SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO – UT Tyler men's basketball will end the 2024 portion of their schedule on a high note as they took down Western New Mexico 67-62 on Thursday afternoon.
 
Hudson Anderson posted 14 points and 11 rebounds while Akok Machar and Mareng Gatkuoth scored 11 points and Sam Phipps added 10 to provide a bulk of the offensive production for the Patriots on the day.
 
Both teams would trade blows in the early going, knotting the score up at 10-10 as Anderson and Phipps got off to a hot start with four points each in the run. At the 13:00 mark of the first half, the Mustangs would knock down a three pointer that gave them the lead that would only be interrupted by a tie at 21-21 for the remainder of the half.
 
The Mustangs would close the first half on a 12-7 run over the last 3:39, but Gatkuoth and Jesse Fuller came through with a pair of clutch buckets late to keep the Patriots within reach heading into the second half.
 
The Mustangs picked up nearly exactly where they left off in the second half, starting the period on a 6-2 run to give themselves their largest lead of the game at 39-30 with 17:39 remaining.
 
Over the next three minutes however, the Patriots found their offensive and defensive stride, going on a 10-2 run that saw Machar and Anderson score four points each  while holding the Mustangs to just 1-for-4 from the field. The Mustangs would battle back and stretch their lead back to five points, but the Patriots defense settled right back in to form.
 
From the 11:20 mark of the second half to the 0:29 mark, the Patriots would hold the Mustangs to just 1-for-15 from the field as their defensive prowess showed in a big way. That stretch saw the Patriots outscore the Mustangs 19-9, with seven of the Mustangs points coming from the free throw line.
 
In that run, six different Patriots recorded a point as Gatkuoth and Nikolas Gustavson each led with six points. As a team, the Patriots shot 8-for-18 in the stretch and forced the Mustangs into five turnovers.
 
The score would stay close down the stretch due to the Mustangs free throw prowess, but Gustavson ultimately put the Patriots out of reach as he knocked down a big pull up jumper with 58 seconds left to put them up five points and allow them to ice the game with free throws of their own.
 
For the game, the Patriots held the Mustangs to 37% shooting from the field and 26% from beyond the arc. They would post a 40-32 rebound advantage (16-6 in offensive boards), 20-8 advantage in bench points, and a staggering 44-20 advantage in points in the paint.
 
UT Tyler will now set their sights on the 2025 portion of their schedule as they will not be in action until January 3^rd when they will take on Oklahoma Christian on the road.