COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - The UT Tyler Men's Basketball team opened the 2018-19 season on Friday night in Colorado Springs. The Patriots fell to Colorado College 70-77. 

FIRST HALF:
UT Tyler opened the season on a hot start, outscoring Colorado College 17-9 through the first seven minutes of action. It would be the largest lead of the game for the Patriots. The Patriots used eight steals to take their early lead while pulling in 11 defensive boards. UT Tyler would commit just four turnovers in the first half, forcing 11 from Colorado College.

Despite taking the early lead, the Tigers would fight back into the game, sinking six of 11 threes. 

After 20 minutes of action, the Patriots trailed 32-35. 

SECOND HALF:
The second half saw the Patriots tie the game early on before the Tigers pulled ahead again. UT Tyler found themselves down 19 with seven minutes remaining before a late surge brought the game within seven points.

Over the final seven minutes of play, UT Tyler used a 22-10 run to climb back into the game. The Patriots applied heavy defensive pressure, forcing 17 more turnovers in the second half en-route to the late surge. 

The UT Tyler bench played a key role in the second half efforts as the non-starters accounted for 20 points in the final 20 minutes of play. 

BY THE NUMBERS:
Darius Alford let the Patriots offensively, scoring 12 points. Tyrick Bennett and Xavier Fogle each recorded 11 points in the loss. Jared Jenkins led the rebounding efforts, pulling in seven boards. 

UP NEXT:
The Patriots return to action tomorrow when they play Johnson & Wales at 5:00 p.m. The Saturday game concludes the Rocky Mountain road trip before the Patriots open the season at home on Tuesday, November 27.