AUSTIN, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's basketball moved to 11-6 overall and 7-1 in LSC play after a seventh straight LSC win on Thursday night as they took down St. Edward's 47-44.
 
Polina Latysheva and Leila Davis each went for double figure points as they scored 13 and 11, respectively, while combining for nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
 
St. Edward's held a five point lead after the first 10 minutes of action as they went 5-for-14 from the field and converted all four free throws. The Patriots leaned early on the Latysheva and Davis combo as the two combined for eight of their 10 points.
 
The two teams settled into a defensive battle in the second frame, with just three combined made shots over the first 5:21 of the quarter. The Patriots had two of those, a jumper by Edit Merivirta and a rainbow three pointer from Lilli Hakkarainen at the end of the shot clock to cut the lead to two.
 
The two teams traded buckets over a 2:49 stretch as the Hilltoppers held a 24-21 lead heading into the break. The Patriots went 3-for-3 in the stretch, getting two layups from Hayley Cumming and one from Mileina Sablinskaite.
 
The second half saw a 9-6 run over the first 4:32 as Davis and Latysheva again got things going for the offense. Latysheva kicked off the quarter with a three point jumper, and Davis scored six straight on her own to tie the contest at 30-30. The Hilltoppers battled back with a 6-5 run to close the quarter, taking a slim 36-35 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
The Patriots defense responded to the big moment, holding the Hilltoppers to just 25% as a team and 0-for-4 from deep to allow their offense the opportunity to build the comeback. Latysheva dropped in another clutch three to begin the frame, giving the Patriots the lead for the first time since the 8:01 mark of the first quarter.
 
That lead lasted just 24 seconds as the Hilltoppers knocked down a jumper to tie the game back up, but Mariah Neal came up with another huge three pointer, giving the Patriots a 41-38 lead that they would never relinquish.
 
Down the stretch, the Patriots defense held the Hilltoppers without a made field goal for the final 4:40 of the contest as Cumming converted two clutch free throws and Davis got a huge putback layup to put the game officially out of reach in the final minute.
 
UT Tyler held the Hilltoppers to just 34.6% from the floor and 11.1% from beyond the arc in the contest. They also forced 17 turnovers, and held a 15-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
Hayley Cumming added eight points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in a big night to supplement Latysheva and Davis.
 
UT Tyler will now head down to San Antonio, Texas to take on St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.