TYLER, Texas -- UT Tyler's first Lone Star Conference win streak was snapped Saturday by a 66-49 defeat to UAFS.
The Patriots held the Lone Star Conference's leading scorer, UAFS guard Brian Halums, eight points below his season scoring average, but Matthew Wilson stepped up for the Lions with a 25-point performance to lead UAFS to victory. UT Tyler was led by Micah Fuller, who scored a team-high 14 points with 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while Ty Glover, who also ranks among the LSC's individual top-10 scorers, added 11 points for the Patriots.
With the loss, UT Tyler dropped to 6-10 overall, 3-8 in the Lone Star Conference, and 1-4 within its six-team division. UAFS improved to 7-10 overall, 3-8 in the LSC, and 1-2 within the division.
Turning Point: After Micah Fuller scored on a short jumper in the paint to give the Patriots an 8-5 lead with 16:10 remaining in the first half, UAFS answered with 9 straight points. That burst represented the start of a 21-5 run which gave the Lions a 26-13 lead with 1:31 left in the first half. UAFS held UT Tyler without a field goal for a stretch lasting over 11 minutes, as Ty Glover hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the half to end the drought and cut the Lions' halftime lead to 28-18.
How It Happened: Ty Glover scored UT Tyler's first six points of the game, and Micah Fuller pushed the Patriots' early lead to 8-5 with 16:10 remaining in the first half. UAFS answered with 9 consecutive points, part of a 21-5 run which led to a double-digit lead. The Lions led by at least 10 the rest of the way.
Just over five minutes into the second half, Chris Giles made a layup which pulled UT Tyler within 11, 34-23, but UAFS went on another 9-0 run to extend the lead to 20 points, 43-23, and UAFS led by at least 15 until Jared Jenkins hit a three-pointer with 1:34 left, capping a 19-10 run to cut the lead to 62-49. UAFS padded the final margin with a pair of baskets in the final 1:19 for the final 66-49 margin.
UT Tyler Standouts: Micah Fuller registered team-highs of 14 points and 4 assists, adding 6 rebounds, and Ty Glover scored 11 points. Darius Alford came off the bench to score 8, and Ansu Sesay was the Patriots' leading rebounder with 7.
UAFS Standouts: Matthew Wilson led all scorers with 25 points, hitting 8-of-15 from the field including 5-of-10 three-pointers, and Brian Halums added an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double along with a game-high 4 steals. Chris Rollins scored 11 points with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Charles Botchway distributed a game-high 7 assists for the Lions.
By The Numbers: UT Tyler shot a season-low 29 percent (15-for-52) from the field, including a 25 percent (4-for-16) clip from three-point range… The Patriots were 79 percent (15-for-19) from the free throw line… UAFS shot 50 percent (24-for-48) overall and 29 percent (5-for-17) on three-pointers… UAFS produced a 36-34 edge in rebounding but recorded a 30-14 advantage on points in the paint… The teams combined for just 18 turnovers with UT Tyler committing 10 and UAFS committing 8… UAFS posted slight edges in points off turnovers (14-12) and second chance points (10-7).
What's Next: UT Tyler opens up the second half of the 22-game Lone Star Conference schedule with a two-game road trip which sends the Patriots to Odessa for a Thursday, Jan. 23 matchup at UT Permian Basin before a Saturday, Jan. 25 visit to Western New Mexico, nearly 900 miles west of Tyler in Silver City, N.M.
