UT Permian Basin Men's Basketball trailed by as many as nine in the second half, but a late surge carried the Falcons to a tight 82-80 victory over UT Tyler. The Falcons (2-0) got huge second half performances by
Trevion Lamar, who finished with a team-high 22 points including 14 in the second half, and
Jordan Horn, who scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half. The win was the 200
th NCAA win in the career of Head Coach
Josh Newman, and his 270
th at the collegiate level.
Lamar came out firing, and the Falcon offense started fast. The Division I transfer got the Falcons on the board with a three-point play, then followed with a three-pointer and a layup to give the Falcons an early 10-point lead. After a three by the Patriots (0-2), Horn answered with a three to push the lead to 12 before the Patriots made a run of their own. The Falcons held the lead for the whole first half, but a late run and three at the buzzer by the Patriots tied the score at 38 heading into the locker rooms.
It was the Patriots who started the second half strong, but a three by freshman
Quinntez Grimes kept the Falcons within a score. Lamar drained a three to regain the lead at 50-49, but with a lot of basketball to be played. With eight-and-a-half minutes to play, the Falcons trailed by nine. Once again it was Lamar and Horn sparking a rally. Lamar hit a layup and Horn followed with a pair of free throws to cut into the lead.
Malik Brikat's layup answered a Patriot basket to keep the deficit at five.
The teams traded blows, but it was the Patriots ahead with just over three minutes to play. Brikat's free throws followed by a pair from Lamar cut the deficit to one. After a stop on the defensive end, Brikat hit a layup to give the Falcons their first lead of the second half. The Patriots answered with a three, but it was Horn who calmly answered with one of his own to give the Falcons a lead they wouldn't relinquish down the stretch.
Along with his 22 points, Lamar grabbed seven rebounds and had a team-high five assists. Brikat went for 16 points and 11 boards to record his first double-double of the year. Grimes finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Once again, the Falcon defense gave the Patriots trouble, forcing 25 turnovers.
"I thought Trevion really picked us up on both ends," said Newman. "We've challenged him to impact the game on every play and thought he really did that tonight. It wasn't pretty, but our guys showed a lot of toughness and never quit. We have a lot to fix, but a seven hour bus ride is a lot easier after a road sweep."
The Falcons return home on Tuesday for a non-conference match-up with Western New Mexico with tip-off scheduled for 4 PM. The Falcons then welcome Cameron University for a weekend series to wrap-up 2020 and head into winter break.
