TYLER, TEXAS – The UT Tyler men's basketball team jumped ahead early and led by as many 34 in an 84-60 victory over Fort Valley State on Friday night to move to 2-0 on the season.
 
The Patriots connected on 7-of-15 three-point shots in the first half and extended an 11-point advantage at the half to as many as 34 points with just over three minutes remaining in the contest to remain untested through two games in the 2021-22 season. Three Patriots reached double-digit point figures on a night in which UT Tyler shot 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the field as a unit.
 
Senior Micah Fuller led all scorers with 13 points, going 4-for-8 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line, while classmate Da'Zhon Wyche chipped in 12 points and eight assists to keep a steady offensive flow throughout the entirety of the contest.
 
That offensive rhythm picked up pace in the early stages of the second half as UT Tyler extended a 40-29 lead at the break into a 62-41 lead with 9:58 remaining in the game. A 16-7 run from that point padded an 82-48 scoring differential with 3:23 remaining on the clock before head coach Louis Wilson turned to the majority of his reserves from that point forward.
 
A three-point make from Fuller with 6:56 in the first half gave UT Tyler their first double-digit advantage at the 34-22 mark, a margin that would maintain at 10 points or more for the rest of the 26 minutes of the game.
 
The Patriots scored 16 fast-break points and limited Fort Valley State to just five points on the fast break to effectively control the pace of the contest. UT Tyler out-rebounded the Wildcats by a 42-to-32 margin and were led by nine boards from forward Milan Szabo.
 
Graduate students Eysan Wiley and Zaire Mateen added six rebounds to the effort as well, with Mateen contributing 11 points offensively. Junior Paul Djoko totaled nine points and five rebounds to impact the game in a variety of ways once again.
 
 The Patriots have outscored their first two opponents of 2021-22 by a 41.5 point margin and hold a +18 differential in the rebounding effort through two games.
 
UT Tyler will stay at home for their third straight home contest to open up the season on Sunday afternoon with a 3 p.m. meeting with Dallas Christian College. The Patriots will then get back out on the court following the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 26^th and 27^th at the Lion Hoopsgiving presented by Best Western Plus.
 
That event in Commerce, Texas will see the Patriots square off with Ouachita Baptist and Mississippi College.