TYLER, Texas - The UT Tyler Men's Basketball team hosted UT Dallas in the Louise Herrington Patriot Center on Thursday night. The Patriots fell 71-83, moving to 6-10 overall. 

UT Tyler jumped out to the early lead on Thursday, outscoring the Comets 15-7 over the first eight minutes of play. The Patriots would hold their lead through the first 17:18 of play before UT Dallas tied the game at 28. The Patriots stretched their lead to eight at its largest margin. The final 1:42 of play saw UT Tyler fall behind after UT Dallas went on a 7-2 run. Through the first 20 minutes of play, UT Tyler trailed 30-35. 

The Comets would stretch their lead to 19 points and led for the entire second half before the Patriots cut into the lead late in the game. The final 1:25 of play saw UT Tyler go on a 7-0 run, cutting the lead to 12. The late rally would not be enough for the Patriots as they trailed 71-83 when the final buzzer sounded. 

BY THE NUMBERS:
The Patriots shot 40% from the field while connecting on 11 shots from behind the arc. On the night, UT Tyler shot 40.7% from three point territory. UT Tyler went 12-14 from the line for an 85.7% mark from the free throw line. The bench contributed 15 points while UT Tyler scored 24 points in the paint. 

UT TYLER LEADERS:
Darius Alford led the way for UT Tyler, scoring 24 points and hauling in four rebounds. Tyrick Bennett recorded 11 points and four boards. Omar Mohamed recorded a team-high eight rebounds.