The LeTourneau University women's basketball team came up short in an upset bid of No. 9 UT Tyler in a 90-84 loss in Tyler on Monday night. The YellowJackets rallied from a deficit as large as 13 in the opening period in the defeat.

"I am proud of how our team battled in this game," said LETU head coach Leslie Reinecker. "We just need to clean a few things up and keep building towards playing our best basketball as we work through these next few games on the road."

LeTourneau (7-6, 3-2 ASC) started the fourth period with an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the game when junior Crystal Jones hit a 3-pointer that put the visitors up, 63-61 with 8:25 to go. The YellowJackets extended its lead to five on a 3-point play by junior Jada Roberts.

UT Tyler (11-1, 5-0 ASC) came back and rallied in a comeback effort with eight-unanswered points that included a pair of 3 pointers by Alex Kochner to take the lead for the rest of the contest. Kochner finished the contest with a game-high 19 points to share in game-high honors with Makenzi May to lead four Patriots in double figures. 

Michelle Obach and Re'Elle Miller were also in double figures for UT Tyler, who each scored 15 in the win. Plus, Kochner finished with a double double, grabbing 12 rebounds to lead UT Tyler, who outrebounded LETU, 51-39.

The YellowJackets were led by the double double performance of junior LaTanya Drakes, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Drakes led a LETU bench that outscored UT Tyler, 40-16.
Plus, Drakes had four assists and two steals in 22 minutes of action; in addition, senior Ashley Stephens and junior Crystal Jones added 18 and 15 points, respectively. Stephens had four blocks and four steals to go along with eight points in the loss.

Earlier this year, the Patriots rallied to defeat the YellowJackets, 99-83 in Longview on December 17 in Solheim Arena.

Next, LeTourneau will continue its seven-game road swing with a pair of crucial American Southwest Conference games. First, the YellowJackets will face Mary Hardin-Baylor on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 5:30 in Belton, Texas.