UT Permian Basin vs. UT Tyler UTPB: 11-14, 8-11 LSC  | UTT: 21-4, 16-2 LSC Thursday, Feb. 16 | 5:15 p.m. Falcon Dome Odessa, Texas		SCHEDULE	ROSTER	STATS
RV Angelo State vs. UT Tyler TAMUK: 20-5, 15-4 LSC  | UTT: 21-4, 16-2 LSC Saturday, Feb. 18 | 1 p.m. Stephens Arena San Angelo, Texas		SCHEDULE	ROSTER	STATS

LAST WEEK
 
The Patriots played some of their best basketball last weekend in a pair of wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International. In the win over the Javelinas, UT Tyler held them to just 34% from the floor and 26.1% from deep and forced them into 19 turnovers. On the offensive end, the Patriots shot 45.5% from the floor and 42.9% from deep en route to a 24 point win.
 
Against the Dustdevils, the Patriots took their offense to a new level, shooting an impressive 52.5% from the floor and 37% from deep. Despite the sluggish start in the first quarter, the Patriots shot 60% over the final three quarters to earn a nine point win.
 
CLIMBING THE RANKINGS
 
This week's editions of the D2SIDA South Central Region Rankings and the D2SIDA National Poll saw UT Tyler make some huge strides. The Patriots are now ranked higher than ever before in the Division II era of the program as they are second in the regional poll and are all the way up to #17 in the national poll. They join a trio of other teams from the South Central Region in that national poll as they look to climb even further with a pair of tough opponents this weekend.
 
WHAT COACH ALVIDREZ IS SAYING
 
On the 2-0 weekend: "Always leaving the game with the win is important and we want to build our resume each game. Against Kingsville I think we played close to 40 minutes of defense and that's what we wanted to try and focus on towards the end of the year.
 
On the success of the program over the first two years of her tenure: "You can't predict but you want to go and work hard. My first objective was to bring in a staff and having Coach Moser with his experience is very important. It starts from the top and having a strong staff helps bring in players that help you accomplish what you want to accomplish."
 
On the key to the offensive success: "I think the ball movement. I think we had 19 assists as a group. We're keeping the ball hot and moving it in to out and stretching the defense. I think that we try to focus on that and hopefully we can keep it going."
 
THE SCOUTING REPORT
 
UT Permian Basin comes into this week's matchup at 11-14 on the year and 8-11 in LSC play. The Falcons are on a little bit of a slide, having won just one of their previous five contests. On the statistical side, the Falcons rank 16^th in Division II in steals per game and area also 11^th in three point attempts per game. Additionally, they rank 21^st in turnover margin and 22^nd in turnovers forced per game.
 
Individually, the Falcons have three double digit scorers, led by Andreea Mancha who is at 12.6 points per game. Avalon Munoz averages 11.2 points per game and is also the team leader in assists and steals.
 
Rae Booth is at the helm for UT Permian Basin and is in the midst of her sixth season with the program. During her time with the program the Falcons have led the LSC in steals in two difference seasons and have narrowly missed out on the LSC tournament.
 
RV Angelo State currently sits at 20-5 on the year and 15-4 in LSC play. The Rambelles have lost two of their last three games and have a big matchup on Thursday night against #4 Texas Woman's. The program is tough on defense and also strong on the glass. They rank 12^th in Division II in field goal percentage defense and are 14^th in defensive rebounds per game and 19^th in total rebounds per game.
 
The Rambelles have four players averaging double figures, with Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant leading that pack at 16.3 points per game. McGhee-Pleasant also has the most rebounds on the team and is second in steals and blocks.
 
Alesha Ellis is now in her second season at the helm and has turned the program around from a 1-13 record in 2020-2021 to a 15-13 record in 2021-2022. Prior to her time at Angelo State, Ellis was the head coach at Wayland Baptist for eight seasons.
 
NEXT UP
 
Following this weekend's matchups, the Patriots will head into the final week of the regular season with their biggest two games of the year on tap. Both of those games will be against #4 Texas Woman's, as the February 23^rd matchup will be on the road in Denton, Texas and the February 25^th matchup will be in Tyler, Texas.