EDMOND, OKLAHOMA – UT Tyler men's basketball picked up their third straight win and third straight LSC win as they took down Oklahoma Christian by a score of 79-75.
 
Sam Phipps, Jadin Penigar, Mareng Gatkuoth, Hudson Anderson, Akok Machar, and Dontrell Hewlett each scored in double figures on the night as the Patriots shot 44% from the floor and 34% from beyond the arc.
 
The Patriots defense held Oklahoma Christian to 41% shooting from the floor, but it was the three point defense that make the difference as the Eagles shot just 6-for-27. The Patriots held a 42-36 advantage in points in the paint, 29-22 in bench points, and a 17-12 advantage in second chance points.
 
UT Tyler made the opening bucket and held a 3-2 advantage thanks to Sam Phipps scoring the first three points of the game. However, the Eagles found their early stride on offense and ran out to a 15-9 lead at the 13:46 mark of the first half. That lead would stay at six with 9:29 left in the first half and make its way to eight points with 7:32 left, but the Patriots began their comeback with a layup from Machar.
 
That layup kickstarted an 11-2 run that gave the Patriots the lead at the 4:08 mark of the first half, and was a part of a 16-8 run to close out the half. That run was capped off by a tough and-one bucket from Sam Phipps to help the Patriots secure a 37-35 halftime lead.
 
The Patriots opened up an 8-2 run at the beginning of the second half to secure an eight point lead. The Eagles would make several runs to bring it all the way back to a tie game at two separate occasions by the 11:47 mark of the half.
 
Over the next 7:59 from that mark on, the Patriots embarked on an 18-7 run that saw them pick up their largest lead of the game. In that run, Jadin Penigar scored seven points while Mareng Gatkuoth scored eight points, including two three pointers, and Sam Phipps capped it all off with two big dunks.
 
That lead would be 13 points with 2:37 remaining, but a late run from the Eagles that included three three pointers would cut the lead all the way down to three, but late free throws from the Patriots would seal the win.
 
UT Tyler has now won three straight games, all of which are LSC games. The Patriots will now look to put their winning streak on the line on Sunday afternoon as they take on Cameron at 3 p.m. on the road in Lawton, Oklahoma.