SAN ANTONIO — After winning the game with a pair of free throws late on Thursday night, a lone free throw by UT Tyler with 2.4 seconds remaining upset the St. Mary's University Men's Basketball team on Saturday evening.
The Patriots (9-6, 3-6) used a 15-point run late in the second half to erase a 20-point first-half lead for the Rattlers (12-5, 5-4), taking their first lead of the game on a three-pointer with 55 seconds remaining. Senior
Damani Claxton (Bronx, N.Y.) sank a pair of free throws with 33 seconds left to knot the score at 60-60, but Sam Phipps made his second of two free throws with 2.4 ticks on the clock for the win.
St. Mary's came out of the gate on fire, scoring the first nine points of the contest and 16 of the first 18, and led 38-26 at halftime, but UT Tyler flipped the script, outscoring the Rattlers 35-to-22 in the second half. The 22 points are the fewest the team has scored in either half this season. UTT scored 24 points off the Rattlers' 17 turnovers, and outscored StMU 36-to-18 in the paint.
Claxton led the game with 18 points and six rebounds, while junior
Justin Britt (Goose Creek, S.C.) added 16 points on a 9-of-11 night from the free throw line, and he blocked a game-high two shots. Senior
Eddie McPhee (Denver, Colo.) had a team-high two steals and was one of three Rattlers with two assists.
The Rattlers won the rebound battle by one, 33-to-32, but managed only 10 offensive rebounds.
UT Tyler was led by Phipps with 17 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Hudson Anderson led the game with four steals, and Xavier Williams dished out a game-high seven assists.
The Rattlers face the two Oklahoma teams on the road next week, facing Oklahoma Christian on Thursday evening and Cameron on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles dropped a 90-77 decision at Western New Mexico, while the Aggies fell 72-71 at Sul Ross State.
