TYLER, Texas – The Howard Payne women's basketball team fell 76-63 to No. 18 ranked University of Texas at Tyler Saturday afternoon in conference action.,

The first half was all UT Tyler, as the Patriots shot 53-percent from the floor, en route to a 44-19 lead at the half. The Lady Jackets shot just 28% from the field in the floor in the first and were 0-12 from behind the arc.,

UT Tyler started the game on a 34-9 run, holding the Lady Jackets to under 10 points for the first 11 minutes of the game.

The Lady Jackets would not fold, fighting back in the second half after trailing 44-19 at the half.

Sarah Van Remmen would make a layup with 14:57 remaining in the game to cut the lead to just 13 points, 48-35.

The Patriots would continue to remain in control, despite the pressure from HPU, holding a seven point lead (70-63) with just under one minute remaining in the game.

That would be as close as the Jackets would get, as UT Tyler would convert 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch, securing the 76-63 win. The Lady Jackets would outscore UTT 44-25 in the second half.

Howard Payne had just seven free-throw attempts for the game while UT-Tyler attempted 28 in the game.

Danyel Bradley led the Lady Jackets with game high 20 points along with three assists and three steals. Yessenia Cazares followed with 16 points and six rebounds. Jessica Leaks scored 10 points off the bench on 4 of 6 shooting.

For the game, four Patriots scored in double-digits including Brittany King, who led all scorers with 19 points. D'Onna Matthews had 14 points along with Madison Wilson. Makenzi May added 10 points.

Howard Payne stands at 6-3 overall and 3-2 in conference action. #18 UT-Tyler improves to 11-1 on the year and 6-1 in conference play. The Lady Jackets will play next on Monday, January 5th at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, AR.
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