TYLER, Texas -- Ty Glover scored a game-high 21 points to lead UT Tyler to a 59-50 win over Oklahoma Christian Thursday night, giving the Patriots their second consecutive win and first Lone Star Conference winning streak in its first season of LSC membership.
Glover led the scoring effort, and he was joined by several other solid performances which lifted the Patriots to the victory. Micah Fuller scored 14 points with a game-high 6 assists, and Bryson Power tallied 8 points and a game-high 8 rebounds.
With the victory, UT Tyler improved to 6-9 overall and 3-7 in the Lone Star Conference, and the Patriots are now 1-3 within the six-team division. Oklahoma Christian fell to 5-9 overall, 4-6 in conference play, and 1-1 within the division.
Turning Point: After trailing for more than half of the opening 20 minutes, UT Tyler scored 10 of the final 12 points of the first half and scored the first 5 points of the second half. The 15-2 run across both halves gave the Patriots the lead for good, as UT Tyler led by at least six points the rest of the game. Ty Glover scored 8 points in the run, and Micah Fuller scored 5 to spark the scoring run which spanned over 8 minutes of game action.
How It Happened: The lead changed hands seven times in the first half, and Oklahoma Christian took its biggest lead of the contest at 19-14, just before UT Tyler responded with a 15-2 run across both halves to take the lead for good.
Ty Glover got the run started with a midrange jumper that cut the lead to 19-16, and he scored back-to-back baskets to close out the half to give UT Tyler a 24-21 halftime lead. The halftime break did not cool him off, as he scored on the Patriots' opening possession of the second half, and Micah Fuller's three-pointer finished off the run and gave UT Tyler a 29-21 lead less than a minute into second-half play.
Oklahoma Christian got back within six points on five separate occasions in the second half, but UT Tyler never let the Eagles get any closer the rest of the way.
UT Tyler Standouts: Ty Glover led all scorers with 21 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season, while Micah Fuller scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half and dished out a game-high 6 assists to help the Patriots secure the win. Bryson Power added 8 points and 8 rebounds, and Jared Jenkins scored 6.
Oklahoma Christian Standouts: Aubrey Johnson scored a team-high 18 points for the Eagles, adding a game-high 3 steals, and Dedrian Parmer Jr. added 14 points on a 5-for-7 shooting performance. No other Oklahoma Christian player scored more than 6 points..
By The Numbers: UT Tyler shot 48 percent (24-for-50) overall, although the Patriots were closer to 60 percent at .595 (22-for-37) on two-point attempts compared to 15 percent (2-for-13) on three-pointers… Oklahoma Christian shot 36 percent (19-for-53) overall and 27 percent (7-for-26) on three-pointers… UT Tyler posted a 35-33 rebounding edge, which led to a 15-14 edge in second chance points… Although both teams committed 14 turnovers, UT Tyler notched a 13-9 edge in points off turnovers… The Patriots posted a 12-2 margin in fast break scoring and a 30-18 margin in points in the paint… UT Tyler led for over 25 minutes of the game despite trailing for 13 minutes in the first half.
What's Next: UT Tyler is back home on Saturday, Jan. 18, for a home game against University of Arkansas-Fort Smith which represents the halfway point through the 22-game Lone Star Conference schedule.
Quotable (UT Tyler head coach Louis Wilson)
Â
