SAN ANGELO – UT Tyler men's basketball put up an impressive 42 points in the second half against Angelo State, but a sluggish first half proved too much to overcome in Saturday afternoon's match-up.

Dontrell Hewlett led all scorers with a game-high 23 points, shooting 5-of-14 from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc, and an efficient 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. Jadin Penigar was the only other Patriot to reach double figures, contributing 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 3 three-pointers on eight attempts.

Angelo State opened the game with an 11-0 run before Hewlett put the Patriots on the board with a layup. The Rams controlled the first half, outscoring UT Tyler 45-20 while shooting 16-of-30 from the field and an impressive 10-of-15 from deep.

The Patriots responded with a much-improved second half, shooting 13-of-33 from the floor, 6-of-14 from three, and knocking down 10 free throws. Hewlett once again got UT Tyler's offense going, sinking a free throw early in the half. Angelo State extended its lead to 31 midway through the half, its largest margin of the game, but the Patriots fought back. Over the final nine minutes, UT Tyler outscored the Rams 25-12, cutting the deficit to 14 by the final buzzer.

Hewlett and Penigar combined for 25 of UT Tyler's 42 second-half points. Hewlett shot 40% from the field in the half, scoring 14 of his 23 points while adding five rebounds to finish with seven total. Penigar also found his rhythm, scoring 11 of his 14 points on 50% shooting while sinking 3 triples.

With the loss, UT Tyler drops to 5-16 in conference play and 8-19 on the season. The Patriots will look to close out the year on a high note as they face nationally ranked Dallas Baptist in their season finale Thursday night at 7 p.m.