FRISCO, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's basketball came up just two points short to UT Permian Basin on Saturday night as they couldn't find the netting on two last second chances and fell by a score of 70-68.
 
The Patriots will now look ahead to Sunday's NCAA Selection Show at 9:30 p.m. for their postseason fate. They are looking to make their second consecutive NCAA Tournament.
 
The first quarter went the Patriots way, as they held the Falcons to just 31% from the floor as they held an 18-13 lead. The big key for the Patriots came at the 5:03 mark of the quarter, as Ella Bradley, Tina Machalova, and Frances King made three straight three pointers as part of a 9-0 run for the Patriots. Those three triples were a part of a 12-5 run to round out the quarter.
 
In the second quarter, the Falcons turned the tide, outscoring the Patriots 21-11 on the way to a five point halftime lead. In the quarter, the Falcons shot just 35% from the floor, but went a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line to hold off the Patriots.
 
The Falcons opened up the third quarter with a triple, but the Patriots got right back in it with free throws from Tina Machalova and a clutch triple from Ella Bradley. The two teams traded buckets over the next few minutes, but a 7-4 run put together by Frances King and Meagan Mendazona to close out the quarter pulled them within just one point heading into the final quarter of play.
 
The two teams went back and forth over the opening minutes of the final frame, but the Falcons dropped in a layup to lead by four with 6:15 remaining in the contest.
 
With 5:30 remaining, Montse Gutierrez dropped in a pair of free throws, and then drilled a three pointer just seconds later to tie up the game. She tacked on another jumper before Machalova dropped in a huge three pointer and Polina Latysheva dropped in her own layup to put the Patriots up five points with 2:42 remaining.
 
The Falcons drilled their own triple, and then made another after a pair of Bradley free throws to cut the lead down to one point with 2:11 to play.
 
Free throws from both teams led to a tie game with 1:02 left, and they remained tied as the Falcons made two more and King drove downhill on a layup to make it 68-68 with 38 seconds left.
 
The Falcons got a huge jumper to go with 31 seconds to play, and the Patriots took their timeout to reset and draw up their play. That play found Gutierrez for a triple, but it rattled off the rim. An offensive rebound led to a layup attempt, but it couldn't find the net as the clock expired.
 
Four Patriots scored in double figures on the night, led by Frances King and Tina Machalova who each scored 13. Gutierrez and Mendazona scored 11 each, while Gutierrez and Bradley each posted a team high seven rebounds.