ALPINE, TEXAS - #14/17 UT Tyler women's basketball took down Sul Ross State in their first meeting since 2019 by a score of 70-56 on Thursday afternoon on the road.
Meagan Mendazona,
Mariah Neal, and
Ella Bradley combined for 50 points and hit six combined three pointers as the trio played a huge factor in the win for the Patriots.
Both teams battled early, trading blows over the first four minutes before the Patriots seemed to settle in and run out on a big 8-0 run that featured three pointers from both Bradley and Mendazona to give the Patriots a 16-6 lead. However, the Lobos dug their heels in and cut the lead down to just 18-17 after the first period of play as they closed the period on an 11-2 run.
The Patriots caught fire to begin the second frame, as
Mariah Neal hit the scoring sheet with four straight points and the Patriots added a layup from
Mileina Sablinskaite and a three pointer from
Lovisa Hevinder to make the lead 10 yet again.
Again the Lobos cut back into the lead, but Bradley dropped in another layup and Neal buried a triple to keep the Lobos at bay heading down the stretch of the first half. A 6-0 run from Sul Ross State would cut the lead back down all the way to just two at halftime, as the Patriots shot just 10-34 from the field in the first half.
All of those shooting woes would disappear quickly in the second half, as the Patriots caught fire in the third quarter. After the Lobos tied the game to start the frame, Mendazona and Bradley each knocked in layups to kickstart a 19-4 run for the Patriots that also featured eight points from Neal alone and a big triple from
Polina Latysheva. That big run led to a third quarter that saw the Patriots outscore the Lobos 23-12 and shoot 8-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
In the final frame of the day, the Patriots got things going with more baskets around the rim, as they scored five straight buckets in the painted area to run their lead all the way out to 23 points with 3:56 remaining. The Lobos would mount a late charge, but it was too little too late as the Patriots held on for the big win.
Meagan Mendazona scored 17 points on 4-for-10 shooting, 8-for-10 from the free throw line, and one three pointer. She added in two blocks and two steals along with three rebounds.
Mariah Neal scored all 17 points off the bench as she shot 5-for-8 from the field and buried three three pointers and made all four free throws she attempted.
Ella Bradley scored 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting with a pair of three pointers. She added in a team-high nine rebounds and chipped in three assists and two steals.
UT Tyler will now take on Western New Mexico on Saturday afternoon on the road in Silver City, New Mexico. That game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT tipoff.
