LAST TIME OUT
 
Last week the Patriots played just one contest, a rematch with Texas Woman's in what would be a battle for the #1 seed in the LSC Postseason Tournament and the right to be named LSC Regular Season Co-Champions.
 
In a back and forth battle that saw both teams take their turn with the lead throughout the contest, the Pioneers finally were the team to outlast the other as they took the contest and the #1 seed in this weekend's tournament.
 
PLENTY OF RECOGNITION
 
Wednesday night saw the eight team's participating in this weekend's LSC Tournament convene for the Lone Star Conference Postseason Awards. The Patriots saw four athletes garner five LSC recognitions on the night.
 
Tina Machalova was named First Team All-LSC, while Ella Bradley earned Third Team All-LSC and LSC All-Academic Team honors. Meagan Mendazona and Montse Gutierrez rounded out the LSC nods for the Patriots, each earning All-LSC Honorable Mention recognition.
 
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
 
This week also saw the third and final NCAA South Central Regional Rankings be released before the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday night. The Patriots were ranked #6 this week, one slot down from their #5 ranking in the previous release.
 
Texas Woman's continued to hold on to the top spot, followed by Colorado Mesa and Regis to round out the top three teams.
 
PATRIOTS NOTES AND TRENDS
 

• UT Tyler finished the 2022-2023 year at 27-8 and 18-4 in LSC play.
• The program finished a perfect 11-0 on their home floor inside the Herrington Patriot Center. On the road the team was 11-5 and they went 5-3 on neutral site courts.
• The Patriots return nearly every contributor from last season's teams, including three All-LSC players and three NCAA All-South Central Region Tournament team members.
• UT Tyler is now 22-7 on the season and finished 16-4 in LSC play. The Patriots are also 13-2 on their home floor this season, moving their home record to 36-6 under head coach Rebecca Alvidrez.
• Under head coach Rebecca Alvidrez, the Patriots now hold a record of 6-3 against opponents associated with the WBCA Top 25 Poll, and a record of 2-1 against teams ranked inside the top five. They are winners of three of four games against opponents ranked in the top 25 this season.
• As a team, the Patriots rank inside the top 50 in Division II in scoring defense (15^th, 55.4 PPG), 36^th in scoring margin (11.2), 40^th in winning percentage (77.4%), 41^st in bench points per game (24.1), 45^th in field goal percentage defense (36.5%), and 45^th in three pointers per game (7.1).
• Tina Machalova leads the Patriots in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game on 46.9% shooting. Montse Gutierrez leads the in blocks and is second in steals and assists, while Ella Bradley is second in scoring, tops in rebounding and assists.
• Tina Machalova was named First Team All-LSC, Ella Bradley was named Third Team All-LSC, and Meagan Mendazona and Montse Gutierrez were named All-LSC Honorable Mention.

 
LADY BUFFS NOTES AND TRENDS
 

• West Texas A&M will head into the opening round of the LSC Tournament at a record of 18-12 overall and 13-9 in LSC play. The Lady Buffs are losers of their last two games after winning five straight.
• The Lady Buffs are led by All-LSC First Teamer Karley Motschenbacher, who is averaging 11.4 points per game on 50.6% shooting. She is second on the team in rebounding, assists, and is the team leader in steals.
• Josh Prock is the head coach of the program, posting a record of 65-34 with the Lady Buffs. For his career, he is 274-164 overall with stops at Howard Payne, Eastern New Mexico, and West Texas A&M.
• All-time, the Lady Buffs lead the series at 3-2, including a win this season. However, the Patriots won both matchups last season, including their matchup in the opening round of the LSC Tournament.