TYLER, TEXAS – Guards Bryce Roberts and John Barbee combined to score 40 of the team's 68 points on the night in a 78-68 loss to St. Mary's.
 
Roberts went 8-for-13 from the field and knocked down four of the team's five made three pointers to lead the way with 23 points. Barbee added 17 points to pair up with Roberts to provide the majority of the offensive production for the Patriots.
 
The Roberts-Barbee duo matched the team high in rebounds as well, grabbing eight boards a piece.
 
UT Tyler (3-18, 2-13 LSC) out-scored St. Mary's (10-11, 6-9 LSC) by a 44-to-39 margin the second half, going 14-for-24 (58.3 percent) from the field, but couldn't manage to draw the scoring deficit in the final 20 minutes of play to single digits until the final minute of action.
 
St. Mary's led 39-24 at the halftime break and extended their advantage to as many as 18 at 64-46 with 8:35 remaining in the game. The Rattlers seized control midway through the first half after a slow start for both teams offensively and never looked back.
 
St. Mary's went 25-for-55 (45.5 percent) from the field in the game and required just two three-point makes in the ballgame to take down the Patriots. UT Tyler shot 44.4 percent (24-for-54) for the game and knocked down 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) from beyond the three-point arc.
 
The Rattlers managed a 37-to-29 advantage on the boards.
 
The scoring for the Patriots outside of Roberts and Barbee was tough to come by as freshman Khalik Gardner managed the next highest point total with seven points. Junior Alex Zambie finished with six points and seven assist.
 
UT Tyler will return to the floor on Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. tip against St. Edward's.