.5 per game, and also comes in tied for third in steals with 27 on the season.
Coaching the Lions is Jason Burton. Burton is in his eighth season at Texas A&M-Commerce and has amassed a career record of 155-69. Burton is the all-time winningest coach for the Lions and in the 2020-2021 season he led the program to its first NCAA Tournament win since 2008.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Both teams will be looking to advance into the LSC Postseason Tournament championship game with a win on Saturday night. For Texas A&M-Commerce, it would be their fourth appearance in the title game in program history. Their most recent appearance in the title game came last season, but they fell to the eventual national champion Lubbock Christian.
For UT Tyler, this is their first season of postseason eligibility in the Division II era, and they continue to make history this season. The Patriots have not been to a conference championship game since the 2015-2016 season. In that year, the Patriots won the ASC and made it all the way to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, their longest tournament run in school history.
