SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – The UT Tyler men's basketball team battled throughout but ultimately came up short on the road, falling 76–50 to Angelo State on Friday night in Lone Star Conference action. Despite stretches of strong defensive play and competitive rebounding, the Patriots were unable to overcome a slow offensive night and a strong second-half push by the Rams inside the Junell Center.
The Patriots were back and forth with Angelo State early until the 10-minute mark of the first half, when the Rams took a 16–10 lead. UT Tyler worked to settle into the game, getting key contributions from Kyle Morgan, who helped steady the offense with five straight points to make it 21–15 in favor of Angelo State at the six-minute mark. Morgan would finish the night with those five points in 13 minutes of action. The Patriots held their own defensively for much of the first half, forcing the Rams into contested looks and limiting second-chance opportunities, but Angelo State maintained a 37–22 lead at the break.
Coming out of halftime, UT Tyler showed renewed energy on both ends of the floor. The Patriots opened the second half with quick offense, as Hudson Anderson and John Barbee combined for eight early points to pull UT Tyler within nine at 39–30. However, from there the Rams held the Patriots scoreless for nearly five minutes of play and pushed the lead to 50–30. At the seven-minute mark, following a free throw, Angelo State built its largest lead of the night at 28. The teams went back and forth for the remainder of the game before UT Tyler fell 76–50.
UT Tyler finished the game shooting 37.8 percent from the field and was held to just two three-pointers, making it difficult to keep pace as Angelo State continued to score efficiently in the second half.
Defensively, the Patriots forced the Rams into tough possessions at times and limited fast-break opportunities. UT Tyler recorded eight points off turnovers and received solid contributions from its bench, which accounted for 12 points. However, the Patriots were unable to generate enough offense down the stretch to mount a late comeback. John Barbee and Sean Emfinger were the only two Patriots to score in double figures, finishing with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Barbee added seven rebounds and three of UT Tyler's six steals, while Emfinger pulled down six rebounds.
UT Tyler will look to regroup quickly as the Patriots continue Lone Star Conference play, remaining on the road to face UT Permian Basin on Sunday at 3 p.m.
