KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – UT Tyler men's basketball will look to regroup as they return to Tyler after falling 72-58 to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.
 
Dontrell Hewlett scored a game high 18 points on 5-for-12 shooting and added five rebounds, three steals, and two assists in the contest. Mareng Gatkuoth and Khalik Gardner scored 12 points and 11 points, respectively.
 
The Javelinas wasted no time in getting off to a hot start, beginning the game on a 16-6 run behind three made three pointers over the first 7:17 of the contest. The Patriots responded with a 7-2 run to cut down the lead to just five points, but the Javelinas got hot in a hurry, knocking down three triples and a jumper in 1:34 of gametime to run their lead up to 14.
 
Over the final six minutes of the half, the Javlelinas would close on an 11-9 run and hold a 40-24 advantage.
 
The second half saw the exact opposite start, as the Patriots got off to a hot start on a 12-2 run. Hewlett scored seven points in the run by himself as the Patriots forced the Javelinas into four turnovers and held them to 1-for-3 shooting to cut the lead down to six points.
 
Over the next several minutes, the lead grew larger than 11 points just one time, as Mareng Gatkuoth knocked down a three pointer at the 9:15 mark to bring it back to 11. The two teams continued their back and forth affair down the stretch, with the Javelinas doing just enough on the offensive side to hold off the Patriots and keep the lead around the 10 point mark.
 
Hudson Anderson would make a pair of free throws at the 4:21 mark to cut the lead down to nine points yet again, but this time that would be as close as the Patriots could get, as they would eventually fall 72-58.
 
UT Tyler will now get a long homestand to reset, beginning with a matchup against Eastern New Mexico on Thursday at 7 p.m. inside the HPC.