by TYLER, Texas — In the Grizzlies’ first game on their Texas roadtrip, the Grizzlies beat UT Tyler 57-52. Today’s win gives the Grizzlies their sixth straight win and puts them at a record of 10-3(4-0 RMAC).
Throughout the first three quarters, the Grizzlies’ strong defense and solid offense allowed them to take control of today’s game early and maintain it. In those quarters, the Grizzlies outscored UT Tyler 50-35, building a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, UT Tyler was able to gain some momentum, making the game closer at the end. They held the Grizzlies to just 7 points while scoring 17 themselves, narrowing the gap, but it wasn’t enough as the Grizzlies held on late to win with a final score of 57-52.
The separator in today’s game was the Grizzlies ability to make the 3-point shot through the first three quarters, while also holding the UT Tyler offense to a 34.9% shooting percentage throughout today’s game. Through the first three quarters, the Grizzlies were 9-19 from behind the 3-point line compared to UT Tyler, which was only 4-16 from behind the 3-point line. Along with the Grizzlies’ great shooting, their defense was elite. The Grizzlies forced 17 turnovers while forcing 41 misses from the floor and 17 misses from the 3-point line by the UT Tyler offense. Along with this, the Grizzlies secured 10 steals and 3 blocks.
Individually, for the Grizzlies, they were led by Kiiyani Anitielu, Elaina Watson, Taejhuan Hill, and Brya Brooklyn. Between these four women, they scored 45 of the Grizzlies’ 57 points. As well, Anitielu, Watson, and Hill collected 21 of the Grizzlies 37 rebounds and 12 of the Grizzlies’ 15 assists.
Looking closer at these four individual performances, Anitielu led the Grizzlies in scoring with 16, with Watson finishing with 12, Hill finishing with 8, and Brooklyn finishing with 9. Anitielu also added 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Kiiyani’s 7 rebounds finished second, and her 7 assists and 4 steals led the Grizzlies. It was truly a great overall performance by Kiiyani Anitielu. Watson and Hill had solid all-around performances as well, with Watson finishing with the team lead with 8 rebounds, along with 3 assists, while Hill finished with 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
