TYLER, Texas – Texas-Tyler rallied from a six-point second-half deficit, and the Patriots knocked off the Concordia University Texas men's basketball team, 80-73, in American Southwest Conference (ASC) action on Thursday night at the Louise Herrington Patriot Center.
The Tornados (16-6, 13-6 ASC) took a 53-47 advantage behind a jumper from
Andre Potts with 12:55 remaining. Three minutes later, Texas-Tyler tied up the contest on Jordan Cannon's layup.
Concordia Texas took a one-possession lead three more times over the following two minutes, but the Patriots answered each time.
Nathan Harbour hit a pair of free throws at the 6:16 mark which gave Texas-Tyler a 63-61, one lead it would not relinquish.
The Tornados cut the lead to 72-71 after
Dwayne Patterson knocked down a shot from the charity stripe with 1:01 to play. However, the Patriots scored four consecutive points on free throws to increase their lead to five.
Brett DeMetrotion hit a jumper with six seconds left to trim the lead to 76-73, but CTX was forced to foul, and Texas-Tyler hit four more free throws to clinch the victory.
Potts led all scorers with 26 points, while
Clay Marley chipped in with 14 off the bench.
Bryce Kemp scored a team-high 22 for the Patriots, who scored 24 points off Concordia's 16 turnovers.
The Tornados will close out their road swing on Saturday, when they make a stop at Ozarks. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
