AUSTIN, Texas (February 14, 2026) – Senior Sharrod Taylor continued his strong offensive scoring pace with 28 points while both he and the rest of the team shot 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three, but it was not enough as The University of Texas Permian Basin men's basketball team fell 100-95 at No. 15 St. Edward's University on Saturday.

It was a good start for UTPB (9-15 overall, 5-11 Lone Star Conference), which doubled up SEU (23-4, 12-4) 16-8 early on after a 3-pointer by Taylor four and a half minutes in. One minute later, another three by Taylor made it 21-8, giving Taylor 10 points during what was a 12-0 Falcons' run.

A layup by Tash Lunday made it a 27-14 Falcons' lead as UTPB found itself shooting over 70 percent (12-17; 70.6 percent) from the floor over eight minutes into the game.

UTPB remained on fire as TJ McKenzie hit his second 3-pointer in just over two minutes, making it 39-22 before scoring on a layup on the next possession to make it a 19-point lead (41-22) with seven and a half minutes remaining in the first half. Three Falcons (Taylor, McKenzie, Lunday) were already in double figures at that point as UTPB was shooting 63.0 percent (17-27) as a team, including 5-of-11 from three, to start the game.

Unfortunately, that is where things began to fall apart as the Hilltoppers scored the next nine points and ended the half on a 25-8 run over the final 7:24.

That closed the gap for the Hilltoppers all the way down to just two points (49-47) at the break. UTPB shot 55.56 percent (20-36) from the field in the first half, but SEU made eight of its 14 3-point attempts (57.14) to claw right back into the game.

That set up a very competitive first 10 minutes of the second half before SEU pulled away in the final 10 minutes.

UTPB made just three of its first 12 shots (25.0 percent) and was 1-for-6 (16.7 percent) from three to open up the first five and a half minutes of the second half.

Despite the slow start, a corner three by Bryceson Burns on a nice spin and pass outside by Rashad Kee made it just a one-point deficit (66-65) with 12 minutes remaining.

A pair of free throws by Taylor tied it at 67-67 with 11:02 left, and then two free throws by Kee tied it at 69-69 with 10:24 left before UTPB fell behind by five (74-69).

In the end, SEU's tough shot-making ability was just too strong in the second half as back-to-back 3-pointers by Jamison Kay highlighted a 13-3 run for the Hilltoppers to take a 13-point lead (89-76) with 5:49 still to go.

In all, SEU made seven of its first 13 3-point attempts (53.8 percent) in the second half, and was still shooting 69.2 percent (18-26) from the field after a layup by Robert Conrad made it 94-83 with 3:22 left to play.

UTPB trimmed its deficit down to a six-point game (96-90) after back-to-back scores by Kee in the final two minutes, and then a three by Taylor in the final 40 seconds made it a five-point margin (98-93) as the Falcons were forced to send the Hilltoppers to the free throw line for the rest of regulation. SEU missed the front end of two one-and-one's in the final 37 seconds, but UTPB was unable to take advantage even after a final layup by Taylor with six seconds left.

Taylor scored his 28 points on 50 percent (9-18) shooting from the field and 40 percent (4-10) shooting from three. It was his sixth 20-point game of the season and was his third such effort in the last six games.

Burns and McKenzie both totaled 18 points while Lunday added 13 and Kee had 12. McKenize was 3-for-6 from three and also notched a team-high five assists. Burns and Kyle McElroy tied for the team-lead with seven rebounds.

UTPB finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field and 40.7 percent (11-27) from three, but could not stop SEU from shooting 66.67 percent (20-30) from the field in the second half or 55.9 percent from the game. The Hilltoppers also sank 15 3-pointers and limited themselves to six turnovers.

The Falcons tied for their second-most made field goals (35) and third-highest field goal percentage (50 percent) in a game this season, but their 38 field goals allowed were also their second most this season while their 15 3-pointers allowed tied a season-high. In addition, the UTPB defense has allowed its opponent to shoot over 55 percent from the field in four of its last five games.

UTPB Head Men's Basketball Coach Kyle Tolin said, "We played better today. I thought the guys competed better and did several positive things. You have to give St. Edward's credit. They made some big shots down the stretch of the game. They are well-coached and have a very good basketball team."

A tough final two weeks of the schedule for the Falcons will start with a home game vs. Midwestern State University at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 19.