LAREDO, TEXAS – UT Tyler men's basketball put together a late run in the final minutes of the game and held the lead with 23 seconds left, but a driving layup that just found the netting for Texas A&M International proved to be the difference in a 67-66 win for the Dustdevils.
Dontrell Hewlett put together a big night, scoring 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting while adding nine rebounds. The Patriots as a team shot 47% from the field and added in five three pointers.
The Dustdevils got themselves out to a 6-0 lead over the first three minutes and change, but neither team found themselves off to a hot start from the field.
Mareng Gatkuoth would break the seal of the rim for the Patriots as he dropped in a jumper to make it 6-2. The Patriots would again cut the lead to four points at 11-7 with 12:07 remaining, but a 10-4 run over the next 2:11 gave the Dustdevils a 10 point advantage as they looked to pull away.
The Patriots whittled away at the lead, as points from
Sam Phipps,
Dontrell Hewlett, and
Khalik Gardner again cut the lead to four. That lead quickly swelled back to nine, but another key run from the Patriots that saw them outscore the Dustdevils 10-2 over a five minute stretch cut the lead down to just one as
Nikolas Gustavson cashed in a three pointer. In that five minute run, the Patriots held the Dustdevils to just 1-for-8 from the field.
In the waning moments of the half, the Dustdevils would add in five points while Hewlett scored on a pull-up jumper, leading to a 33-29 lead for Texas A&M International at the half.
The second half saw another slow start, but the Patriots found the upper hand as they sprung out on a 9-6 run over the first five and a half minutes. That run was put together by Hewlett and
Akok Machar, as the pair combined for all nine points to help bring the game to a one point spread.
The Dustdevils would answer with an 11-5 run of their own to open the lead back up to seven points with 10:30, and further extend the lead to nine points with 8:46 remaining. The Patriots refused to go down, crawling back into the contest with four more points from Hewlett as they again cut the lead down to just two points with 6:56 remaining.
The Patriots finally broke through with 3:33 left in the contest, taking a 61-60 lead over the Dustdevils for their first lead of the night. That lead led to a nailbiting final few minutes that saw the game get tied right back up at 63-63 with 1:04 remaining.
The Patriots got the first crack at it in the final minute, but a miss and a loose ball foul led to free throws for the Dustdevils. They would convert both, but
Mareng Gatkuoth buried a step-back three pointer to give the Patriots a one point lead with 23 seconds remaining.
The Dustdevils answered with a tough driving layup to take the lead back, but the Patriots final attempt would roll out of the rim and they would fall 67-66.
Hewlett led with a game-high 24 points, while
Sam Phipps chipped in a team-high 10 rebounds and two blocks. Gatkuoth chipped in five assists and a pair of steals while scoring nine points.
Nikolas Gustavson scored nine points and hit a trio of three pointers.
UT Tyler will now head to Texas A&M-Kingsville for a Saturday affair to round out their road trip to south Texas.
