TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's basketball picked up a huge win on Saturday after beating #1 Texas Woman's behind a huge defensive effort and double digit points from Lovisa Hevinder and Meagan Mendazona.
 
This is the first time in the Division II era of the program that the Patriots took down the #1 ranked team and the third time they have defeated a top five ranked team.
 
The Patriots held the lead for an impressive 35:06 of game time and only trailed by one point in the 1:38 total time they trailed in the contest. 

For the game, the Patriots held the Pioneers to just 34% from the floor and 15% from beyond the arc. Both of those marks are season lows for the Pioneers as the Patriots played disruptive defense all game long.
 
The Patriots got the scoring started as Mileina Sablinskaite and Ella Bradley connected on a pair of two pointers to lead 4-0. Polina Latysheva and Meagan Mendazona would add on a three pointer and a layup to extend the lead out to 9-5 in the Patriots favor over the first four minutes. Down the stretch of the quarter, Lovisa Hevinder connected on her first three pointer and Mendazona came through in the paint yet again to give the Patriots a 14-11 lead heading into the second frame.
 
Mendazona kept up the hot shooting with a three pointer, and she was joined by KK Bass from beyond the arc to extend the Patriots lead to seven, but a pair of two pointers from the Pioneers cut that lead back down to three.
 
The Pioneers twice got the lead down to just one point over the final five minutes of the half, but Tianna Knighton buried a pair of clutch three pointers in the waning seconds of the shot clock to ensure the Patriots would lead at the break.
 
In the first half, the Patriots held the Pioneers to just 32.1% from the floor and 20% from beyond the arc while shooting 42.3% from the floor and 37.5% from beyond the arc to hold a two point advantage.
 
The Pioneers opened the third quarter with a jumper to tie the game, but Latysheva knocked down a jumper on the next possession to regain the lead for the Patriots. That began a 3:22 stretch where they held the Pioneers scoreless, and they allowed just one Pioneer basket over a stretch of 4:33 in that quarter.
 
While the defense stayed stout, Mendazona knocked in a pair of free throws and Hevinder came through with a physical and-one conversion to put the Patriots up five. The teams traded layups, but a huge three pointer from the Pioneers led to a tie game with 1:33 left in the third quarter.
 
Mendazona came through with another big triple to put the Patriots back up three before the Pioneers made two free throws to make it a one point game heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Pioneers took their first lead of the game with an opening layup, but Ella Bradley picked a clutch time for her only made three as she put the Patriots back in front. Mendazona added in another jumper, and the Patriots went up five.
 
Texas Woman's went on a 4-0 run over just 36 seconds to give themselves the lead, but Hevinder came through with a big three pointer to again give the Patriots the lead. The Pioneers answered with another jumper to tie the game, but Hevinder again had the answer with another huge three pointer to put the Patriots back up three. Bradley tacked on a layup just under a minute later and the Patriots led by five yet again.
 
The Patriots would hold the Pioneers to just one more layup at the 1:07 mark before icing the game at the free throw line as Mendazona and Latysheva each made free throws to ensure the 10 point win.
 
The Patriots forced the Pioneers into 20 total turnovers, scoring 19 points from those turnovers. The Patriots also held a 9-0 advantage in fast break points and posted 15 total steals in the game.
 
Meagan Mendazona led all scorers with 22 points and added in seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
 
Lovisa Hevinder scored 12 points and made three three-pointers while collecting four rebounds and three steals.
 
Each player for the Patriots that played at least 20 minutes recorded at least two steals, and all six of those players recorded a positive +/-.
 
#20 UT Tyler now gets set to take on Fort Lewis on the road on November 29^th. The Patriots will return home on December 4^th to take on #19 Lubbock Christian as part of Holiday Hoopla inside the HPC.