TYLER, TEXAS – (RV) UT Tyler women's basketball put together one of their best halves of the season on Thursday night as they outscored #19 Texas A&M International 36-19 in the third and fourth quarters on their way to an 18 point win.
 
The Patriots extend their home winning streak to 23 straight games, and have now won an impressive 14 straight contests to move to 16-3 overall. They remain the only undefeated LSC program at 10-0, and now are the only undefeated team in the LSC East division at a perfect 6-0.
 
A back-and-forth affair was the story of basically the entire first half as neither side was able to gain traction against staunch defense. Tina Machalova dropped in five early points for the Patriots as they held the narrow lead, but the two defenses stepped up early as each side shot below 40% in the first frame on the way to a UT Tyler two point advantage after one.
 
The second quarter saw much of the same, as just one basket was made in the first three and a half minutes. The two teams knotted up at 18 each, but a 6-1 run for the Dustdevils in just over a minute gave them the lead by five and the largest of the game to that point. However, the Patriots had the huge answer, running on a 10-2 run over the next 1:48 in response, capped off by a pair of triples from Montse Gutierrez and Ella Bradley sandwiched around a Frances King jumper. The Dustdevils would answer with a layup in the closing minutes of the half, and the Patriots held the slim 29-28 lead after the half.
 
A 7-5 run from Texas A&M International kicked off the first 3:30 of gametime in the third frame, but again it was Ella Bradley knocking in the triple and then a pair of free throws just a minute later to give the Patriots the lead yet again.
 
At the 4:20 mark of the quarter, Gabby Elliott got involved with a tough layup, but the Dustdevils again hit from deep to tie the contest. In came Bradley again, knocking down the huge and-one, her second of the contest, to put the Patriots back up three. On the ensuing possession, she picked the pocket of her matchup and dished it ahead for a Gutierrez fastbreak layup and the Patriots quickly went back up five.
 
The quarter ran down with a 7-5 run in favor of the Patriots, thanks in large part to four different scorers finding the net and they held a 50-43 advantage heading into the final period of the night.
 
In that final frame, the defense became the big story for the Patriots, as they held the Dustdevils to just two made free throws over the first 4:36 of gametime in the quarter. In that run, the Patriots forced the Dustdevils to go 0-for-4 from the field while forcing them into a pair of turnovers, all the while increasing their lead to nine points.
 
On the next possession after those two free throws, Gutierrez would promptly drill the three pointer, leading to a 9-0 run that saw Bradley convert yet another and-one and Meagan Mendazona hit the big triple to put the Patriots up 63-45 with just 3:13 on the clock.
 
The Dustdevils would make their one and only field goal of the final frame at the 3:00 mark of the quarter, a layup that cut the deficit to 16. From there, the Patriots would knock in a pair of free throws to complete the 65-47 victory over #19 Texas A&M International.
 
In that fourth quarter alone, the Patriots held the Dustdevils to just 1-for-8 from the field, a whopping 12.5%. They went 0-for-6 from deep, while the Patriots shot 4-for-11 from the field and made all five free throw attempts they took.
 
For the game, the Patriots held the Dustdevils to just 31.3% from the field, their second lowest percentage of the season. They also shot just 25% from beyond the arc, their fifth lowest mark of the year. The Patriots turned the ball over just 17 times in the contest, well below the 29 turnovers per game that the Dustdevils opponents were averaging coming into the game.
 
The Patriots forced 23 Dustdevils turnovers and turned those into 21 points. They also put together a 26-16 advantage in points in the paint, and produced a 17-8 margin in bench points.
 
Ella Bradley capped off arguably her best game as a Patriot, going for 18 points and 12 boards on 5-for-9 shooting. She went a perfect 2-for-2 from deep while converting three different and-ones. She led all players in scoring and rebounding, and had more offensive rebounds than anyone else had total rebounds in the contest with seven. She also added in a game-high four steals and two assists.
 
Montse Gutierrez and Meagan Mendazona each chipped in 10 points as they each knocked down a pair of triples and added three assists. Both Destini Whitehead and Frances King snagged three steals, and Gabby Elliott produced a game-high three blocks.
 
Next up for (RV) UT Tyler will be another home matchup as they take on Texas A&M-Kingsville inside the HPC on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.