TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler wrapped up their opening week of regular season basketball with a 100-47 win over Dallas Christian on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Patriots led by 20 points less than 10 minutes into the contest and never took off the offensive pressure to move to 3-0 on the season with three straight dominating wins to open up 2021-22. UT Tyler connected on 37-of-59 shots from the field (62.7 percent) for their most efficient output of work through three games this season, and featured four scorers in double-digit figures.
 
Graduate student Zaire Mateen led all scorers with 15 points, going 5-for-9 from the field on the afternoon. Seniors Micah Fuller and Soloman Thomas both added 11 points, and classmate Da'Zhon Wyche added 10.
 
The Patriots led 27-7 with 10:13 still remaining in the first half, and ran their first half advantage up to as many as 25 before settling on a 42-21 margin at the halftime break. Fuller and Mateen both had nine points in the first 20 minutes of play as the Patriots hit 14-of-27 shots in the first half, including 6-of-13 from behind the three-point line.
 
The second half proved to be even better for UT Tyler offensively as they scored 58 points in the final 20 minutes of play, going 23-for-32 (71.9 percent) from the field and 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from three-point range. A deep Patriot roster showed a wealth of scoring options as Fuller and Thomas played just 11 minutes combined in the second half, while graduate student Eysan Wiley and Trey Davis kept the offensive momentum in full swing for UT Tyler in the second half.
 
Both Wiley and Davis added nine points apiece in the second half as the Patriots led by as many as 56 points with 53 seconds remaining in the game.
 
UT Tyler dominated the glass once again, out-rebounding the Chargers by a 41-to-23 margin for the afternoon, and brought in 18 offensive rebounds for 25 second-chance points in the game. 64 of the 100 points came off the bench for UT Tyler as 13 different Patriots recorded a bucket.
 
The Patriots head to a brief break in action during the Thanksgiving holiday with a perfect 3-0 record after commanding home victories to get the season off and running. UT Tyler will head to the Lion Hoopsgiving presented by Best Western Plus next weekend for their first real tests of 2021-22.
 
UT Tyler is slated to take on Ouachita Baptist on Friday night at 6 p.m. and then Mississippi College on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m.