Men's Basketball Stumbles in Tyler

TYLER, Texas – In a back-and-forth affair, the St. Mary's Men's Basketball team ended on the short end Thursday night in Tyler, falling 70-62 to the Patriots.
 
The game saw five ties and 11 lead changes throughout, but a pair of three-pointers in the final three minutes lifted UT-Tyler (15-6, 7-5 Lone Star Conference) past the Rattlers (11-11, 8-5 Lone Star)
 
All 10 Rattlers who played scored at least two points, led by sophomore forward Tyler Caron (Longview, Texas) with 12, while senior forward Mamady Djikine (Paris, France) added 10. For the third-straight game, junior Emmanuel Ewuzie (San Antonio) came off the bench to lead the team in rebounds, grabbing seven. He also blocked a game-high three shots. Senior guard Caleb Jordan (Midlothian, Texas) led the way with three assists and junior Ryan Leonard (Kerry, Ireland) had a team-best two steals.
 
The clubs were knotted 34-to-34 at halftime and the Patriots came out and shot 56 percent in the second half, while the Rattlers shot 31 percent and were just 1-for-11 from the arc. StMU did stay solid at the free throw line, making 9-of-11 attempts in the second stanza.
 
Da'Zhon Wyche led UTT with 17 points, while Micah Fuller and Solomon Thomas each chipped in 14. Fuller also had a game-high six assists, while Wyche added four steals.
 
St. Mary's won the battle of the boards, 35-to-30 and committed only 11 turnovers in the game. StMU can still earn a bye in the Lone Star Conference Championship with a win on Saturday and a little help from some other teams. 
 
The Rattlers head to Commerce for the team's final conference regular season road game in 2022. StMU and Texas A&M Commerce will tip at approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19.