LAREDO, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's basketball used a dominant shooting night and another fantastic defensive effort to run away with a 81-46 win over Texas A&M International on Thursday night.
 
The Patriots dropped in 16 three pointers in the contest, the second most ever in a game for the Patriots and most ever in the Division II era of the program. Both Tianna Knighton and Lovisa Hevinder made three, and 10 different players recorded at least one three pointer made on the day.
 
Knighton led the way on offense, scoring a game-high and career-high 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting, 3-for-5 from deep, and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
 
The Patriots jumped out on top from the jump, starting the game with an Ella Bradley three pointer. That started a 19-2 first quarter for the team in which they made four three pointers and went 7-for-15 from the field. That hot shooting was paired with staunch defense, as they held the Dustdevils to just 1-for-9 from the field and forced them into six turnovers.
 
The second quarter was much of the same for UT Tyler, as six different players got into the scoring column as they combined for 7-for-13 from the field and hit five more three pointers. Their defense continued to show out, holding Texas A&M International to just 5-for-12 from the floor in the period and 1-for-5 from deep.
 
The Patriots took a 40-19 lead at the halftime break, and that lead swelled even further in the third quarter as the Patriots made 50% of their shots in the period while adding four more three pointers. Four of the first five made shots in the period for the Patriots were from deep, as Hevinder knocked down a pair during the stretch. Knighton would begin her takeover in the period, scoring eight of her 18 points in that quarter alone.
 
Knighton's torrential stretch continued in the fourth quarter, as she dropped in a layup and another three pointer in the first two minutes of the period. Those were the first five points of the period for the team, and she would add in another layup to raise her quarter total to seven.
 
Six total Patriots would score in the quarter as they shot 7-for-12 in the period and 50% from beyond the arc on their way to a 22-16 advantage in the frame. That final quarter also ensured that the Patriots shot 46% or higher in each quarter from the floor and scored at least 19 points in all four.
 
12 total players entered the scoring column on the night, with Knighton leading the way at 18. Hevinder grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and both her, Meagan Mendazona, and Enisa Kamerolli added a team-high four assists. Polina Latysheva would add a team-high four steals.
 
#10/13 UT Tyler will now set their sights on Texas A&M-Kingsville in a Saturday afternoon matchup to close out their road trip.