TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler men's basketball claimed their third straight win on Tuesday evening to move to 3-3 on the season as they took down Wiley in their final non-conference matchup of the year.
 
Akok Machar and Dontrell Hewlett combined for 35 points in the contest and Hewlett added in 11 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks to lead the team in all three categories.
 
The Wildcats began the game by battling tough early, holding leads at 7-5, 10-8, and 13-11 to put the pressure on the Patriots offense. They finally got going thanks to a 12-0 run that included two three pointers from Khalik Gardner and another from Hewlitt to run out to a nine point lead.
 
That lead would stay around nine points for the remainder of the half, with both teams scoring 12 points each down the stretch. Machar, Hewlett, Gardner, and Jesse Fuller would combine for those points as the Patriots would finish the half shooting 54.5% from the floor and 55.6% from beyond the arc.
 
The second half began with a 11-6 run from UT Tyler to extend their lead out to 14, as Nikolas Gustavson, Sam Phipps, Hudson Anderson, Hewlett, and Fuller each got into the scoring column.
 
That big lead was short lived, as the Wildcats answered with a huge 12-4 run of their own to put the pressure right back on the Patriots and cut the lead to six with 10:11 remaining.
 
That basket with 10:11 remaining from the Wildcats would be their only one for the next 6:17 of gametime, as the Patriots defense ramped up the intensity and completely shut down the Wildcats offense.
 
In that 6:17 stretch, the Patriots went on a 17-0 run that included points from five different players, six straight points off the fastbreak and 14 points in the paint as they stretched their lead out to 23 points.
 
The Wildcats would add just two more buckets and the Patriots countered with a Hewlett layup to cap off a huge 21 point win and their third straight on their home floor.
 
The Patriots defense held Wiley to just 32.7% from the floor for the game and 19.2% from beyond the arc. On the offensive side, the Patriots shot a blistering 46.7% from the floor and added on a 33% mark from beyond the arc.
 
UT Tyler held a 22-2 advantage in points off turnovers, 16-11 advantage in bench points, 19-4 advantage in fast break points, and a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint.
 
UT Tyler will now take on Lubbock Christian in their Lone Star Conference opener on Tuesday, December 4^th. That game will tip-off at 7 p.m. as part of UT Tyler's Holiday Hoopla.