TYLER, Texas - The UT Tyler Men's Basketball team hosted Southwestern University in their final home game before the break on Tuesday afternoon. The Patriots improved to 5-5 overall after defeating the Pirates 99-92. 

The Patriots found themselves down early in Tuesday's game as the Pirates opened an early 7-0 lead. A layup from Jared Jenkins with 11:42 remaining to tie the game at 15. The Patriots would push forward in the half after trading leads with Southwestern, retaking the lead for good with just under 10 minutes remaining. UT Tyler would stretch the lead to eight on three occasions, controlling the final 10 minutes of play. The Patriots largest lead would be nine points. When the first half buzzer sounded, UT Tyler lead 45-37. 

The Patriots pushed their lead to 11 early in the second half after baskets from Darius Alford and Jared Jenkins. Southwestern would work back into the game over the next 14 minutes, taking their first lead with 3:47 remaining in the game. The teams would trade leads over the course of the final 3:30 of the game with the game knotted at 83 with 1.1 seconds remaining. A last second layup from Southwestern drew a pair of foul shots and a chance to pull ahead by two before missing both opportunities. After 40 minutes of action, the teams had played to an 83-83 stalemate, forcing an overtime period. 

Southwestern came out of the gate to pull ahead 92-85 early in the extra period. A pair of three's from Davis Moore and Xavier Fogle brought the game within a point with 2:38 remaining. With 2:12 left on the clock, the Patriots tied the game at 92. After taking a three point lead with :29 seconds left, Alford would seal the deal with four free throws. A Flagrant 2 was called on Southwestern, prompting a pair of foul shots. A technical foul on the Southwestern bench added two more opportunities at the line which Alford went 4-4, sealing a 99-92 victory. 

BY THE NUMBERS:
The Patriots shot 60.3% from the field on Tuesday, connecting on nine shots from behind the arc. UT Tyler would go 20-22 at the line while the bench contributed 36 points. The lead changed 13 times on Tuesday while UT Tyler posted 50 points in the paint. 

UT TYLER LEADERS:
Seven Patriots would post double-digit scoring numbers led by Darius Alford. Alford finished with 21 points. Chris Craig finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. Xavier Fogle added 15 points while Omar Mohamed added 12.