KINGSVILLE, Texas -- UT Tyler kept up with one of the Lone Star Conference's best Thursday night, but the Patriots' bid to hand Texas A&M-Kingsville its second conference defeat fell short in a 67-59 road loss Thursday night.
Ty Glover scored a game-high 19 points and added 2 blocks and a steal, while Darius Alford came off the bench to score 10 points for the Patriots, who shot over 50 percent from the field after halftime and were within 2 points of the Javelinas with 6:29 left in the game. However, Texas A&M-Kingsville went on an 11-3 run that extended into the final minute of the game to pull away for the win.
With the defeat, UT Tyler fell to 4-9 overall and 1-7 in the Lone Star Conference, while Texas A&M-Kingsville is now 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
Turning Point: After falling behind by 10 points early in the second half, UT Tyler got back into the game, using a 15-7 run to make it a one-possession game after a JT Riddick dunk pulled the Patriots within two points, 45-43, with 10:49 remaining in the game. The margin fluctuated between 2 and 7 points over the next four minutes, and the Patriots got back within two at 56-54 on a Bradley Mason three-pointer with 6:29 to play. Texas A&M-Kingsville answered with 7 straight points, part of an 11-3 run which pushed the lead back to 10 points (67-57) in the final minute of the game.
How It Happened: The lead changed hands seven times in a back-and-forth opening half, as UT Tyler took its largest lead of the game following an Omar Mohamed three-pointer which gave the Patriots a 15-10 lead with 8:58 remaining in the first half. Ty Glover converted a three-point play with 5:29 left in the half to give UT Tyler its last lead, 22-19, but Texas A&M-Kingsville scored 13 straight while the Patriots went scoreless for an extended stretch, taking a 32-22 lead with 1:15 to play in the half. Darius Alford scored the final 4 points of the half to cut the halftime deficit to 32-26.
The Javelinas scored 6 of the first 8 points after halftime to get the lead back to 10, 38-28, but Glover knocked down a triple to spark the Patriots to a 15-7 run which closed the margin down to 2 points, 45-43, with 10:49 to play in the game. Bradley Mason's three-pointer with 6:29 remaining kept UT Tyler within 2, 56-54, but Texas A&M-Kingsville scored 11 of the game's final 16 points to pull away for the win.
UT Tyler Standouts: Ty Glover led all scorers with 19 points, hitting 7-of-16 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line to go with a team-high 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. Darius Alford added 10 points, hitting 4-of-5 shots and 2-of-3 free throws, and Bradley Mason scored 6 points while collecting a game-high 4 steals to lead the UT Tyler defense. JT Riddick also scored 6 points while Micah Fuller contributed 7 points, all from the free throw line, plus 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
Texas A&M-Kingsville Standouts: The Javelinas had three double-figure scorers, led by Jamell Bradley's 13-point effort off the bench. Creighton Avery also came off the bench while scoring 10, and Chauncey Thomas registered 10 points, as well. John Mouton contributed 8 points with a game-high 11 rebounds.
By The Numbers: Texas A&M-Kingsville notched a 33-19 rebounding advantage, limiting UT Tyler to just 2 offensive rebounds… Both teams produced exactly 27 bench points, and the Patriots generated a 24-22 edge in points in the paint… However, the widest scoring margin between the teams came from points off turnovers, as Texas A&M-Kingsville committed only one fewer turnover (14) than UT Tyler (15) but still generated a 23-11 margin in points off turnovers… The Javelinas also turned their 10 offensive boards into 10 points to come up with a 10-4 margin in second chance points… UT Tyler shot 48 percent (21-for-44) in the game, including a 52 percent (12-for-23) clip in the second half… The Patriots hit 4-of-15 (27 percent) from three-point range and 13-of-16 (81 percent) from the free throw line… Texas A&M-Kingsville shot just 41 percent (20-for-49), including a 25 percent (5-for-20) clip from beyond the three-point line… The Javelinas scored 22 points from the free throw line, hitting 22-of-29 (76 percent).
What's Next: UT Tyler visits Texas A&M International on Saturday, Jan. 11, to conclude this week's Lone Star Conference road trip. The Patriots return home on Thursday, Jan. 16 to face Oklahoma Christian.
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