DENTON, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's basketball put up a tough effort on Thursday night, but a cold shooting second half ultimately made the difference in a 63-51 loss to #3 Texas Woman's.
 
The two teams started the game with a back-and-forth battle, with the Patriots burying three three pointers to open up their scoring as Polina Latysheva, Leila Davis, and Hayley Cumming each knocked one down to lead 9-6. The Pioneers answered big with an 11-2 run, taking a 17-11 lead into the second quarter.
 
That second quarter saw the Patriots offense come alive, shooting 53.8% from the floor and 44.4% from deep in the frame as they totaled 19 points. That run was led by Latysheva, who scored nine points by herself on 3-for-3 shooting and two more three pointers. The key moment came right after a 7-0 run from the Pioneers, as the Patriots hit three consecutive three pointers, one each from Latysheva, KK Bass, and Mileina Sablinskaite in the last 1:46 of the half to cut the deficit from 11 down to just four heading into the locker room.
 
The Pioneers got things rolling in a big way in the third quarter, ultimately using the frame to build a significant cushion that wouldn't be threatened. They outscored UT Tyler 22-8 in the frame as the Patriots offense went cold from the field, shooting just 15.4% and going 0-for-5 from deep as the Pioneers build up an 18 point lead.
 
The fourth quarter saw the Patriots defense come up big, allowing just one field goal to the Pioneers over the first 7:25 of the frame to allow their offense a chance to climb back in. Cumming would drop in a layup and Davis added eight straight unanswered points to cut the deficit down to just 11 points, but that would be as close as the Patriots would get in the effort. Down the stretch the two teams traded free throws, with Sablinskaite making two with 30 seconds left to make it a 63-51 final score.
 
Leila Davis led the Patriots with 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting while adding three rebounds and two steals. Polina Latysheva scored 14 points with three three pointers, four rebounds, and three assists.
 
UT Tyler held Texas Woman's to 38% shooting from the floor, forced 12 turnovers, and added nine steals in the contest.
 
The Patriots now have the rest of the weekend off before getting back to work on Monday, February 9^th as they will play Midwestern State in a game that was originally scheduled for January 24^th.