DURANGO, COLORADO – #10/23 UT Tyler women's basketball picked up their fifth straight win to open the season behind a big team effort as they took down Fort Lewis 63-51 on the road.
 
Four Patriots scored in double figures for the game and the Patriots shot 40% from the field as a team while holding the Skyhawks to just 34% from the floor.
 
The first quarter saw the Skyhawks take control, as they outscored the Patriots 14-10 over the first frame. The key stat was the Patriots struggling from the field, shooting just 33% and only 25% from beyond the arc.
 
That sluggish start quickly flipped, as the Patriots caught fire in the second quarter, outscoring the Skyhawks 19-7 and putting the clamps down on defense.
 
That frame opened with a 12-3 Patriots run over the first 6:05, with Polina Latysheva and Mileina Sablinskaite each scoring four points while Meagan Mendazona and Tianna Knighton each added two. In that same timeframe, the Patriots defense held the Skyhawks to just 1-for-7 from the floor and 0-for-4 from deep.
 
The Patriots closed the half out with seven more points in the final three minutes and change, as Sablinskaite continued her hot quarter with a pair of three pointers, including one with 30 seconds left in the half to give the Patriots a 29-21 halftime lead.
 
In the third quarter, the Skyhawks dug their way back into the contest behind a 14-9 advantage and a trio of three pointers, the biggest of which cut the lead to three with 20 seconds left. That three pointer was a part of a 5-0 run over the final 2:04 for the Skyhawks as they cut the score to 38-35 heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest.
 
The Patriots needed a hot start to the fourth quarter, and that is exactly what they got. They began the final frame with a 13-4 run over 3:19 of game time as they went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from deep. Mendazona and Ella Bradley combined for all 13 points as they opened up a 12 point advantage with 6:28 remaining.
 
The Skyhawks responded with their own 10-5 run to make it a seven point game with 1:50 remaining, but they never got any closer as the Patriots held them to just two points and 1-for-7 in the remainder of the contest to secure a 12 point win on the road.
 
Mileina Sablinskaite, Meagan Mendazona, Polina Latysheva, and Ella Bradley each scored in double figures for the contest, with Latysheva and Bradley leading the team with 14.
 
Both Lovisa Hevinder and Latysheva posted six assists each, and Hevinder added in a team-high seven rebounds and three steals.
 
As a team, the Patriots held a 28-16 advantage in points in the paint, 14-10 in points off turnovers, and forced the Skyhawks into 17 turnovers.
 
#10/23 UT Tyler will now great ready to face off with #5/19 Lubbock Christian on Wednesday, December 4^th. That game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tip-off as part of UT Tyler's Holiday Hoopla celebration.