TYLER, Texas -- UT Tyler added another impressive victory to its late-season surge, as the Patriots collected their ninth win in the past 10 games with a 78-60 victory over NAIA No. 9-ranked Talladega (Ala.) College Friday night.
The Patriots built a 13-point halftime lead and nailed 6-of-8 three-pointers in the second half to lead by as many as 23 points in the second half to defeat NAIA Tournament-bound Talladega, which entered Friday's contest with a 24-3 overall record and a national top-10 ranking in the NAIA.
Micah Fuller led the way for UT Tyler, scoring a team-high 18 points while hitting all three of his three-point attempts. Soloman Thomas added 14 points, while Darius Alford came off the bench for 10 points and a game-high 4 assists.
With the victory, UT Tyler improves to 11-10 overall heading into Saturday's season finale against Southwestern Adventist University. Talladega falls to 24-4.
Turning Point: Both teams hit a 5-minute scoreless stretch with the score tied, 10-10, midway through the opening half. UT Tyler snapped the scoring drought with 9 consecutive points, starting with back-to-back Soloman Thomas buckets including a 3-point play, and that burst served as the start of an 18-4 run as the Patriots took control of the game. UT Tyler led by at least 9 points from that point on.
How It Happened: After the teams battled to a 10-10 tie and then went scoreless for the next 5 minutes, UT Tyler emerged with the game-turning 18-4 run, which included a 9-0 run to break the tie. A Chris Giles layup with just over a minute left in the first half gave the Patriots a 37-21 lead before Talladega's Markel Williams hit a three-pointer in the final minute to trim the halftime margin to 37-24.
Micah Fuller opened the second half with a pair of free throws, which Talladega answered with a 6-0 run to pull within single digits at 39-30. UT Tyler responded once more with a 17-4 run as the Patriots took a 56-34 lead with 8:37 left to take control of the game for good. Fuller and Darius Alford each made three-pointers during the run, and Da'Zhon Wyche added a trey with 6:49 to play for UT Tyler's largest lead of the game, 61-38. Talladega never got closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
UT Tyler Standouts: Micah Fuller scored 18 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers for the Patriots, as Soloman Thomas added 14 points and Darius Alford scored 10. Chris Giles and Roché Grootfaam each gathered a team-high 6 rebounds, and Giles added a game-high 3 steals.
Talladega Standouts: Malcolm Bell led all scorers with 23 points, hitting 9-of-14 shots from the field plus 5-of-5 free throws. Jordan Crumbley added 15 points off the bench, and Richard Brooks grabbed a game-high 8 rebounds to lead the Tornadoes to a 32-25 edge on the boards.
By The Numbers: UT Tyler tied its season-low in turnovers, committing just 9 while forcing Talladega into 15 turnovers… With that edge, the Patriots generated a 19-7 advantage in points off turnovers… UT Tyler also held a 12-4 advantage in fast break points… The Patriots shot 51 percent (29-for-57) overall for its third game this season shooting 50 percent or better from the field… UT Tyler shot a season-high 56 percent (10-for-18) from three-point range… Talladega shot 40 percent (22-for-55) overall and 22 percent (4-for-18) on three-pointers.
What's Next: UT Tyler wraps up the 2020-21 season with a home game against Southwestern Adventist University on Saturday, March 6, at 8:00 p.m.
