OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – (RV) UT Tyler women's basketball got their rhythm back on offense to the tune of 44.4% shooting from the floor as they held on for the close win over Oklahoma Christian, 65-63.
The two point difference between the two teams in the fourth quarter of the contest gave the Patriots the narrow edge, as they made four more free throws than the Eagles despite making one less shot over those final 10 minutes.
The two teams led off the game with a fast and furious first quarter, with both programs shooting 40% or better from the floor on their way to a 17-17 tie after one. Oklahoma Christian was the first team to take a lead larger than two points, holding a 12-8 and 14-10 lead before the Patriots quickly closed both gaps.
Tina Machalova was the lead catalyst for the Patriots in the first quarter, scoring nine points on 4-for-6 shooting to lead all scorers.
In the second quarter, Machalova continued her scoring with a quick layup, while the Eagles bounced back with a three pointer to regain the lead. That would be the only scoring of the first 3:10 of the quarter, as
Destini Whitehead broke the defensive stalemate with a layup of her own. The two teams in total for the quarter would combine for just 21 points total as neither side shot better than 33%. A 3-0 run from the Eagles over the final 1:43 of the half gave them a narrow one point advantage.
To begin the second half, the two teams would trade two point baskets as Machalova and Bradley kicked off the scoring for UT Tyler. At the 6:35 mark, Machalova drew a clutch foul on a three pointer and knocked in all three free throws to give the Patriots a two point lead. Again Oklahoma Christian had the answer, battling back and forth with the Patriots on a 7-5 run to tie up the contest.
Over the 4:57 remaining in the quarter, the two teams would battle to nine points each, as the Patriots knocked in three triples, one from three different players. The Eagles made their run with big help from the free throw line as they went 4-for-6 in the stretch.
In the fourth and final quarter,
Montse Gutierrez would kick off the scoring with a key triple to kick off a 7-2 run to begin the final frame.
Ella Bradley joined the run with two layups to keep the lead up to five with 6:39 left in the contest.
Over the next two minutes and change, Oklahoma Christian answered with their own 7-2 run to tie up the game.
Tina Machalova would kick start the Patriots rally at the 3:35 mark with a bigtime jumper to give the Patriots the lead, and that lead grew to four with 1:11 remaining as Bradley tacked on four points and
Meagan Mendazona scored three more in the run.
The Eagles would score a jumper with just under a minute left to cut the lead down to two, and Machalova dropped in a free throw to make the lead three points with just 17 seconds left. Another jumper from the Eagles with seven seconds left cut the lead down to one point, but Mendazona came through with a clutch free throw of her own in the final seconds to secure the win for the Patriots.
For the contest,
Tina Machalova scored a game-high 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting. She also knocked in two triples and four free throws.
Ella Bradley scored 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting and made two of her three free throw attempts.
Destini Whitehead grabbed a team-high five rebounds on the day, and added one block, one assist, and one steal. Mendazona added a team-high three assists while
Mariah Neal added a team-high three steals.
(RV) UT Tyler will now look ahead to returning to the Herrington Patriot Center as they will host St. Mary's and St. Edward's. The contest against the Rattlers is scheduled for February 8 at 5 p.m., while the game against the Hilltoppers is scheduled for February 10 at 1 p.m.
