LAREDO, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's basketball flexed their muscles in clutch time yet again as they outscored the Dustdevils 15-11 in the fourth quarter to complete a 63-60 win over #25 Texas A&M International.
The Patriots defensive efforts held the Dustdevils to just 34.5% from the floor for the game and 26.1% from beyond the arc while the Patriots posted a 17-11 advantage in points off turnovers and a 28-7 advantage in bench points.
The game would start bumpy, as neither side found the netting over the first 1:54 of the game. That changed with
Meagan Mendazona, who dropped in the layup to make it 2-0. Seconds later, it was
Tina Machalova picking up where she left off on Thursday night with a three pointer to quickly put the Patriots up 5-0.
From there, the game would settle into a back and forth affair, as the Dustdevils closed the quarter on a 13-9 run to be just one point back after one frame.
The two teams traded buckets in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but the defenses for both sides stepped up huge as those four points were the only points of the first 4:24 of the period. From there however, the Patriots rattled off a quick 8-2 run that saw
Montse Gutierrez drop in two straight triples and
Frances King knock in a pull up jumper to give the Patriots a 24-17 lead with 4:36 left in the half.
The Dustdevils would answer that run with another layup, but the Patriots rattled off another 8-2 run in response that included another triple, this time from
Brooklyn Palmer, as well as points from King, Mendazona, and
Destini Whitehead.
A 7-0 run the Dustdevils way would close out the half, but the Patriots would hold a 32-28 advantage at the break.
That run from the Dustdevils would extend out to 16-0 after a 9-0 run to start the second half of action. That gave them a 37-32 lead, but layups from both Machalova and Gutierrez would settle in the Patriots and keep them right in the hunt. Another Machalova layup at the 5:39 mark of the quarter cut the lead to three, but the Dustdevils answered with a layup of their own before both defenses put the clamps down and kept both teams off the board for nearly two and a half minutes.
Gabby Elliott got the scoring going again for the Patriots late in the quarter, and that kickstarted a 10-6 run from the Patriots over the last 2:24 of the period to cut the lead down to just one point as they headed into the final 10 minutes.
The two teams traded buckets early, but another Elliott two pointer kickstarted a 9-0 run for the Patriots that saw
Mariah Neal score seven straight points and give the Patriots a commanding eight point lead with 3:40 remaining.
The Dustdevils would go just 1-4 over the next 2:49 of action, scoring just a layup while Mendazona added her own to keep the Patriots ahead by eight.
Down the stretch, the Dustdevils dropped in a triple and a free throw to cut the lead to just four, but a Machalova layup would make it a six point game with 16 seconds left. Another free throw from the Dustdevils would cut it down to five points, but a foul from the Patriots on a three pointer gave the Dustdevils a chance yet again.
They made the first two attempts, then pulled off the intentional miss and rebound to give themselves one final shot, but it would not find the net as the Patriots collected the three point win.
The win for UT Tyler makes them a perfect 3-0 against WBCA Top 25 ranked teams this season, and a perfect 2-0 over Texas A&M-International on the year.
Frances King and
Tina Machalova would lead the team with 11 points each, combining for 9-for-20 on the night.
King, Mendazona, and Gutierrez each had a team-high three assists, while Gabby Elliot grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
The Patriots will now return home to the Herrington Patriot Center for their final three games of the regular season. That stretch begins on Thursday night as they host UT Permian Basin for a 5 p.m. start.
