BILLINGS, MONTANA – #20 UT Tyler women's basketball suffered their first setback of the season as Mary took a 68-48 win on Saturday night at the DII CCA Tip-Off Classic at the Trailhead.
 
UT Tyler shot just 38.9% from the floor and 22.2% from deep while the Marauders shot 47.4% from the floor and 36.4% to hold the offensive and defensive advantage as the Patriots had 21 turnovers on the night.
 
The Marauders ran out to a 9-2 lead over the first three minutes and would extend that lead to 10 as they took a 14-4 lead as the Patriots offense was slow out of the gate. Mariah Neal and Mileina Sablinskaite would drop in baskets, with Sablinskaite beating the quarter buzzer to cut the lead down to 11 after the first 10 minutes.
 
The pair combined with Polina Latysheva combined for a 7-3 run as they cut the lead down to nine points with 4:50 remaining in the first half, but a 7-4 run over the final 2:44 of the second quarter saw the Marauders lead grow back to 12 after the first 20 minutes.
 
An 11-6 run from the Patriots to open up the second half saw Neal, Latysheva, and Edit Merivirta combine for all 11 points as the Patriots went 5-for-8 and made a triple. That run cut the deficit down to 39-32, but a 6-0 run from the Marauders closed the frame as they extended the lead back to 13.
 
The Patriots would come no closer in the contest as they eventually fell 68-48 and moved to 1-1 on the young season.
 
Mariah Neal led the Patriots with 14 points while also grabbing six rebounds. Polina Latysheva was also in double figures with 12 as she added two rebounds and two assists. Leila Davis led the Patriots with seven rebounds, and her and Sablinskaite each grabbed two steals.
 
The #20 ranked Patriots go back to work on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CT as they take on Nebraska Kearney to wrap up their final matchup of the DII CCA Tip-Off Classic at the Trailhead.