SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – The music keeps playing for UT Tyler women's basketball, and they will dance their way to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time in program history in just their second season of Division II eligibility.
 
It was a hard fought battle all game long, as it featured 20 lead changes and 15 ties over the 50 minute affair. Neither team led by double digits for the entire game, and neither side went on a scoring run better than nine points.
 
Action began in the first quarter, as both teams battled tightly over the first 10 minutes. The Patriots held the Lady Chaps to just 21.4% from the field in the period, and shot 40% themselves on the way to trailing just 10-9. The game opened on a 4-0 run from UT Tyler, as they held the Lady Chaps scoreless for the first 5:06 of play. Two free throws gave them the lead at the 4:27 mark, and the teams would trade buckets for the remainder of the quarter.
 
The second quarter saw the most successful offensive output of the night, as the two teams combined for 38 points and 12-26 from the field. The Patriots would hold the edge in the quarter, as Montse Gutierrez found her touch from beyond the arc with three triples in the frame.
 
The first of those threes came at the 7:28 mark, as she knocked in the three and drew a foul for the four point play. The second three came at the 1:10 mark, and it banked its way home to give the Patriots a two point lead. The Lady Chaps kept digging, and a jumper with just 17 seconds left in the half tied the game. However, it was Gutierrez again, knocking down her third three pointer of the quarter with just four seconds left to put the Patriots up three.
 
On Saturday, it was a huge run to open the second half that set the tone for UT Tyler on their way to a win over Angelo State. The Patriots looked to replicate that on Monday, as Meagan Mendazona, Gutierrez, and Lovisa Hevinder each dropped in two points to spur a 6-0 run. Again the Patriots held the Lady Chaps scoreless for over five minutes, but they would spark their own run, this time of 9-0 to tie the game up with 2:09 to play. The two teams would trade threes over the last minute, and they would remain tied at the end of the third quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, it took nearly two minutes for a team to score, but Gutierrez again got downhill for a tough layup to put the Patriots up two. The Lady Chaps answered at the 7:43 mark with their own layup, and then took the lead at the 6:44 mark with another.
 
The two teams traded threes again, and another Gutierrez layup with 1:49 tied up the game again. The Lady Chaps would make a free throw to take a one point lead with 1:18 remaining, but Mendazona began her march in clutch time with a jumper with 42 seconds left to put the Patriots up one. An and-one layup from the Lady Chaps put them back up two, but Mendazona answered the call again with just five seconds left, knocking down two huge free throws to tie the game and go to overtime.
 
Mendazona carried that big shot mentality into overtime, as she scored the first five Patriots points to put them up by one point with 3:10 remaining in the game. Gutierrez made her own free throw to put the Patriots up two, and Mendazona again came through with a jumper to go up four. However, the Lady Chaps had another answer, making four free throws over the last 1:45 of the overtime to tie the game and head to the second overtime.
 
In overtime number two, it was Lubbock Christian who took the advantage with a layup. However, Mendazona again got to the free throw line and tied it up. Just over a minute later, Hevinder took the lead with a layup of her own, but the Lady Chaps bounced back with two more free throws at the 1:21 mark.
 
The biggest shot of the night came at the 53 second mark, as Ella Bradley snagged a big offensive rebound before Hevinder delivered a perfect pass to the opposite corner to find Tina Machalova. Machalova ball-faked her defender out of the way, and buried a three pointer to put the Patriots ahead three.
 
The Lady Chaps made a layup to cut the lead to one, but Hevinder made two free throws to ice the game and send the Patriots to the Elite Eight.
 
The Patriots held Lubbock Christian to their lowest field goal percentage of the year, only 27.9% from the floor. It was also the Lady Chaps third lowest three point percentage of the year, at just 21.4%.
 
The Patriots held the total rebound advantage at 45-38, points in the paint at 28-18, fast break points at 9-4, and blocks at 5-1. For the game, the Patriots shot 38% from the floor and 31% from three, and shot 85% from the charity stripe.
 
Meagan Mendazona totaled a double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and also earned NCAA South Central Region Tournament MVP honors for her performance in all three games.
 
Montse Gutierrez had 17 points and eight rebounds, and Lovisa Hevinder chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
Joining Mendazona on the all-tournament team was Ella Bradley and Lovisa Hevinder. Lubbock Christian was represented on the all-tournament team by Grace Foster and Maci Maddox.
 
The Patriots will now head back to Tyler, Texas for a short break before packing their bags and heading to St. Joseph, Missouri for the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.