TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler men's basketball notched their third consecutive victory on Friday evening with a 96-91 come-from-behind win in double-overtime against UAFS.
 
The win is the second overtime victory in a row for the Patriots (5-9, 4-9 LSC) in a contest in which they trailed by 16 with 7:06 remaining in the second half. Five different Patriots recorded double-digit scoring totals on a night in which UT Tyler forced UAFS into 24 turnovers and cashed in on 31 points off of those turnovers.
 
UT Tyler defeated Cameron on Monday afternoon in overtime by an 85-75 final tally and used the experience and momentum generated from that win to once again come away with the victory in extra time. UAFS built a six-point lead at 83-77 with 50 seconds remaining in the first overtime period before back-to-back three point makes by Soloman Thomas and Emanuel Gant tied the first overtime period up with 16 seconds to go.
 
That 83-83 score would last through the remaining few seconds in the first overtime before the Patriots were able to outscore the Lions by a 13-to-8 margin in the ensuing final five minutes to secure their third straight win.
 
UT Tyler and UAFS will have a quick turnaround as they are set to meet again tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. back inside the Herrington Patriot Center.
 
How it Happened: Both comebacks for the Patriots in regulation time and in the first overtime period were sparked by the Patriots three-point shooting coming alive out of the halftime break. UT Tyler made 10 three pointers combined in the second half and overtime to negate a 39-31 halftime deficit.
 
That UAFS advantage was extended to 16 with 10:23 remaining in the contest before the Patriot defensive pressure finally wore the UAFS back court down and allowed the Patriots to inch their way back into the ballgame. That 13-0 run that moved the 69-53 UAFS advantage down to just three was generated thanks to five forced turnovers by UT Tyler over the course of just two minutes.
 
Six straight Lion points extended their advantage back out to 75-66 with 1:48 remaining, but three made three-point shots and three more Lion turnovers in the final 1:15 of play tied the game up with 24 seconds to play. The third turnover of that stretch gave the Patriots the final shot, a quality look from Gant that was blocked with one second left on the clock to force overtime.
 
UAFS posted the first five points of the first overtime period before the Patriots once again found a way to tie the game up despite being down by six with 50 seconds left on the clock. Thomas and Gant knocked down three pointers with 46 and 16 seconds left on the clock to tie the game up at 83-83 heading into the second overtime.
 
In total the Patriots outscored the Lions by a combined 9-to-2 margin in the final minute of play in the second half and first overtime.
 
Five straight points on a pair of free throws and yet another three-point basket by Thomas finally gave the Patriots some breathing room with a 91-85 lead with 1:47 left in the second overtime. Five made free throws in the final minute of the period allowed the Patriots to secure the 96-91 win.
 
By the Numbers: UT Tyler shot a season-high 42.9 percent (15-of-35) from behind the three-point arc for the game… That allowed for the Patriots to withstand a 52.3 percent (34-of-65) shooting percentage for the night by the Lions… UT Tyler's 30 points off of turnovers were assisted by 20 fast-break points… UT Tyler has now forced 20 or more turnovers in three straight contests… UAFS won the rebound margin 41-to-40… The Patriots attempted 37 free throws, the second highest total of the season for UT Tyler in the category… UT Tyler went 7-for-15 from behind the three-point line in the second half.
 
Patriot Standouts: Gant led the way for UT Tyler with 20 points, connecting on 4-of-10 from three-point range, and also led the Patriots with six rebounds… Thomas finished with 17 points and was 3-for-5 from three… Micah Fuller scored eight of his 13 points from the free-throw line… Da'Zjon Wyche was the final Patriot to score in double-figures with 12… Gant, Fuller and Wyche all had four assists… Milan Szabo and Roche Grootfaam both had five rebounds… Thomas led the Patriots with three steals.
 
Up Next: UT Tyler will look to make it four in a row tomorrow afternoon with a 3 p.m. game against UAFS.