PORTALES, NEW MEXICO – UT Tyler women's basketball bounced back on Saturday afternoon with a strong road win by a score of 61-47 over Eastern New Mexico.
 
The Patriots quartet of Polina Latysheva, Mileina Sablinskaite, Mariah Neal, and Leila Davis went for a combined 52 points to lead the Patriots to the 14 point win.
 
UT Tyler came out of the gates firing, outscoring the Greyhounds 22-8 in the first quarter as Sablinskaite scored 10 points and Latysheva added seven on a combined 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. On defense, the Patriots held the Greyhounds to just 28.6% shooting and 0-for-6 from deep.
 
Eastern New Mexico got a key answer in the second quarter, shooting 55.6% from the floor while holding the Patriots to just 4-for-15. That run was capped off with a 6-3 stretch over the final 50 seconds of the half to cut the deficit to just nine points.
 
Davis and Latysheva would help calm the seas in the third quarter, each scoring five points and 10 of the Patriots 12. The big stretch came from the Patriots defense, holding the Greyhounds to just one made field goal over the final 5:18 of the frame and just four total points to keep the Patriots out in front by eight points heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Greyhounds found their stride to begin the fourth quarter, kicking off a 7-3 run to cut the lead down to just three points with 7:41 remaining. The Patriots needed a run, and the quartet provided just that. Neal would start a big run off with a three pointer, while later adding a layup to go with two more layups from Davis and Latysheva as the Patriots rebuild their lead back up to 12 points.
 
Down the stretch, Hayley Cumming would add a layup and Latysheva and Neal combined for four free throws to ice the game in the final minute to push the Patriots to the 14 point win over the Greyhounds.
 
Polina Latysheva went 6-for-10 from the field for 18 points with three three pointers while adding five assists and two steals. Mileina Sablinskaite scored 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting with three more triples, eight rebounds, and two steals. Mariah Neal scored 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting while leading the team with four steals. Leila Davis scored nine points on 4-for-9 shooting while adding eight rebounds and two steals.
 
The Patriots forced the Greyhounds into 21 turnovers and turned those into 16 pionts. They posted a 37-34 rebound advantage and a 12-2 second chance points advantage to help push them to the win.
 
UT Tyler will now focus their attention on their only game of the week next week, a road matchup with #3 Texas Woman's. That game will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 5^th.