TYLER, TEXAS — UT Tyler men's basketball completed a dominant two-day sweep of Our Lady of the Lake on Tuesday night, controlling the game from the opening tip and riding a relentless rebounding effort to an 83–71 victory inside the Herrington Patriot Center. The win pushes the Patriots to 4–0, marking on of their best starts in the program's Division II era and finishing off a back-to-back in which they outscored the Saints 202–138.
From the start, UT Tyler set the tone with defensive energy and second-chance scoring. The Patriots opened the night on a 7–0 run, ignited by a transition three from Kyle Morgan and a fastbreak layup moments later. Multiple offensive rebounds on the following possession allowed Sam Phipps to tip in the third attempt, giving UT Tyler full control of the early tempo. After OLLU briefly cut the lead to four, the Patriots answered with another surge—Suarjaya buried a transition three at the 15:02 mark, then scored at the rim seconds later to push the lead to eight.
As UT Tyler turned up the defensive pressure, the turnovers piled up for the Saints. A steal from Phipps led to another fastbreak finish, and the Patriot bench immediately boosted the margin. Jacob Bell scored in transition, John Barbee drilled a catch-and-shoot three, and Hudson Anderson added an interior finish as part of a 19–6 run that ballooned the lead to 21–6.
The Patriots dominance on the offensive glass defined the entire first half. UT Tyler secured offensive rebound after offensive rebound and converted them into paint points that kept the Saints from gaining any traction. Caldwell buried a transition three to extend the lead to 16, Kapanadze added a deep three to make it 36–19, and after a series of defensive stops, the Patriots closed the half with a flurry. Tenner scored off an offensive board, Williams forced a turnover that led to a Barbee fastbreak finish, and Suarjaya closed the period with a steal that set up a two-handed Barbee dunk, giving UT Tyler a commanding 47–24 halftime lead.
The Patriots wasted no time extending that momentum. To open the second half, Spencer Gaze knocked down a right-wing three off a kick-out from Suarjaya, pushing the margin to 26. Bell followed with a catch-and-shoot triple and then delivered a dominant individual stretch—a tip-in, a steal, and a fastbreak layup—to extend the lead to 57–28, the largest of the night.
OLLU mounted a brief push behind a couple of threes, trimming the deficit to 20, but once again UT Tyler answered immediately. Fowlds scored inside off an Emfinger assist, Caldwell connected from deep to restore a 25-point advantage, and Phipps hammered home a two-handed dunk from Fowlds to keep the game firmly in Patriot control.
The Saints made their strongest run midway through the half, forcing turnovers and stringing together baskets to pull within 13 at 68–55 with just over seven minutes to play. But Gaze stemmed the tide with a driving layup, and the Patriots methodically rebuilt their cushion behind solid defensive possessions.
With the margin shrinking again in the final minutes, Bell sealed the game with a decisive closing stretch—scoring on a tip-in plus the foul, finishing through contact twice more in the lane, and delivering the final UT Tyler field goal with 43 seconds remaining. Suarjaya's late free throw pushed the total to 83 and closed out another complete Patriot performance.
UT Tyler closed the night with 58 rebounds, 25 offensive boards, 26 assists, and thirteen different scorers in a true team effort. Jacob Bell led the way with 20 points on 9–13 shooting and added eight rebounds, while Noah Suarjaya turned in an impressive all-around performance with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and three steals. The Patriots will now enjoy the rest of the week off before opening Lone Star Conference play on December 4th in Laredo, Texas against the Dustdevils.
