TYLER, TEXAS – A fast start to the second half of action wasn't enough for UT Tyler in their first action of 2024 as the Patriots fell by a 74-71 final against Oklahoma Christian on Thursday night.
 
UT Tyler connected on 10 of their first 14 attempts from the field to begin the second half of play after falling behind 44-29 at the halftime break. Redshirt sophomore Nikolas Gustavson, who matched freshman Khalik Gardner for the team high in points for the night, scored all 14 of his points in the first 10:23 of the second half of action.
 
That onslaught of points from the Finland native helped pace a 28-13 run for the Patriots to tie the game at 57-57 with 9:37 remaining in the game. UT Tyler converted on their first five three-point attempts of the second half to spur the run following an opening half in which the Patriots went 11-for-28 (39.2 percent) from the field and 2-for-12 (16.6 percent) from beyond three-point range.
 
Oklahoma Christian held the lead for the final 18 minutes of the first half and extended a 10-point advantage at the 15:43 mark at 15-5. The Patriots cut the deficit to single digits just once throughout the remainder of the opening 20 minutes of play.
 
UT Tyler tied the game on three more occasions following the explosive offensive start to the second half, and finally took the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game on a Terrell Wilson three-point conversion that made it 68-67 with 1:49 left. Oklahoma Christian took advantage of four straight Patriot possessions without a point from that point forward, and regained the lead by a 74-68 margin.
 
A Bryce Roberts three-point make at the buzzer brought the contest to it's 74-71 final.
 
UT Tyler went 14-for-27 (51.8 percent) from the field and 6-for-9 (66.7 percent) from beyond the three-point line in the second half to outscore Oklahoma Christian by a 42-30 margin in the final 20 minutes of play. 20 turnovers for the Patriots ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.
 
Gardner led the rebounding effort with nine boards to go along with his 14 points for the contest. Roberts and Wilson joined Gustavson and Gardner with double-digit scoring performances of 12 and 10, respectively.
 
Oklahoma Christian went 26-for-55 (47.3 percent) for the game as a team.
 
The Patriots will return to action on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. against UAFS.