DENTON, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's basketball came less than a second from taking down #12 Texas Woman's on Thursday night as a three point heave caught all net for the Pioneers in a 48-47 win over the Patriots.
 
It was all UT Tyler over the first 10 minutes as they ran out on a 10-2 run over the first 5:51 of gametime. Strong defense was the key for the Patriots early, forcing #12 Texas Woman's scoreless over the first 3:43 of gametime. That strong defense continued over the entire first quarter, as the Pioneers managed just two field goal makes on their way to eight points.
 
13-8 was the lead for UT Tyler after that first frame, but the second quarter would see #12 Texas Woman's begin to get their engines firing as they took off on a 16-3 run to take the lead. Ella Bradley would knock down her first three pointer of the night and then a jumper to keep the Patriots going on offense before Tina Machalova added in a late jumper herself to keep the lead down to six heading into the halftime break.
 
The second half brought a completely new level of intensity to the game for both teams. Bradley again knocked down a three pointer to get things going, and Meagan Mendazona dropped in a triple of her own to tie the game while the Pioneers were held scoreless.
 
A three pointer from the Pioneers moved them back in front, but four straight points from Destini Whitehead gave the Patriots their first lead of the second half. A layup from Lovisa Hevinder followed that up, but after a 5:05 stretch of scoreless basketball for #12 Texas Woman's, they finished the quarter on a 7-0 run to retake the lead and hold a four point advantage.
 
Whitehead cashed in a layup just 25 seconds into the final frame, and Hevinder drilled a three pointer to take the lead. Over the next two and a half minutes, both teams would trade the lead four separate times as the Pioneers took the lead on a layup before Whitehead answered with her own. That was followed by a three pointer from the Pioneers, but Bradley came up huge yet again, this time with two consecutive three pointers to give the Patriots a four point advantage with 5:35 to play.
 
The Pioneers would dig themselves back into the game as they dropped in a pair of layups over the next two minutes to even up the score with 3:17 remaining. A defensive battle ensued, as neither team would score a basket over the next 2:40 of gametime.
 
With 34 seconds remaining, Hevinder would just miss a three, but an offensive rebound from Whitehead allowed for a timeout and the Patriots to draw up a play. That play called Whitehead's number, and she dribbled into the paint and dropped in a tough layup to give the Patriots the lead with 27 seconds left.
 
The Patriots got the stop on defense, but a turnover gave the ball back to the Pioneers with 13 seconds remaining. The Patriots fouled twice to force the Pioneers out of rhythm, but in their final possession with six seconds left, they were able to heave up a three pointer to give themselves the one point win.
 
The loss for UT Tyler means that they are now officially locked into the number three seed in next week's Lone Star Conference Tournament that is set to begin on March 2^nd.
 
Ella Bradley led all scorers with 14 points and went 4-8 from the three point line. Destini Whitehead added in 13 points of her own and snagged seven rebounds.
 
The Patriots will now host those same Pioneers on Saturday afternoon for the final home game of the 2023 regular season inside the Herrington Patriot Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.