The University of Texas of the Permian Basin men's basketball team led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but a scoring draught that saw them hit just one free throw in the game's final 7:32 led to a 12-1 run by Arkansas-Fort Smith to end the game and culminated in the Lions taking the lead for the final time with 19 seconds remaining as UAFS defeated UTPB 63-60 at the Falcon Dome Thursday night.
 
Anthony Dees hit a 3-pointer at the 7:32 mark of the second half to increase the Falcons lead back out to eight points at 59-51. Arkansas-Fort Smith defense kept them scoreless until Tyler Reynolds hit the front end of a pair of free throws to put UTPB up 60-57.
 
Xavier McClish scored for the Lions, pulling them to within a point with 3:15 remaining.
 
Neither team had an answer on offense as both teams failed to score for the next three minutes until Dusan Stojanovic sunk a layup with 19 seconds to give UAFS its first lead since early in the first half.
 
Xavier Martin's scoring attempt in the lane was blocked by Dijon Farr with 12 seconds left, and he was fouled on the rebound, but was unable to keep the Falcons from having an attempt to take the lead in regulation, hitting just his first of two attempts to lead 62-60.
 
Dees had a chance at a game-winning three with four seconds left, but his shot was off the mark, and the Lions wrapped up the win when Blake Branham hit his second of two free throws to put UAFS up by the final score of 63-60.
 
The Falcons battled foul trouble and a slow start to open the game as a 7-0 UAFS run following a Rob Heyer alley-oop dunk for the games' first points put UTPB in a 7-2 hole. The Falcons wasted little time in waking up, answering with a 15-0 run over four minutes to take a 17-7 lead with 11:31 remaining in the first half. UTPB never trailed over the remainder of the first half as the Lions were able to tie the game two different times, but a 6-0 run heading into halftime gave the Falcons a seven point 31-24 halftime lead.
 
Dees and Tyler Reynolds each scored 14 points to lead the Falcons offense, both hitting two 3-pointers on the night. Reynolds and Fabian Sebastian both collected a team-best seven rebounds.
 
Stojanovic led the game with 15 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-5 night at the free throw line for Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
The Falcons are back in action Saturday afternoon, hosting Newman at 4 p.m.