TYLER, Texas -- UT Tyler made several key adjustments from its opening-night defeat, erasing a double-digit first-half deficit and controlling most of the second half in Saturday's rematch until UT Permian Basin rallied late to beat the Patriots, 82-80, and sweep the opening-weekend series.
Micah Fuller scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Patriots, who erased a 12-point first-half deficit and led by as many as nine midway through the second half for a 21-point swing between the two halves. Fuller was joined by three other Patriots in double figures, while UT Permian Basin was led by Trevion Lamar's 22-point effort.
Lamar scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half, and he assisted Jordan Horn's three-pointer with 1:37 to play that gave the Falcons the lead for good. Fuller knocked down a pair of free throws with 55 seconds left, cutting UT Permian Basin's lead to 79-78, but the Patriots committed a costly turnover and missed a potential tying three-pointer in the final minute as the Falcons escaped with another win.
With the defeat, UT Tyler falls to 0-2 to start the season, while UT Permian Basin is now 2-0.
Turning Point: UT Tyler trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, and the Patriots erased a 38-30 deficit in the final 90 seconds of the half, tying the game at 38-38 at the break after Da'Zhon Wyche tied the game with a corner three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer. The Patriots continued on the attack to start the second half, building a 9-point lead (62-53) with 9:23 to play in the game. Over that 12-minute stretch across the two halves, UT Tyler outscored the Falcons by a 32-15 margin and maintained the lead until Malik Brikat dropped in a layup with 2:26 remaining to give UT Permian Basin a 74-73 edge. Brikat added a putback with just over a minute to play to help the Falcons keep the lead for good down the stretch.
How It Happened: Emanuel Gant collected the opening tip and immediately drove for a layup in the game's first five seconds, but UT Permian Basin reeled off 14 straight points before the Patriots scored again. A Micah Fuller three-pointer snapped UT Tyler's early scoring drought, and his 12-point first half helped lead the Patriots back from a dozen points down to tie the game at halftime, 38-38.
Fuller also scored seven of UT Tyler's first nine points of the second half, sparking a 9-3 run after halftime after the Patriots had scored the final 8 of the first half for a 17-3 run across both halves. A Trevion Lamar three-pointer with 15:17 to play gave UT Permian Basin a brief 50-49 lead, but Fuller scored the first and last points of a 13-3 run over the next 5 minutes to give the Patriots a 62-53 lead with 9:23 left.
Milan Szabo made two free throws to answer a pair of Trevion Lamar free throws, helping the Patriots match their largest lead of the game at 64-55 with 8:36 left. Lamar drove for a layup at the other end, sparking a 10-2 Falcon run that trimmed the UT Tyler lead to 66-65 with 6:37 to play. Soloman Thomas responded with a three-pointer, and the Patriots got the lead back to a five-point spread twice in the final five minutes, the last time at 73-68 with 3:28 left.
From there, the game turned as UT Permian Basin scored six straight in the next minute of play, taking a 74-73 lead on a Brikat layup with 2:26 left. Da'Zhon Wyche nailed a three-pointer on the next Patriot possession, but Jordan Horn quickly responded with a three from the top of the key to regain the one-point edge. UT Tyler missed a three-point attempt the next trip down the floor, and Brikat extended the lead to three, 79-76, with a putback of a missed layup with 1:06 to play.
Micah Fuller attacked the basket and cashed in a pair of free throws with 55 seconds left, cutting the lead to 79-78, and Fuller rebounded a missed Falcon layup early in the shot clock at the other end to give the Patriots an opportunity to regain the lead. However, UT Tyler gave the ball right back with a turnover in transition, and Jordan Horn made it a three-point margin, 81-78, with a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left. Fuller's three-point attempt to tie the game with 10 seconds left was just off the mark, and the Falcons hauled in the rebound and made 1-of-2 free throws to put the game out of reach.
UT Tyler Standouts: Micah Fuller, who had five 20-point games last year, notched his first of the 2020-21 campaign with a team-high 25-point effort. He went 8-of-13 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, and he drilled 7-of-8 free throws to lead the Patriots' scoring effort. Three others finished in double figures, with Da'Zhon Wyche adding 13 points while Milan Szabo and Jalen Davis scored 10 points each. Emanuel Gant was UT Tyler's leading rebounder, pulling down 10 boards (all defensive rebounds) to go with 5 points, 6 assists and 3 steals. Wyche also had 3 steals to lead the Patriots' defensive effort..
UT Permian Basin Standouts: Trevion Lamar led the Falcons with a team-high 22 points, scoring 14 of his 22 in the second half while adding 7 rebounds and a team-high 5 assists. Malik Brikat notched a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Jordan Horn also finished with 16 points. Quinntez Grimes contributed 10 points, giving the Falcons four double-figure scorers in the victory.
By The Numbers: The teams combined for 45 total turnovers, with UT Tyler committing 25 while forcing 20 UT Permian Basin turnovers… The Patriots managed to generate a 27-25 edge in points off turnovers, however… UT Tyler also registered scoring edges in the paint (38-30), second-chance scoring (18-14), fast breaks (18-11), and bench scoring (25-14)… UT Permian Basin posted a narrow 36-34 edge in rebounding margin… UT Tyler shot 44 percent (28-for-63) overall and 26 percent (7-for-27) on three-pointers… UT Permian Basin shot 42 percent (25-for-60) overall and made all three of its second-half three-point attempts to finish 39 percent (7-for-18) from three-point distance.
What's Next: UT Tyler continues Lone Star Conference action at home when it takes on Lubbock Christian in a two-game Lone Star Conference weekend series after the New Year.
