TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's basketball fell to 17-9 overall and 13-4 in LSC play as they took a 51-36 loss to #2 Texas Woman's on Student Success / Glow Night inside the HPC.
 
The Patriots were stagnant from the field all night, shooting just 24.6% as a team from the floor and 14.3% from deep as they struggled to get the offense rolling.
 
UT Tyler fell behind in the early portion of the first quarter, with the Pioneers taking a 12-2 lead over the first 6:39 of the contest. The Patriots answered with a jumper and a layup from Polina Latysheva, but a late layup from the Pioneers meant a 14-6 lead after one.

That slow start continued into the second, as Texas Woman's extended their lead all the way out to 28-11 at the halftime break. The Patriots made just two shots in the period, a three pointer from Latysheva and a layup from Nikolina Vukcevic as they went 5-for-24 in the first half and 1-for-10 from deep.
 
The Patriots got the engines firing in the third quarter, coming out of the half with strong defense as they forced eight Pioneer turnovers and held them to just two made shots and 25% from the field. The Patriots offense scored nine points, cutting the deficit to 12 entering the final frame.
 
In that fourth quarter, the Patriots enjoyed the most offensive success they would have all night, with Mariah Neal burying a triple and Leila Davis adding a layup to get things going. Latysheva, Davis, and Neal sparked a 7-0 run on their own, running the deficit down to just five points with 4:48 remaining in the contest.
 
However, the Patriots offense would go cold again down the stretch, making just one jumper in the final 4:47 as the Pioneers closed out the game with efficient free throw shooting and a pair of layups.
 
Leila Davis led the team with 13 points while adding two assists, two rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Polina Latysheva ended with 11 points while adding three rebounds, an assist, and one steal.
 
UT Tyler will cap off their penultimate week of LSC play on Thursday night as they hit the road to reignite an old ASC rivalry with UT Dallas. That game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start in Richardson, Texas.