TYLER, TEXAS – The UT Tyler Patriots delivered a gritty, hard-fought performance Thursday night inside the Herrington Patriot Center, pulling away late to earn a 59-55 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville and secure a program record for most conference wins since joining the Lone Star Conference.

UT Tyler struck first as Jacob Bell knocked down a three-pointer less than two minutes into the contest, but the Javelinas answered quickly to tie the game at 3-3. From there, the Patriots pieced together a steady 6-0 run fueled by paint touches and transition offense. Xavier Williams converted inside, Kyle Morgan added a jumper, and Sam Phipps finished at the rim to give UT Tyler a 9-3 edge midway through the opening half.

Defensive energy set the tone throughout the first 20 minutes. The Patriots collected multiple blocks while controlling the glass on both ends. After Kingsville trimmed the margin to three at 12-9, John Barbee buried a three-pointer to stretch the lead back to six. Morgan later added a fastbreak layup, and Bell connected from deep again to push the advantage to 20-11.

UT Tyler closed the half with timely execution, highlighted by a three-pointer from Sean Emfinger in the final 90 seconds. Despite a late Javelina basket, the Patriots carried a 25-17 lead into the break after holding Kingsville to 23.53 percent shooting in the opening frame.

The second half proved to be a back-and-forth battle. Morgan opened the scoring with a jumper off an assist from Williams to extend the lead to 10, but Kingsville responded with an 5-0 burst to cut the deficit to 27-22. Each time the Javelinas threatened, UT Tyler found an answer. Williams scored inside, Bell added a tip-in, and Morgan drained a three-pointer to keep the Patriots in front.

Midway through the half, Kingsville rallied to tie the contest at 40-40 and later grabbed a brief one-point edge at 42-41. UT Tyler responded immediately as Williams finished through contact for a three-point play to regain the lead. From there, the Patriots leaned on interior toughness and second-chance opportunities.

With the score tied at 51-51 inside the final five minutes, Williams took over. He converted back-to-back putbacks to give UT Tyler the advantage, then knocked down four clutch free throws in the final seconds to seal the win. 

Williams led the Patriots with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting while going a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line and adding eight rebounds. Morgan followed with 12 points and five boards, while Bell chipped in eight points. Anderson added eight off the bench, and Phipps controlled the interior with six points, five rebounds, and two blocks.

UT Tyler finished 23-of-58 (39.7 percent) from the field, outrebounded the Javelinas, and scored 28 points in the paint. The Patriots recorded 11 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second-chance points in a game that featured six ties and six lead changes.

With the victory, the Patriots set a new program standard for conference wins since joining the Lone Star Conference, continuing a historic season inside the HPC. They'll have one more opportunity to extend that record Saturday when they host the Texas A&M International Dustdevils to close out the regular season.