UT Permian Basin men's basketball broke open a close game over the final five minutes of the first half, and rode that momentum into scoring an 80-61 win over Midwestern State Saturday afternoon at the UTPB Gym.

The Falcons trailed 26-23 on a 3-pointer by JaJuan Starks with 5:52 remaining in the first half. UTPB went on to score the next 19 points in the game, holding Midwestern State scoreless for over five and a half minutes until Bishop Coulter hit a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining as the Falcons led into halftime 42-28.

UTPB hit 7-9 from the field over their tremendous run, nailing all four free throws in the process. Jacob Ledoux scored six points in that span while Isaac Hernandez added a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer.

The Falcons held the Mustangs to 30 percent shooting in the first half while out-rebounding MSU 25-14 in the first 10 minutes. 

UTPB kept the pace up to start the second half, scoring the first seven points after halftime, five coming from Ledet for a 49-28 lead.

MSU pulled within 12 points and 3:08 remaining in the game to threaten a chance at a comeback, but UTPB scored the next seven points and held the Mustangs without a point over the final three minutes in the 19-point win.

"I thought we really paid attention to the scout and guarded exactly how we wanted to," said head coach Josh Newman. "We really emphasized containing the dribble and finishing stops with a defensive rebound which allowed us to get out in transition and get easy baskets. We had a really tough stretch with five straight road games over five weeks, and it was great being back home with our fans."

Jacob Ledoux went off for 34 points on the night and was special in the second half. He scored 19 after the break, hitting 6-10 shots and 4-4 from beyond 3-point range. It was the second-highest scoring performance of the season for the junior, falling two points short of his season-high 36 points.

Ledet added his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing a game-best 13 rebounds.

UTPB heads back on the road this coming week, traveling for games at Texas A&M Kingsville and Angelo State.