TYLER, TEXAS – (RV) UT Tyler women's basketball took care of business on Saturday afternoon behind their staunch defense and three point barrage to take the non-conference win over Ouachita Baptist.
 
The Patriots shot 50% from beyond the arc in the contest, their highest as a team this season and highest since they shot 61.9% from deep against Midwestern State on January 2, 2022.
 
Seven different players knocked down a triple in the contest, with Polina Latysheva and Brooklyn Palmer each going 3-for-3 and 2-for-2, respectively, to mark the two Patriots who went perfect from deep.
 
The Patriots allowed the Tigers to shoot above 30.8% just one time in the four quarters, that came in the fourth where they shot 42.9%. They also held the Tigers to just 20% from deep, including 0% in the first quarter.
 
The contest started slow, but a three point make from Palmer kicked off the scoring as jumpers from both Montse Gutierrez and Gabby Elliott kicked the lead to 7-1 to begin the game. Two more three pointers down the stretch by Lovisa Hevinder and Ella Bradley make it a 13-7 ballgame after one.
 
Palmer again got the scoring started with a triple in the second, and she was joined by Latysheva who knocked down her first triple to stretch the lead to eight with just over five minutes left in the half. However, the Patriots would add just two points from two Elliott free throws over the remainder of the period as the Tigers went on an 8-2 run to cut the lead to just two heading into the final half.
 
Early offense was again the key, as Palmer kickstarted an 8-2 run over the first 4:16 of the second half that saw a three pointer fall for Tina Machalova to stretch the lead back out to eight points. The Tigers climbed themselves back in, but a layup from Machalova and a three pointer from Gutierrez kept the lead from slipping away.
 
Four straight made free throws from Ouachita Baptist cut the lead to four heading into the final frame, and then five straight unanswered gave them their first lead of the ballgame at the 6:41 mark of the fourth quarter.
 
The three point barrage kicked into high gear, as the Patriots buried four straight triples from Latysheva, Gutierrez, and Meagan Mendazona over a 1:51 stretch of gametime to take a seven point lead. The Patriots would then put the clamps down on defense, allowing just three made field goals over the final five minutes while going 7-8 from the free throw line to keep the Tigers at bay.
 
Montse Gutierrez and Brooklyn Palmer each had 10 points, while Machalova led the way with five rebounds. Gutierrez posted a team high three blocks and was tied with Machalova and Bradley for the team high in steals with two.
 
As a team, the Patriots picked up nine steals and forced 22 turnovers. That marks their fifth game with at least nine steals and fifth time forcing their opponent into at least 20 turnovers.
 
Next up for (RV) UT Tyler will be their first conference matchup of the year as they head to Lawton, Oklahoma to take on Cameron on Thursday night. That game will be followed up by a trip to Wichita Falls to take on Midwestern State to round out the opening weekend of LSC play.