COMMERCE, Texas -- For the second consecutive night, UT Tyler's second-half lead evaporated and Texas A&M-Commerce emerged with a four-point win, edging in front of the Patriots for a 78-74 victory to complete a weekend series sweep.

UT Tyler was led by Emanuel Gant's 22-point, 15-rebound double-double, but Texas A&M-Commerce was perfect from the free throw line, hitting 16-of-16 including four free throws in the final 10 seconds to close out the win.

With the loss, UT Tyler falls to 2-9 overall and 1-9 in Lone Star Conference play, while Texas A&M-Commerce improves to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the LSC.

Turning Point: Emanuel Gant scored 9 consecutive points at the end of an 11-2 run, breaking a 54-54 tie to give UT Tyler a 65-56 edge with 5:30 remaining in the game. However, Texas A&M-Commerce answered with an 8-0 run, slashing the lead to a single point in a span of less than a minute, and neither team led by more than 4 points the rest of the way. The Lions took the lead for good with 17 seconds left on Devin Bethely's driving layup for a 74-72 lead. Bethely made 2 free throws on the next possession to extend the lead to 4, and Carius Key made another pair of free throws to keep it there after Micah Fuller scored to cut the lead to 76-74 with 5 seconds to play.

How It Happened: The game came down to the closing minutes again, as the lead changed hands three times in the final two minutes of play. First, Texas A&M-Commerce erased UT Tyler's 68-64 lead with a 6-0 run, as Demarcus Demonia made a floating jumper with an and-one for a three-point play with 1:43 remaining to give the Lions a 70-68 lead.

Soloman Thomas answered with a pair of free throws to tie the game, and Darius Alford's steal led to a Micah Fuller layup that pushed UT Tyler back in front, 72-70, with 1:05 left. Demonia's layup at the other end tied the game at 72-72 with less than a minute, and Bethely's driving layup after the Patriots missed a pair of free throws broke the tie for good.

The largest lead of the first half was a five-point margin held by UT Tyler less than seven minutes into the contest, but Texas A&M-Commerce stayed within striking distance and took a two-point lead over the Patriots into halftime, 35-33.

UT Tyler Standouts: Emanuel Gant's 22-point, 15-rebound double-double represented season-highs in both categories, and Micah Fuller added 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor along with a pair of free throws. Soloman Thomas came off the bench to score 15 points, while Darius Alford contributed 9 points along with a game-high 5 steals.

Texas A&M-Commerce Standouts: Augustine Ene scored a team-high 21 points and also shared the team rebounding lead with 6 boards, while Demarcus Demonia added 13 points and 6 rebounds to help lead the Lions. Devin Bethely and Dante Adams each scored 11, and Carius Key finished with 8 points and a game-high 5 assists. Seven different players each hit at least a pair of free throws, leading Texas A&M-Commerce to a school-record for most free throws made with a perfect free throw percentage by going 16-for-16 at the line.

By The Numbers: UT Tyler cut its turnovers nearly in half from Friday night, slashing Friday's 20 turnovers to just 11 on Saturday… The Patriots' turnovers weren't nearly as costly as the 12 committed by the Lions, as UT Tyler posted a 21-12 edge in points off turnovers… The Patriots also generated a 46-36 advantage in points in the paint and a 16-8 margin in fast break scoring… UT Tyler shot 51 percent (28-for-55) overall, although the Patriots hit just 18 percent (3-of-17) on three-pointers… Texas A&M-Commerce shot 47 percent (27-for-58) overall and 26 percent (8-for-31) from three-point distance.

What's Next: UT Tyler returns home for a midweek afternoon matchup against St. Mary's at 2 p.m.on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The game is one of three Lone Star Conference contests for a rare weekday tripleheader as the Patriots host St. Mary's in women's and men's basketball at noon and 2 p.m. before the Patriot volleyball team hosts Dallas Baptist University at 7 p.m. at the Herrington Patriot Center.