ODESSA, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's basketball earned their third straight LSC win and second straight in 2026 with a 57-46 win over UT Permian Basin on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Patriots defense was elite yet again, forcing 25 turnovers and holding the Falcons to 33% from the field and 20.8% from beyond the arc. UT Tyler turned those 25 turnovers into 19 points, and held a dominant 16-3 advantage in fastbreak points.
 
On the offensive side, the Patriots drilled 10 triples, including three each from Polina Latysheva and Mariah Neal, and another two from Hayley Cumming. Latysheva led the Patriots with 14 points while Neal added 13 on an efficient 5-for-7 while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds.
 
The Patriots came out hot, outscoring the Falcons 15-9 in the first quarter while going 6-for-13 from the field and holding the Falcons to just 4-for-14. An 8-3 run to begin the second frame saw the Patriots go a perfect 3-for-3 from the field with Neal and Cumming each burying triples over the first 2:35 of the quarter.
 
The Falcons closed the gap with their own big run, a stretch of 11-2 that included a layup with just 10 seconds remaining in the first half to cut the lead all the way down to two points at 25-23 heading into the third quarter. Two free throws in the beginning of the third tied the game before a quick layup from Latysheva put the Patriots back in front at 27-25, this time for good.
 
The Patriots closed the quarter on a 14-8 run that saw Laysheva drop in eight points by herself along with four from Edit Merivirta and two from Nikolina Vukcevic. The Patriots defense allowed just two makes from the Falcons in the period, allowing them to run their lead back to six to end the period.
 
A three pointer from UT Permian Basin just three seconds into the fourth quarter cut the lead down to three, but that would be as close as they would get as the Patriots took control of the contest. UT Tyler closed the period on an 18-10 run that saw them shoot 70% over the last 8:45 of the game, leaning on four three pointers from Cumming, Neal, and KK Bass over a 2:40 stretch of gametime to put the exclamation point on the win.
 
Cumming would score 10 points behind Latysheva and Neal, knocking down two three pointers while adding team highs in assists and steals with five and six.
 
The Patriots posted 17 steals for the contest while holding advantages in points in the paint and bench points for the contest.
 
UT Tyler will now return home for the first time in 2026 as they host Western New Mexico on January 8^th at 5:30 p.m. for Rep the Rose Night inside the HPC. All Tyler citizens can get in free of charge with an ID, and there will be a Tyler-themed giveaway during the contest.