LAREDO, TEXAS – A 20-point outing from senior Rashun Williams wasn't enough as UT Tyler fell by a 57-48 final margin on Thursday night to Texas A&M-International.
 
Williams stood as the lone Patriots in double figures on a night in which UT Tyler shot just 31.5 percent (17-of-54) from the field for the game. The Patriots led 26-24 at the halftime break, but couldn't hold off a consistent offense effort from Texas A&M International in the final 20 minutes of play.
 
The Dustdevils connected on 11-of-22 (50.0 percent) from the field in that second half, and seized control of the game in the final 10 minutes of action to move to 10-7 on the year and 3-6 in Lone Star Conference play. UT Tyler fell to 8-5 on the year and 4-5 in conference play following the loss.

Williams went 7-for-22 from the field for the night and matched the team high in rebounds with six while adding a trio of blocks and a pair of assists. Sophomore Kyle Frelow connected on 50 percent of his attempts for the night (3-of-6), to finish with seven points and six rebounds.
 
A Williams jumper with 30 seconds remaining in the first half gave the Patriots the aforementioned two-point lead at the halftime break to conclude a tight first half that saw the scoring margin reach just seven. That advantage came in favor of UT Tyler at the 17-10 mark with 8:31 remaining in the first half.
 
UT Tyler forced Texas A&M International into 10 turnovers and turned those mistakes into 11 points to overcome just eight made shots from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Dustdevils cleaned up their mistakes on the offensive end of the floor, but still found it difficult to score against the Patriot defense throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half.
 
A 40-37 lead for UT Tyler was negated with a 6-0 run for Texas A&M International leading into the 9:17 mark, providing what would be the final Patriot lead of the contest prior to the run. The Dustdevils extended their advantage to six at 47-41 with 5:22 remaining, taking advantage of a near five-minute stretch for UT Tyler without a basket.
 
Williams buried a three pointer with 2:35 left to get the Patriot offense back on track and narrow the deficit to just 49-46. The Dustdevils answered with seven unanswered points to regain the advantage and allow for the 57-48 final tally.
 
Texas A&M International finished the night 21-of-41 (51.2 percent) from the field.
 
UT Tyler will continue their road trip on Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. start against Texas A&M-Kingsville.