Box Score TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler men's basketball team defeated Western New Mexico by a final score of 58-54 on Tuesday night inside the Herrington Patriot Center.
 
Da'Zhon Wyche led all scorers with 17 points on the night as the Patriots exceeded their 2019-20 win total with their ninth win of the season with the victory. Those nine wins come in a shortened 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic as UT Tyler's overall record now stands at 9-10 for the year.
 
Wyche shot 50 percent (5-of-10) from the field for the night as the Patriots used a late-game rally to hold on to a 32-26 halftime advantage. Wyche did the majority of his offensive work in that opening half, totaling 15 of his 17 points in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
Western New Mexico came out strong following the halftime break, taking the 40-38 advantage with 12:04 remaining on the clock. That lead was extended to four with 7:53 remaining in the contest before the Patriots came storming back heading down the stretch.
 
A Chris Giles three-point make at the 4:10 mark flipped the lead back in favor of the Patriots at 48-47, an advantage in which the Patriots didn't concede for the remainder of the game.
 
Roche Grootfaam and Darius Alford both had 10 points in the game, while Grootfaam hauled in a team high seven rebounds. UT Tyler out-rebounded the Mustangs by a 38-to-30 final tally thanks to Grootfaam's seven boards and Wyche's six rebounds.
 
UT Tyler shot 38.8 percent (19-of-49) from the field for the contest and connected on 15-of-20 attempts from the free throw line.
 
The Patriots will host Western New Mexico once again tomorrow evening inside the Herrington Patriot Center. Tip-off for that non-conference game is set for 5 p.m.