SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – The music plays on for UT Tyler women's basketball as they continue their March dance for at least two more days as they took down no. 1 Angelo State by a score of 71-61.
 
The Patriots held the Rambelles to 42% from the floor on the night, but it was a massive difference in bench points (33-9) and points in the paint (26-18) that led to the big win.
 
It was all Rambelles in the first quarter as they lit up the scoring with 14 points on 45.5% shooting. The Patriots held their ground, scoring 11 points themselves on 40% shooting. Frances King, Tina Machalova, and Meagan Mendazona all had three points each in a balanced effort. The big stand for the Patriots came on the defensive side of the ball, as they held the Rambelles to just one made field goal over the last 2:38 of the quarter.
 
Angelo State continued to roll on offense in the second quarter, shooting 57.1% from the floor on their way to 20 points. However, the Patriots battled back with their own 20 point effort on 46.7% from the floor. Mendazona, King, and Machalova combined for 17 of the 20 points.
 
The lead was run out to 10 halfway through the second quarter, but a 7-2 run in response cut the lead down to five with 3:10 remaining. Another big 5-0 run from the Patriots to close out the half cut the lead down to just three and kept them within striking distance.
 
That tough Patriots defense and strong offense shined through in a big way to kick off the third quarter, as they ran out on a 13-0 run to start the period. Lovisa Hevinder scored the first five points by herself, and four free throws from Mendazona kept the run rolling as it took 4:53 of game time for Angelo State to record a point.
 
A 9-5 run from the Rambelles got them right back in the contest as they found their stride on offense. The lead was cut down to six points to end the third quarter as Angelo State made a late layup. In that third quarter, the Patriots outscored Angelo State 23-14 on 44.4% shooting from the floor and 40% from deep.
 
A quick 5-0 run from Angelo State cut the lead down to just one point with 8:49 remaining. King dropped in two more free throws at the 7:55 mark to extend the lead back to three, and the game turned into a defensive battle as neither side scored for the next 2:48. Mendazona would get on the board for the Patriots with three points to snap their scoreless streak, but the stout Patriots defense continued to hold Angelo State stagnant, reaching a total of 4:15 of gametime in which they didn't score.
 
That jumper from the Rambelles at the 4:34 mark cut the lead down to just four, but an 8-0 run with two dagger threes from Hevinder and Machalova ran the lead back out to 10 points.
 
One free throw from the Rambelles cut the lead to nine with 2:20 to play, but the stout Patriots defense came out again, holding Angelo State scoreless in the most critical part of the game until 31 seconds left in the game, but by then the contest would be under wraps.
 
Three different Patriots scored 18 points on the night, as Mendazona, Hevinder, and King all reached that mark. Mendazona also snagged six rebounds and added in three steals. Hevinder added in two rebounds and an assist while knocking down four three pointers. King had five rebounds herself and went 6-10.
 
Tina Machalova added in 13 points of her own, and Montse Gutierrez had a team high eight rebounds and also had three steals.