TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler men's basketball fell by a final score of 57-53 to St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon to move to 7-8 on the year and 4-5 in LSC play.
 
The Patriots shot 36% from the floor while making five three pointers and the Rattlers shot 37% as they dropped in four three pointers.
 
Sam Phipps dropped in a layup to open up the scoring while Mareng Gatkuoth made a tough turnaround jumper to giv ethe Patriots a 4-0 lead. The Rattlers battled back with a 6-0 run to take the lead, but Akok Machar buried a three pointer to put the Patriots back in front.
 
Both teams would scored just two points combined over the next five minutes of action as each team struggled from the field. The Rattlers would snap the cold streak with an 11-2 run, taking their lead out to 19-9 with 7:54 remaining in the half. That run was answered with a 9-2 run by the Patriots as they made a pair of three pointers and added three free throws from Khalik Gardner. The two teams would trade buckets down the stretch of the half, with Phipps closing out the period with a layup.
 
The second half began with a flurry, as both teams traded three pointers while Dontrell Hewlett added in a layup to make it 29-28. The Rattlers would answer back, but six points from the Patriots erased the lead and tied the game at 34-34 with 14:53 remaining.
 
A three pointer from Nikolas Gustavson and a tough put-back layup from Arnaud Revaz gave the Patriots their first lead of the second half, but the Rattlers got it right back with a layup. The two teams would go shot for shot, but three straight free throws from the Rattlers gave them a six point lead with 4:38 remaining in the game.
 
The Patriots would twice cut the lead down to just two points over the final minutes of the game, but a three pointer from St. Mary's with 1:11 would ultimately put them just out of reach for the Patriots and close out the game.
 
Sam Phipps and Akok Machar led the Patriots with nine points each. Phipps would add a team-high 13 rebounds, and Dontrell Hewlett scored seven points with four total assists.
 
The Patriots now set their eyes on a road trip to take on Texas A&M International and Texas A&M-Kingsville. They next return to the HPC on January 23^rd to take on Eastern New Mexico as part of Bingo Night.