LAREDO, TEXAS – UT Tyler moves to 9-0 in LSC play and 14-2 on the season as they take down Texas A&M International by a score of 77-69 thanks to a big offensive outburst and timely defense.
 
The first quarter set the tone for the entire first half and most of the game, as UT Tyler ran out on an 11-0 run to start the game and keep the Dustdevils at bay. Ella Bradley, Montse Gutierrez, and Lovisa Hevinder scored four, four, and three points respectively as the Patriots forced the Dustdevils into an 0-4 stretch that included three turnovers.
 
The first points of the game would come 4:24 into the contest for the Dustdevils, but the first quarter belonged to the Patriots by a score of 19-15. That hot shooting for UT Tyler would continue into the second frame, as the team combined to go 9-15 from the field and outscore Texas A&M International 21-13. Frances King would catch fire in the quarter, scoring six points of her 18 points in the quarter.
 
The 12 point lead for the Patriots would not last long, as the Dustdevils caught fire on the third. They scored 26 points on 9-14 shooting and 6-10 from beyond the arc while holding the Patriots to 16 points on 4-11 shooting to nearly erase the halftime lead. The quick start to the quarter from the Dustdevils cut the lead down to just one point, but timely scoring from King came up big, as she scored eight of the final 10 points of the quarter for UT Tyler to keep them up by two heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Another Dustdevils three pointer to begin the fourth quarter put them back up by one point. Madyson Tate was able to knock down an and-one opportunity to put the Patriots back up by two, and that spurred on a run of 14-6 over the next 4:07 of gametime to extend the UT Tyler lead out to 10 points. Hevinder would take over the game at the end of that run, drilling three consecutive three pointers over 1:23 of the quarter.
 
One of the biggest moments of that stretch for UT Tyler was the defensive stand that they made after the huge third quarter from the Dustdevils. From the 2:02 mark of the third to the 3:51 mark of the fourth, the Patriots held Texas A&M International to 3-12 from the field and 3-8 from deep to extend their lead.
 
Another three pointer from Tina Machalova extended the lead to 13, but the Dustdevils began to claw their way back, drilling three quick threes of their own to cut the lead back to just four points. Destini Whitehead would come up big, knocking in a layup to put the Patriots back up six points. That would be the final jump shot made in the contest, as UT Tyler was able to outlast the Dustdevils and close out the game.
 
Frances King led the Patriots with 18 points, while Hevinder, Machalova, and Bradley had 15, 14, and 10 points.
 
Hevinder grabbed a game high 13 rebounds to register her second double-double of the season.
 
King would also chip in seven rebounds and seven assists to stuff the stat sheet.
 
Now the Patriots will head up to Kingsville, Texas for another big road battle with Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday afternoon. That game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. tipoff.