ODESSA, Texas (February 1, 2025) – The University of Texas Permian Basin men's basketball team outscored Sul Ross State University 40-27 in the second half to pull away and earn a 22-point victory, 83-61, on Saturday inside the Falcon Dome.

UTPB improves to 15-6 overall, 11-4 in the Lone Star Conference (4th place) and 7-2 in the West Division (1st place) with the win.

UTPB shot 48 percent from the field in both halves and after making just two 3-pointers in the first half, doubled that number on four fewer attempts in the second half.

The Falcons also shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line in the first half and finished the game 15-for-18 (83.3 percent) from the stripe, putting them at at least 80 percent or higher for the second game in a row.

In the decisive second half, SRSU (3-17 overall, 2-13 LSC) shot just 10-for-27 (37.04 percent) from the field and 1-for-5 (20 percent) from three after making six of its 17 3-pointers in the first half.

After dropping 20 points on Thursday, Alex Matthews led the way on Saturday with 27 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, 3-for-4 shooting from three and an 8-for-10 mark from the free throw line. He also added eight rebounds and was one of three Falcons with at least six boards.

Maison Adeleye scored 13 points and added six rebounds, DJ Armstrong and Dario Domingos both added 12 points, and Freddie Word approached triple-double territory with eight points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Under nine minutes into the game, UTPB led it by 13 points (20-7) after holding the Lobos to a 3-for-12 start from the field with six turnovers.

UTPB would lead by as many as 16 points in the first half, but SRSU got back into it with a stretch of three 3-pointers in the span of just one minute and 10 seconds to pull to within single digits (32-23) with under four minutes left in the opening period.

The lead for UTPB in the second half stayed within 11 points until a 3-pointer by Armstrong made it 55-42 with 14:14 left, and then a 3-pointer by Matthews two minutes later made it a 14-point margin (58-44).

Matthews got it back to 14 (62-48) again after a dunk with 10:34 to go, but then it was only an eight-point game (62-54) before another 3-pointer by Armstrong made it 65-54 with eight minutes remaining.

An and-one by Matthews made it a 15-point game (69-54), and then a steal and fastbreak dunk by Armstrong made it 71-54 with six and a half minutes to go.

"I thought we played better this week" said Head Men's Basketball Coach Kyle Tolin. "Our guys played harder and got better this week. Next week will be a big week for us."

UTPB will now begin an important four-game road swing with a matchup at West Texas A&M University on Thursday, February 6. In their first meeting this season at UTPB (Feb. 21), the Falcons earned a 78-71 victory behind 24 points from Adeleye; a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double by Matthews; a 16-rebound effort by Word; and a school record seven blocks by Chuks Ejiofor.