SALT LAKE CITY -- The UT Tyler men's basketball team faced its first competition of the 2019-20 season with two exhibition games against NCAA Division I programs at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.
 
The Patriots had two players in double figures in an 88-47 loss to Utah on Oct. 30, and Da'Zhon Wyche knocked down four three-pointers en route to a team-high 16 points in a 100-58 defeat to BYU on Nov. 1.
 
First-year head coach Louis Wilson got his first look at his team in competition, as all 14 players on the trip played at least six minutes in both contests.
 
Ty Glover led UT Tyler in scoring, finishing the two-game trip with 22 points, including a game-high 17 points in just 14 minutes of action in the exhibition opener at Utah.
 
How It Happened (Utah): UT Tyler stayed with Utah early in the first half, taking a 3-2 lead on its opening possession with a Ty Glover three-pointer, and the Patriots held an 11-10 lead six minutes into the contest after a Quinn Smith jumper.  However, Utah responded with an 8-0 run, holding UT Tyler scoreless for the next six minutes until Smith hit a three-pointer to cut the Utes lead to 18-14 with 8:05 left in the first half.
 
Utah outscored the Patriots by a 20-6 margin over the final eight minutes of the half to take a 38-20 halftime lead.  A Jerekius Davis three-point play with 14 minutes left in the game pulled UT Tyler within 16 points, 47-31, but that was the closest the Patriots got the rest of the way as Utah won going away.
 
Stat Leaders (UT Tyler vs. Utah): Ty Glover scored a game-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, and Quinn Smith added 13 points, also on 6-of-11 shooting… Chris Giles contributed 7 points and a team-high 3 assists, and Jerekius Davis produced a game-high 4 steals to go with a team-high 5 rebounds… Utah had five players score in double figures, led by a 15-point effort from Both Gach, and three of those Utes (Timmy Allen, Riley Battin, Branden Carlson) grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds as Utah generated a 58-29 rebounding margin over the Patriots.
 
How It Happened (BYU): BYU led wire-to-wire in Friday's exhibition matchup, opening the game with a 23-8 run before the Patriots scored on three consecutive possessions to cut the lead to 25-14 with 7:25 remaining in the first half.  Bryson Power scored on consecutive possessions, and Darius Alford grabbed a defensive rebound following a BYU miss and turned it into a layup at the other end to pull the Patriots within 11.  UT Tyler was still within 11 after Micah Fuller made 1-of-2 free throws with 5:10 left in the half, but the Cougars went on a 14-4 run over the final five minutes of the half to take a 40-19 halftime lead.
 
Ty Glover opened the second-half scoring with a three-point play, trimming the margin to 40-22, but BYU scored 12 of the next 14 points and exploded for 60 points in the second half to pull away for the victory.  Da'Zhon Wyche hit four three-pointers in the second half, scoring 14 of the Patriots' final 17 points over the final 7 minutes of the contest.
 
Stat Leaders (UT Tyler vs. BYU): Da'Zhon Wyche paced UT Tyler with a team-high 16 points, and the team's next two leading scorers also came off the bench as Darius Alford added 9 points while Micah Fuller scored 8… Quinn Smith and Bryson Power tied for the team rebounding lead with six boards apiece, helping UT Tyler close the rebounding gap, which BYU won by a 43-36 margin… BYU had four players in double figures, led by Trevin Knell's game-high 19 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting off the bench.
 
What's Next: UT Tyler kicks off its first Division II season with a pair of games back in Utah, taking on Division II opponents Westminster College (Nov. 8) and Dixie State University (Nov. 9) in a Division II conference challenge event hosted by Westminster.  The Patriots' home opener is Tuesday, Nov. 12, against Dallas Christian.