There was only so much the UTPB women’s basketball team could do against UT-Tyler.
After a strong first half from the Falcons, the Lady Patriots showed why they were the No. 6 ranked team in the nation as UTPB was dealt a 62-55 loss in a Lone Star Conference game Thursday at Falcon Dome.
UTPB had a nine-point lead in the first quarter before UT-Tyler began to battle back in the second quarter before taking the lead in the third and not looking back.
With the loss, UTPB fell to 13-13 overall, 11-9 in Lone Star Conference.
UT-Tyler moved to 24-2, 19-1 and remains in first place in the Lone Star Conference East Division standings.
“Playing on the road, we have to be extra special in order to win,” UT-Tyler head coach Rebecca Alvidrez said. “you have to be able to travel and get as many wins as possible.”
So far, the Lady Patriots’ only loss in conference play came in a 53-50 defeat to Lubbock Christian back on Dec. 4.
UT-Tyler was led in scoring by Meagan Mendazona’s 16 points while Polina Latysheva had 14 and Lovisa Hevinder had 11.
The Lady Patriots went 26-of-53 on field goals and 3-of-20 on 3-pointers while shooting 7-of010 on free throws.
UTPB was led in scoring by Taysha Rushton’s 21 points while Morgan Helgesen had 17 and Avalon Munoz finished with eight.
The Falcons went 17-of-59 on field goals, 9-of-33 on 3-pointers and 12-of-14 on free throws.
“It’s conference games so we can’t take anyone lightly,” Alvidrez said. “We knew UTPB was a good team and that they’re well-coached. They were in the national tournament last year. We have to take every game the same way.”
The Falcons began the game on a promising note, taking a 24-13 lead after a Rushton 3-pointer with 1:27 left in the first quarter.
UTPB took advantage of missed UT-Tyler shots.
The Falcons’ lead was 24-15 after the first quarter.
However, the Lady Patriots used a 7-3 run to make it a five-point game in the second quarter.
Rushton’s layup made it 29-22 with 6:20 remaining.
UT-Tyler responded with a 3-pointer by Latysheva on the other side of the court.
A layup by UT-Tyler’s Tianna Knighton cut the visitors’ deficit to 31-27 with 3:49 left.
Rushton scored a 3-pointer to make it 34-27.
The Falcons’ lead was cut to 37-34 at the half.
UT-Tyler got off to a quick start in the second half as the Lady Patriots used free throws by Mileina Sablinskaite and a layup by Mendazona to take a 38-37 lead.
“We just go hot,” Alvidrez said. “We had to fix our defense a little bit and make sure our offense was going.”
The Lady Patriots made it 42-39 after a layup by Hevinder with 5:13 left in the third quarter.
UTPB’s shooting went cold and UT-Tyler took advantage, building a 46-39 lead with 2:57 to go.
Latysheva added a layup to give her team a nine-point lead.
UT-Tyler’s lead was 48-39 at the end of the third quarter.
The lead became 52-40 for the Lady Patriots after an inside jumper by Latysheva.
A Morgan Helgesen inside jumper cut UTPB’s deficit to 56-46 with 4:36 left.
Avalon Munoz kept the Falcons in the game with a 3-pointer to make it a 10-point game at 59-49 with 2:07 to go.
Helgesen got a crucial 3-pointer to make it 59-52 and UT-Tyler called a timeout with 1:28 left.
However, UTPB was unable to complete the comeback as a turnover with under a minute to go doomed the Falcons.
This week’s schedule won’t get any easier for UTPB as the Falcons will next face No. 2-ranked Texas Woman’s University at 1 p.m. Saturday at Falcon Dome.
UT-Tyler will next face Angelo State at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Junell Center in San Angelo.
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