UT Tyler vs. West Texas A&M UTT: 23-6, 18-4 LSC | WT: 21-9, 14-8 LSC Thursday, Mar. 2nd | 12:00 P.M. Frisco, Texas | Comerica Center

SCHEDULE

ROSTER

STATS

ANOTHER UPSET
 
UT Tyler squared off with #12 ranked Texas Woman's in a pair of games to round out the regular season schedule last week. On Thursday, the Pioneers got the better of the Patriots thanks to a last second, buzzer beating three pointer to win 48-47. In that game, UT Tyler held the Pioneers to their lowest field goal percentage of the season and their lowest scoring total of the year.
 
Fast forward to Saturday, where the same two teams squared off again, this time in Tyler, Texas. In that contest, it was another defensive slugfest in the first half, but UT Tyler found their stride in the second half on offense to the tune of 40 points and a dominant 63-54 win.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE
 
For UT Tyler, a win on Thursday would move them into the semifinal round, and will match their best finish at the Lone Star Conference tournament. On an even bigger note, the Patriots are ranked 7th in the latest edition of the NCAA South Central Region Rankings, and another win would bolster their resume further as they look to make their first ever NCAA Division II Tournament appearance and their first since 2015-2016 when they made it all the way to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight.
 
WHAT COACH ALVIDREZ IS SAYING
 
On the win to round out the season against #12 Texas Woman's: "It's nice finishing off the regular season with a win, especially against one of the tougher opponents in the conference. I give a lot of credit to our girls, when I took over this job two years ago we recruited a class and the returners that have been here the last two years it is tremendous what they have done."
 
On the postseason experience from last season: "It helps having a taste and an understanding on what it will take to extend your season. This is what we work hard for all season, this is what we talk about, what our goals are. It's going to take a lot of hard work and toughness."
 
On Thursday's matchup against the Lady Buffs: "It's a new start and a new beginning. Everything was working that day, hopefully we have another game like that. They're very talented and very well coached. They won it last year, but we will be prepared and be ready to go. For adjustments, it's just make more baskets than they do."
 
THE SCOUTING REPORT
 
West Texas A&M will head into Thursday's matchup as the #6 seed in the LSC tournament, and are ranked inside the top 50 in Division II in several statistical categories. They rank 13^th in defensive rebounds per game, 24^th in total rebounding margin, 38^th in three pointers per game, and 41^st in total rebounds per game.
 
All time, these two teams have squared off just three times, with the Lady Buffs taking two of the three meetings. However, the most recent meeting back on January 21^st went the Patriots way, as they shot 54.2 from the field and 47.6% from beyond the arc on their way to a dominant 22 point win over the then #17 ranked Lady Buffs.
 
West Texas A&M is lead on offense by Karley Motschenbacher, who is averaging 13 points per game on 49.8% shooting from the floor. She is second on the team in rebounding, averaging seven per game, and also leads the team in both assists and steals.
 
Josh Prock is at the helm of the Lady Buffs and is in the midst of his second season with the program. Prock in his first year led the program all the way to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight while claiming both the LSC regular season and tournament titles.
 
NEXT UP
 
Following Thursday's game, if the Patriots take the win, they will play again on Saturday at noon against the winner of Angelo State and Cameron. The winner of Saturday's matchup will get the chance to play for the LSC tournament title on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
The Patriots will also be earnestly awaiting the NCAA Selection Show to take place on Sunday night to see if they are one of the eight teams selected into the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament. That tournament will be hosted by the top seed on March 10-13.