Box Score TYLER, TEXAS – Graduate student Micah Fuller drew a foul and connected on both free throw attempts with 1.1 seconds left in regulation to earn UT Tyler a 63-62 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday night.
 
A key shooting foul against both teams with less than 10 seconds on the clock proved to be the difference in a tightly-contested game from start to finish. Texas A&M-Kingsville was sent to the line with six seconds on the clock trailing 61-60, and then took the one-point lead after sinking both free-throw attempts.
 
UT Tyler got the ball quickly down the court and allowed Fuller to penetrate the Javelina defense to draw the foul underneath the basket with 1.1 seconds of game time left. Fuller tied the game with the front-end of his free throw opportunities, and then sunk the game winner on his 21^st point of the night on the second attempt.
 
The Bessemer, Ala. native finished the evening a perfect 13-for-13 from the charity stripe and drew a total of 10 fouls, none more important than his effort at the buzzer to set himself up for the game winner. Fuller along with Solomon Thomas, who finished with 16 points of his own, provided the bulk of the offense for a Patriot team that was 21-of-39 (53.8 percent) from the field for the evening.
 
UT Tyler led for the majority of the contest, but allowed Texas A&M-Kingsville to hang around long enough in the second half to make it interesting down the stretch. The Patriots led 58-54 with 2:38 left on the clock, but conceded two baskets on the ensuing Javelina possessions for the first of three ties that would occur in the final 1:32 of the game.
 
Fuller provided his first heroic play in the final stages of the game following that 4-0 run for Texas A&M-Kingsville by drawing the and-one opportunity with 1:03 left on the clock. Fuller converted that chance for the three-point play to contribute what would end up being the final field goal needed for the Patriots.
 
That three-point advantage at 61-58 was cut to 61-60 following the first of two fouls called against the Patriots in the final minute. The second of which came after the Patriots were unable to get a shot attempt up by one with 39 seconds left, turning possession back over to the Javelinas.
 
Thomas was then called for the shooting foul with six seconds left, sending Creighton Avery of Texas A&M-Kingsville to the line for two attempts down by a single point. Avery converted both of those opportunities to give his team the one-point advantage, which was ultimately negated by Fuller's last-second free throws.
 
The sequence of events down the stretch capped off a Javelina comeback in the second half after falling behind by as many as nine at the 37-28 mark with 18:37 remaining in the game. That lead was extended from a 33-28 halftime advantage for the Patriots which was the result of a 7-2 run for UT Tyler over the final 4:11 of the first half.
That run proved vital as Texas A&M-Kingsville outscored the Patriots by a 34-30 total in the second half. The Patriots needed just two makes from beyond three-point range as a team and registered 36 of their points in the paint.
 
Freshman Kyle Frelow led the Patriots with six rebounds on the night while senior Da'Zhon Wyche went 4-for-8 from the field to finish with nine points.
 
The win moves UT Tyler to 12-6 on the year and 4-5 in Lone Star Conference play, and could ultimately play a vital role in seeding for the Lone Star Conference Tournament and potentially selection into the NCAA Division II National Tournament as the Javelinas entered the night 10-5 on the year. The victory also gives the Patriots two wins over teams with 10 or more wins in a one-week span.
 
UT Tyler will now hit the road for contests against Oklahoma Christian and UAFS on Thursday and Saturday before returning home for another three-game homestand.