SALT LAKE CITY -- UT Tyler led in the final five minutes of the second half and was within a point in the final minute after rallying from an eight-point halftime deficit, but Westminster College held off the Patriots down the stretch to hand UT Tyler a 75-71 defeat in Friday's regular-season opener.
 
Ty Glover led all scorers with 20 points, and Jerekius Davis added a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double to help lead UT Tyler, which rallied from a 39-31 halftime deficit behind 8-of-18 three-point shooting after halftime.
 
With the loss, UT Tyler opens the season 0-1 while Westminster is now 1-0.
 
How It Happened: Westminster shot 65 percent (13-for-20) from the field in the opening half, while UT Tyler started the game shooting 25 percent (9-for-36), but the Patriots stayed within eight points at halftime, trailing 39-31, thanks in part to going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the opening half.
 
Westminster scored the opening bucket of the second half to take a 41-31 lead, but UT Tyler responded with a 13-0 run over the next six minutes to take a 44-41 lead.  After Westminster pulled ahead, 58-53, with 6:57 left in the game, Davis drilled consecutive three-pointers before a Chris Giles trey and Ty Glover free throw returned the lead to UT Tyler at 63-60 with 5:29 remaining.  Westminster took the lead for good with a 12-1 run that gave the Griffins an eight-point edge, 72-64, with just over two minutes to play.
 
Davis immediately responded with another three, cutting the lead to 72-67, and a Glover jumper brought it back to a one-possession game at 72-69 with 1:19 remaining. After a defensive stop, Davis hit a pair of free throws with 25 seconds remaining to cut the Westminster lead to 72-71, but Jai Jai Ely hit three-of-four free throws in the final 20 seconds to secure the victory for the host Griffins.
 
Turning Point: Shortly after UT Tyler regained its final lead, Westminster senior guard Alec Monson scored five straight points, starting with a pair of free throws that cut the Patriots' lead to 63-62 before he delivered a three-pointer on the next possession with 4:16 left in the game to give Westminster the lead for good.  Monson added another three-pointer during the Griffins' late 12-1 run, which provided just enough cushion for Westminster to protect the rest of the game.
 
UT Tyler Standouts: Ty Glover scored a game-high 20 points, 7 rebounds and another game-high of 4 steals, while Jerekius Davis finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.  Micah Fuller was the Patriots' third double-figure scorer with 13 points to go with a team-high 3 assists.
 
Westminster Standouts: Jake Connor was one of four Griffins in double figures with a team-high 16 points, while Jai Jai Ely scored 13 points and Joonas Tahvanainen added 11 points.  Alec Monson finished with 10 points, including 8 of his 10 points in the final five minutes of action.  The Griffins were balanced on the boards, with Monson grabbing a team-high 6 rebounds while four others finished with 5 rebounds apiece.
 
By The Numbers: The teams finished even in rebounding, 35-35, although UT Tyler generated a 10-6 edge in second chance points… Westminster generated a 22-10 scoring advantage in the paint, although UT Tyler scored 33 points from beyond the arc to Westminster's 15 points on 5-of-17 three-point shooting… Westminster produced a 14-5 margin in points off turnovers… In the second half, UT Tyler posted better shooting percentages from the field and three-point range, and the Patriots also produced a 21-18 edge on the boards after halftime.
 
What's Next: The Patriots take on Dixie State, a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference which opened the season with a 71-66 win over Texas A&M-Commerce Friday night.  The teams square off Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time (6:30 p.m. Central) before UT Tyler returns home for next week's home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 12, against Dallas Christian.