MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Brittany King scored 33 points and hauled-in 17 rebounds, leading No. 17 Texas-Tyler to a 77-74 victory against No. 18 Rhodes. The win advances the ladies to the NCAA Division III Round of 16 next weekend against Thomas More.
UT-Tyler (27-3) held a 33-30 lead at the half, but a 18-4 run at the beginning of the second half put the Patriots up 51-34 with 14:33 remaining.
The Lynx (25-4) would not go away quietly, cutting the UT Tyler-lead to 55-50 on a Lauren Avant layup with 9:08 left to play.
UT-Tyler would go up by 11 with 3:34 remaining, seemingly putting the game away, but Avant was not finished.
With under a minute, the guard brought the Lynx to within one, 69-68 on her 32nd point of the night.
Leading by one, King would put the team on her back, scoring eight points in the last 35 seconds, sealing the win for the Patriots 77-74.
Rhodes had an opportunity to tie or take the lead in the final seconds, but a costly turnover after a Patriots' turnover would nullify that chance.
King was once again dominant, scoring a team-high 33 points, the third-most all-time in a game and hauling-in 17 rebounds.
Freshman Jasmine Baskin also had a strong showing, scoring 11 total points, all of which were in the first half. Senior She'Cara Humphrey added 12 point in the win, while Breann McMillan added six assists which was a game high.
Rhodes' Lauren Avant finished with a game-high 37 points, while Symone Daniels added 12 in the loss.
The Patriots move on to the Round of 16 to take on No. 1 Thomas More (30-0) on March 14 in a location yet to be determined.
On Sunday, the NCAA Sectional sites will be announced, with UT-Tyler as a possible host.
