TYLER, Texas -- Ty Glover led UT Tyler with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double in the second game of the opening Lone Star Conference contest, but the Patriots fell to 0-2 in the conference after St. Mary's collected a 69-57 victory Saturday afternoon.
Three players scored in double figures for St. Mary's, offsetting Glover's first double-double of the season, and the Rattlers shot 42 percent (8-for-19) from three-point range to build and maintain a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half.
With the loss, UT Tyler dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the Lone Star Conference, while St. Mary's improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
Turning Point: After Ansu Sesay capped an 8-2 run with a steal and coast-to-coast layup to cut the St. Mary's lead to 57-48 with 5:59 remaining, the Rattlers hit a pair of three-pointers in a 10-1 run to take their largest lead of the game, an 18-point spread (67-49) with 3:03 to play. St. Mary's led by at least 15 points the rest of the way until a Da'Zhon Wyche three-pointer in the final minute cut the final margin to 69-57.
How It Happened: St. Mary's raced to a 16-2 lead to start the game, answering JT Riddick's opening score with 16 consecutive points before Micah Fuller scored at the 12-minute mark to snap the scoring drought. Ty Glover scored the first 8 points of a 10-2 run which pulled the Patriots within 6 points, 25-19, with 5:29 remaining in the first half, and Glover closed out the first-half scoring with a dunk which cut the St. Mary's halftime lead to 34-25.
In the second half, Kobe Magee and Dylan Isenhower combined to hit five three-pointers to lead St. Mary's, with Magee's first three-pointer of the half extending the Rattlers' lead to 39-29 with 18:39 to play. St Mary's led by at least 10 points for all but 27 seconds the rest of the way, as Ansu Sesay's fast-break steal-and-score with 5:59 left pulled the Patriots within 9, 57-48. Caleb Jordan answered on the next possession to extend the lead to 11, and Isenhower drilled a three on the next St. Mary's possession to extend the lead to 62-48 with 4:52 remaining in the game. A Kobe Magee three-pointer with 3:03 left gave St. Mary's its largest lead of the game, 67-49.
UT Tyler Standouts: Ty Glover scored a team-high 15 points, his fifth time in six games to reach double figures, and his season-high 10 rebounds gave him his first double-double of the season. Darius Alford contributed 8 points off the bench, and Quinn Smith added 7 points along with 4 rebounds. JT Riddick recorded a game-high 3 blocked shots, helping lead UT Tyler to 8 blocks as a team. Ansu Sesay and Ty Glover finished with 2 blocks each, and Glover added a pair of steals as he also dished out a team-high 4 assists.
St. Mary's Standouts: The leading scorer for the Rattlers came off the bench, as Dylan Isenhower went 6-of-9 from the field including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, for a game-high 17 points along with 10 rebounds. Kobe Magee was 4-for-7 from long range and finished with 16 points and a game-high 5 assists, while Caleb Jordan contributed 15 points and 3 assists.
By The Numbers: St. Mary's produced a 44-34 rebounding margin, but UT Tyler converted 13 offensive rebounds into a 14-13 edge in second chance points… The Patriots also registered a 14-8 advantage in points off turnovers after committing a season-low 8 turnovers, and UT Tyler also registered a 13-5 margin in fast break scoring… St. Mary's finished the game shooting 42 percent (26-for-62) overall and from three-point range (8-for-19), and the Rattlers were nearly perfect from the free throw line, hitting 9-of-10… UT Tyler shot 35 percent (22-for-63) overall and 29 percent (6-for-21) from deep… The Patriots finished with 8 blocked shots, its second-highest single-game total of the season (season-high was 10 in a non-conference win over Dallas Christian).
What's Next: UT Tyler will return to action for a Dec. 3 non-conference matchup at home against Jarvis Christian before returning to Lone Star Conference play for good with a Saturday, Dec. 14 matchup at home against Texas A&M-Commerce.
