TYLER, Texas – Down two starters is hard to overcome, but it was the shooting woes that forced Texas A&M International women's basketball to fall behind quickly and the UT Tyler lead only continued to grow as the Dustdevils fell to the Patriots 81-43 on the road.
 
It was all UT Tyler from the jump, as the Patriots (12-4, 5-2 LSC) sparked with a 10-0 lead and grew that to 23-7 after the first quarter.
 
The Dustdevils (12-5, 3-3 LSC) struggled to contain the UT Tyler offense, as well as counter to cut the deficit, as the lead at the half was 45-13.
 
In the second half, the pressure of the Patriots continued, as they outscored TAMIU 23-13 in the third quarter to take a 68-26 lead and then in the fourth quarter, the Dustdevils held the edge at 17-13.
 
In the defeat, TAMIU shot 12-for-44 (27.3%) from the floor and 6-for-23 (26.1%). Turnovers also harmed the Dustdevils as the UT Tyler defense forced 31 on the night
 
On the other side, UT Tyler shot 33-for-69 (47.8%) from the floor and 9-for-26 from three (34.6%).
 
Freshman Silvia Blanco was the lone Dustdevil to score double figures, with 10 points. Fellow freshmen Audry Hornaday, Vanessa Herrera and student manager Amanda Onuorah who dressed due to the loss of a few players all scored six points. Herrera added four rebounds and five assists to her line.
 
TAMIU now must quickly forget about the defeat as they prepare for #7/#10 Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, Jan. 29. Opening tip from Commerce, Texas is scheduled for 2 p.m.