St. Mary's vs. UT Tyler StMU: 6-14, 2-12 LSC  | UTT: 18-3, 13-1 LSC Thursday, Feb. 2 | 5:30 p.m. Bill Greehey Arena San Antonio, Texas		Roster	Schedule	Stats
St. Edward's vs. UT Tyler SEU: 11-11, 7-7 LSC  | UTT: 18-3, 13-1 LSC Saturday, Feb. 4 | 1 p.m. Recreation and Athletics Center Austin, Texas		Roster	Schedule	Stats

LAST TIME OUT
 
Last weekend saw the Patriots take on UAFS and Oklahoma Christian, and the Patriots went 2-0 with a pair of grueling and physical wins. Against the Lions, the Patriots rolled early, building a strong lead in the first half. The Lions crawled their way back into the contest late in the fourth quarter, but UT Tyler closed out the game with a 10 point win. Against Oklahoma Christian, neither team ran out to a lead larger than six points in the entire contest, and several clutch shots down the stretch plus a monster game from Tina Machalova allowed the Patriots to claim the win.
 
NATIONAL ATTENTION
 
UT Tyler is now receiving votes in both the D2SIDA and WBCA National Polls for the first time in the Division II era of the program. The Patriots are rolling at 18-3 overall and 13-1 in LSC play. They have dropped just one of their last 14 games, and are currently riding a four game winning streak.
 
Joining UT Tyler in those rankings are LSC opponents Texas Woman's and Angelo State, and South Central Regional foe Colorado School of Mines.
 
WHAT COACH ALVIDREZ IS SAYING
 
On the season thus far: "First of all our girls have been battling all year and I'm proud. A lot of our returners have been setting the tone in practice every day. Winning isn't easy, we talk daily about taking it one game at a time and one step at a time. I'm proud, 18-3 isn't an easy task and hopefully we are prepared for the end of the season."
 
On where the team has made the biggest strides: "I think it has been our growth. I think in everything from top to bottom. There are so many distractions and showing up and working hard shows our team is reliable. It's a good group to be around and there are a lot of positives. All you ask for is to continue to grow each day and be hungry in March."
 
On the depth this team has: "Coming into our second year we wanted to get deeper and I've always been a fan of having a deeper bench especially late in the season. It's fun to see our freshman growing and turning into the type of players we want. I think having a bench is extremely important because you want to be prepared for any type of situation."
 
THE SCOUTING REPORT
 
The Rattlers come into Thursday's game with a record of 6-14 and 2-12 in conference play so far this season. Earlier this year the two teams squared off in a defensive affair that saw the Patriots earn a 42-40 win. Since that win for the Patriots, the Rattlers have gone just 1-5 while UT Tyler is 5-1.
 
St. Mary's is led on offense by Gabby Elliott who is averaging 12.4 points per game. Elliott is also the teams leader in rebounding and blocks while also snagging 15 steals.
 
Valerie Huizar is at the helm for the Rattlers and is in her first season as head coach. Huizar previously served as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for Louisiana Lafayette.
 
For the Hilltoppers, they sit at an even 11-11 on the year and 7-7 overall in LSC play. The two teams squared off back on January 5^th inside the Herrington Patriot Center and UT Tyler came away with a strong 64-46 victory. Since that game, St. Edward's has gone 4-3 and won their most recent contest against Texas A&M International.
 
The Hilltoppers have three scorers in double figures in Morgan Gary, Lauren Catherman, and Jayda Ruffus-Milner. Gary leads the way in that category at 11.4 points per game, and also leads in rebounding and is second in assists. Catherman totals the most steals, and Ruffus-Milner has the second most blocks on the team.
 
J.J. Riehl leads the Hilltoppers and has been the head coach since 2012. Riehl served as an assistant coach for St. Edward's from 2002-2012 before getting the head job, and has led the program to their only two NCAA Tournament appearances in its history.
 
NEXT ON THE SLATE
 
Following the quick two game road trip, the Patriots will return back home for the chance to take on Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International. Those games will be two of the final three games inside the Herrington Patriot Center on the season.