TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler fell at home on Wednesday night by a final score of 67-52 to UT Permian Basin inside the Herrington Patriot Center.
The Patriots were unable to complete a comeback effort after outscoring the Falcons 19-15 in the third quarter in a rescheduled contest originally slated as the season opener for both teams back on Dec. 12. That strong third quarter narrowed a 40-26 halftime deficit to just 10 points entering the final frame, but didn't prove enough to get the Patriots back into the contest in the late stages.
The loss drops the Patriots to 0-9 (0-9 LSC) on the season
How It Happened: UT Permian Basin started out strong and led by as many as 12 in the first quarter as the Patriots made just 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) shots from the field in the first 10 minutes of action. A pair of steal-and-scores in the early stages of the second narrowed the deficit to single digits at 25-16 with 8:09 remaining in the opening half, but a quick response from UT Permian Basin extended the advantage back out to a 40-26 halftime lead.
The Patriots were able to piece together a solid third quarter of action, ending the frame on a 16-5 run, their best stretch of basketball of the night, that was capped off by an and-one conversion by Azaria Reed with less than a second remaining on the clock to finish out the quarter. That play narrowed the Falcon advantage to 55-45 entering the final quarter.
That momentum wouldn't translate to the final quarter, however, as the Patriots managed just seven points in the final 10 minutes of play.
By The Numbers: Both teams proved to shoot the ball at a similar rate as UT Permian Basin narrowly edged UT Tyler with a 42.1 field goal percentage (24-of-57) as compared to the Patriots 42.0 percent (21-of-50)… UT Permian Basin connected on 8-of-27 attempts from three-point range while the Patriots made just three of their 12 attempts for the night… UT Permian Basin won the rebounding battle 35-to-29… UT Tyler was forced into 21 turnovers, 13 of which resulted in steals for the Falcons.
Patriot Standouts: Tyreesha Blaylock led the squad with a season-high 12 points… Reed finished with 11 points… Kelsey Crouse had a team-high eight rebounds, four on the offensive side of the ball and four on the defensive side… Kayla James led the team with four assists.
Falcon Standouts: Jada Berry was the lone Falcon to score in double-digits, totaling 19 points… Alexus Quaadman had a team high nine rebounds… Avalon Munoz totaled four steals… Quaadman also had a pair of blocks… Eight different Falcons recorded at least one steal.
What's Next: UT Tyler will face a quick turnaround as they head to Lawton, Okla. for a weekend series against Cameron. Game times are currently set for 5:00 p.m. on Friday and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Aggies recently defeated UT Permian Basin on Monday night on their home floor by a final score of 76-65 and will enter the match-up with a record of 4-5.
