ODESSA, Texas (November 19, 2024) – Maison Adeleye nearly recorded a triple-double while Alex Matthews made 15-of-18 free throw attempts and had the game-winning block on a 3-point attempt to tie the game in the final seconds as The University of Texas Permian Basin knocked off the University of the Southwest (N.M.) 81-78 in the Falcons' home opener on Tuesday evening.

Matthews made 11-of-14 free throw attempts in the second half alone and scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the final 20 minutes as well.

In all, there were 12 ties and 12 lead changes in the game, with the final lead change coming thanks to a pair of free throws by Matthews with 6:16 left.

Matthews would score nine more points in the final six minutes of the game and gave the Falcons a six-point lead (81-75) with a layup with 1:11 remaining for UTPB's final points of the night.

USW would cut it to three (81-78) with an and-one by Jayvin Brown with 41 seconds to go, and after a timeout with just five seconds left to try and draw up a game-tying 3-pointer, it was Matthews who tracked the shooter, Jalen Mcafee Marion, in the corner and got the block to seal the win.

In addition to Matthews' heroics, DJ Armstrong was 5-for-10 from 3-point range and poured in 19 points, followed by Dario Domingos with 15 points on 60 percent shooting (6-10).

Adeleye was just one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists while also adding four steals and two blocks.

UTPB shot 50 percent or better from the field in both halves and was 24-for-32 (75.0 percent) from the free throw line.

As the score would indicate, it was a very even game all around as UTPB led 42-38 on points in the paint and 13-11 on second chance points and trailed 16-15 on fastbreak points.

Points off turnovers were even at 18-18. In addition, both teams shot 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 75.0 percent from the free throw line.

The biggest difference was a 21-8 advantage in bench points for the Mustangs.

The Falcons did, however, hold a 36-25 advantage on the boards.

Head Coach Kyle Tolin spoke about the win and said, "It was a good, hard-fought win. I thought we had several guys step up and play well. Alex Matthews had really practiced well lately and it showed today in the way we played. DJ Armstrong and Maison Adeleye both played a lot of minutes but were very efficient. Chuks Ejiofor provided us some great energy tonight that we needed as well. This was a good test for us that will help get us ready for Saturday."

It was an exhibition game for Southwest while UTPB counted the game and improved to 2-1 on the season. The University of the Southwest is a 5-0 team from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Next up be UTPB's Lone Star Conference opener against Angelo State University at 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, inside the Falcon Dome.