LAWTON, OKLAHOMA – #14/18 UT Tyler Women's Basketball survived an upset scare on Sunday afternoon as they used a late bucket from Polina Latyhseva to secure a 64-62 win.
 
The Patriots battled tightly the entire contest, with hot shooting from Cameron keeping them within arm's reach throughout the second half. Meagan Mendazona scored 21 points in the contest while Lovisa Hevinder added 15 points and four three pointers to help propel the Patriots offense.
 
The first quarter saw the Patriots hold a slim 16-14 lead as they held the Aggies to just 28% from the floor, but four made three pointers from Cameron kept them close. Lovisa Hevinder knocked down each of her first two looks from three in the period, and Meagan Mendazona added in a pair of layups to lead the scoring early for the Patriots.
 
The Aggies buried another pair of three pointers to open up the second quarter and steal a lead away from the Patriots, but Hevinder connected on her own two three pointers to put the Patriots back up. The second of those three pointers came at the 7:51 mark of the quarter and kickstarted a 14-4 run to close the half. In that run, Mendazona scored seven points herself while the Patriots defense held the Aggies to just 1-for-7 from the field and forced them into four turnovers.
 
A 14-3 run from Cameron to open up the second half that saw them shoot a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor gave them a 38-36 lead just under four minutes into the second half, but Mendazona came through with a clutch and-one to give the Patriots the lead again. Enisa Kamerolli would add a layup, but the Aggies again found their stride with a 12-2 run to close out the third quarter and give them a 50-43 lead heading into the final frame.
 
Just as the Aggies closed the third quarter strong, the Patriots blitzed them with an 11-3 run to open up the fourth quarter as Mendazona scored six points and Tianna Knighton added in a bigtime three pointer.
 
That run would give the Patriots the lead, but the Aggies battled back with free throws and a jumper before a 4-0 run thanks to Mendazona and Knighton gave the Patriots a three point advantage with 4:26 remaining. The Aggies would then battle back and draw level with a layup at the 1:16 mark of the contest, setting up a furious final minute.
 
Both teams would miss a three pointer in their first possessions, but the Aggies missed three pointer with 34 seconds left set up the Patriots with the ball and a fresh shot clock. The inbound went to Latysheva, who used a high screen before carving her way down the lane and using her left hand to knock in the layup with just four seconds remaining.
 
The Patriots forced a missed jumper on the first attempt, and Ella Bradley came through with a game-winning block on the final shot attempt of the contest to ensure the Patriots would win the game.
 
With the win, the Patriots move to 11-2 on the season and 6-1 in LSC play. They next take the floor on January 9^th as they face off with St. Edward's inside the Herrington Patriot Center at 5 p.m.