St. Edward's vs. UT Tyler
SEU: 7-7, 3-3 LSC | UTT: 11-2, 6-0 LSC
Thursday, Jan. 5 | 5 p.m.
Herrington Patriot Center
Tyler, Texas |
 |
Schedule |
Roster |
Stats |
St. Mary's vs. UT Tyler
StMU: 5-7, 1-5 LSC | UTT: 11-2, 6-0 LSC
Saturday, Jan. 7 | 1 p.m.
Herrington Patriot Center
Tyler, Texas |
 |
Schedule |
Roster |
Stats |
KEEPING IT ROLLING
UT Tyler has extended their start to Lone Star Conference play to 6-0 following another pair of strong road victories over Oklahoma Christian and UAFS. Timely shooting and stingy defense were the defining characteristics of the wins, and the Patriots are now one of two teams that are undefeated in LSC play this season.
UT Tyler is also one of the six teams that remain undefeated in divisional play so far. The LSC East Division consists of UT Tyler, Texas Woman's, Texas A&M International, St. Edward's, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Oklahoma Christian, St. Mary's, and UAFS.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
The Patriots winning streak has seen them flex their muscles a little bit, as they know rank in the top 50 in NCAA Division II in several categories. UT Tyler is 49
th in both scoring defense and scoring margin, coming in at 58.7 points per game allowed and winning by an average of 10.3 points. The Patriots rank 42
nd in turnovers forced per game, rank 27
th in turnover margin, and rank 22
nd in steals per game.
Additionally, UT Tyler has several individuals who are beginning to climb the ranks.
Montse Gutierrez ranks 42
nd nationally in steals at 32.
Lovisa Hevinder has already proven herself as a three point sniper, and she is 49
th in three pointers per game, 30
th in total three pointers, and ranks 67
th in three point percentage.
REGIONAL CLIMB
UT Tyler is now up to number six in the latest edition of the D2SIDA South Central Regional Rankings. This ties their highest regional ranking thus far, and the Patriots are one of five Lone Star Conference programs inside the top six.
| Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
W-L |
Pts. |
Prev. |
| 1 |
Colorado School of Mines (3) |
11-1 |
56 |
2 |
| 2 |
Texas Woman's (2) |
11-1 |
52 |
1 |
| 3 |
West Texas A&M (1) |
12-2 |
47 |
3 |
| 4 |
Angelo State |
11-2 |
43 |
4 |
| 5 |
Lubbock Christian |
10-4 |
37 |
T5 |
| 6 |
UT Tyler |
11-2 |
29 |
7 |
| 7 |
Black Hills State |
9-3 |
19 |
T5 |
| 8 |
Texas A&M International |
10-4 |
14 |
10 |
| 9 |
Adams State |
9-4 |
13 |
NR |
| 10 |
Colorado State Pueblo |
8-5 |
10 |
T8 |
SCOUTING REPORT
Thursday night will see the St. Edward's Hilltoppers come to the Herrington Patriot Center for a 5 p.m. tip. The Hilltoppers are 7-7 on the year and 3-3 in LSC play and are 1-1 in divisional play.
St. Edward's does a strong job on the defensive side of the ball, ranking 26
th nationally in blocks per game and 21
st in three point percentage defense. On offense, they rank 8
th in the LSC in overall field goal percentage, but are second in three point percentage.
The Hilltoppers are led in scoring by Morgan Gary and Lauren Catherman, who are scoring 10.9 and 10.6 points per game. Gary is averaging seven rebounds per game and is third in steals, while Catherman has the second highest assists and leads the team in steals. J.J. Riehl is the head coach of St. Edward's and is now in her 11
th season. Riehl led the Hilltoppers to just their second Heartland Conference title in 2016 and has led the program to their only NCAA Tournament appearances in program history.
St. Mary's will come to the HPC on Saturday at 1 p.m., and they roll in with a record of 5-7 overall, 1-5 in LSC play, and 0-2 in divisional contests.
The Rattlers are steady in the paint and do a solid job defensively. They rank 47
th nationally in blocks per game, and rank 33
rd in offensive rebounds per game and 37
th in total rebounds per game. Additionally, St. Mary's ranks sixth in the LSC in field goal percentage defense and sixth in steals per game.
Tonia Bilic and Gabby Elliott lead the way in scoring for the Rattlers, scoring 10.9 and 10.4 points per game. Bilic is a do-it-all player for the Rattlers, ranking inside the top three on the team in scoring, assists, blocks, and average minutes. Elliott leads the team in rebounding and blocks, and also leads in field goal percentage at an even 50%.
Valerie Huizar is the coach for St. Mary's, and is in her first season as head coach. Huizar previously served as an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisiana-Lafayette.
NEXT WEEK'S ACTION
Next week will see UT Tyler head back out on the road for two more contests as they take on Texas A&M International and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Those two contests will be the last road games of the month of January as the Patriots will get four straight home games to close out the first month of the year.
