LAST TIME OUT
 
Last weekend the Patriots hit the road for action against UT Permian Basin and Angelo State. The Patriots took both contests by a margin of seven points, improving their record to 25-2 overall and 20-1 in LSC play. Meagan Mendazona put together a big weekend, scoring 16 and 17 points in the two contests while adding four steals and seven rebounds.
 
NATIONAL POLLS
 
UT Tyler is continuing their climb up both of the top 25 rankings, now sitting at #4 in the WBCA Top 25 and #6 in the D2CSC Top 25. That #4 ranking is the highest in the Division II era of the program. The Patriots are joined in each poll by Texas Woman's (#1, #1), and Lubbock Christian (#12, #11) in teams from the Lone Star Conference.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The last time these two teams squared off was back on November 23^rd as both teams opened LSC play. Texas Woman's was also the #1 ranked team in the country on that date, and the Patriots would walk away with a 60-50 victory inside the HPC. In that matchup, Meagan Mendazona had a monster game, scoring 22 points on 6-for-12 shooting and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line while adding seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

The Lone Star Conference regular season title has yet to be determined, and Thursday's results will ultimately decide the 1-3 seeds at next week's LSC Tournament. UT Tyler, Lubbock Christian, and Texas Woman's all stand at 20-1 in LSC play and have a six game lead on fourth place. Thursday will see the Patriots and Pioneers square off, while the Lady Chaps head to Wichita Falls to take on Midwestern State. The scenarios for the LSC regular season title are as follows:

IF UT Tyler wins, they claim at least a share of the LSC Regular Season Championship.
IF UT Tyler wins and Lubbock Christian wins, the two teams are LSC Regular Season Co-Champions, and the Lady Chaps will be the #1 seed and the Patriots the #2 seed.
IF UT Tyler wins and Lubbock Christian loses, the Patriots are outright champions and the #1 seed.
IF UT Tyler loses and Lubbock Christian wins, the Pioneers and Lady Chaps share the regular season title and the Pioneers are the #1 seed. 
IF UT Tyler loses and Lubbock Christian loses, the Pioneers are outright champions and the #1 seed. 

The Patriots are looking for their first Lone Star Conference championship of any kind, and a win on Thursday night will give them that title. 
 
PATRIOTS NOTES AND TRENDS

• UT Tyler finished the 2023-24 season 27-9 overall and made their second consecutive NCAA Sweet 16. That win mark is tied for the most in the NCAA Division II era of the program. The Patriots are the only team in the South Central Region to win a game in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.
• Last season the Patriots finished 13-2 on their home floor and are now 13-1 this season, raising their mark to 48-7 under head coach Rebecca Alvidrez inside the Herrington Patriot Center.
• In the last four seasons (including 2024-25), the Patriots are a combined 31-13 in non-conference matchups, including a 12-3 record at home in non-conference games.
• Head Coach Rebecca Alvidrez is now 107-47 all time in her four season career, and she is 98-28 in her time at UT Tyler.
• Coach Alvidrez won her 100^th career game on January 30^th, 2025 as the Patriots took down Cameron. It took just 148 games for Alvidrez to reach the milestone, and she is in just her fifth season as a head coach.
• The Patriots dominant defense has shown throughout the season yet again, as they rank inside the top 30 nationally in field goal percentage defense (4^th), scoring defense (7^th), scoring margin (18^th), and three point percentage defense (9^th).
• On the offensive side, the Patriots have hit their stride, now ranking inside the top 50 nationally in three pointers per game (12^th), assist/turnover ratio (24^th), assists per game (31^st), and free throw percentage (13^th).
• The Patriots have a variety of leaders on the floor thus far. Ella Bradley ranks inside the top 10 in the LSC in assist/turnover ratio (4^th), assists (10^th), steals (2^nd), and steals per game (2^nd). Meagan Mendazona is 7^th in points per game, 7^th in free throws, and 6^th in free throw percentage.

 
PIONEERS NOTES AND TRENDS

• Texas Woman's is 27-1 on the year and 20-1 in LSC, with that lone loss coming against the Patriots on November 23^rd.
• The Pioneers are averaging 67.8 points per game and holding opponents to 50.3 points per game. They are shooting 44.9% from the field and 29.6% from beyond the arc, while opponents are at 33.8% from the field and 26.2% from beyond the arc.
• Ashley Ingram leads the team as she is averaging 15 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game. She is the team leader in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
• Beth Jillson is the head coach of the Pioneers and is in her 18^th season with the program. She has a record of 299-209 in her career, all with Texas Woman's.
• Texas Woman's leads the all-time series at 6-4, with all games being played since 2019. The Patriots have won three of the last five meetings, but the Pioneers won the most recent meeting in Denton.