Tuesday, November 21, 2017

TYLER – The UT Tyler men’s basketball team will travel to play Austin College at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at the Hughey Gymnasium in Sherman in its only Thanksgiving-week game before hosting Texas Lutheran next Tuesday in its home opener.

The Patriots (2-0) are off to an unblemished start to the season after going on the road last week for a 78-76 win at Texas Lutheran and then an 86-68 victory at Southwestern. UTT has a 76-55 scoring advantage in the first half in those games and are 2-0 for the first time since the 2012-13 season when they set the program record by going 4-0. The third game of a three-game road trip against Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents concludes against the Roos (1-2) who have opened their year with losses to LeTourneau and Millsaps and a win over Hendrix. UT Tyler owns a 5-4 advantage over Austin College in the all-time series, but the Roos took a 70-65 win over the Patriots on Nov. 23, 2016 in the last matchup.

Emeka Obukwelu led the Patriots in their first two games by going off for 28 points and 13 rebounds in the win at TLU and then having 26 points and 16 rebounds at SU. A sophomore from Plano, Obukwelu was named the American Southwest Conference East Division Player of the Week for the first time in his career after the performances. As a freshman, Obukwelu averaged 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Patriots. During the first week of his second season, he shot 24-for-32 from the field (75 percent) and also had two blocked shots. Melvin Anthony is coming off a 14-point, eight-rebound performance at SU and is averaging 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game to start his senior season. A three-year player for the Patriots, Anthony averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a junior. He led the Patriots with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Austin College in last year’s matchup in Tyler where he went 5-for-8 from the field and 4 of 4 at the free-throw line. He is shooting 50 percent from the field this season and is also 4-for-8 on 3-pointers.

Skyler Hadden and Josh Tatum are off to strong starts to their senior season with both players averaging in double-figures in scoring and other areas of success. A guard from Keller, Tatum leads the Patriots with 13 assists and is also averaging 7.0 rebounds per game. Hadden is at 5.5 rebounds per game and leads the team with five steals to begin his second season with the program. Chase Mason is at 9.5 points per game with three 3-pointers, while Cameron Frank and Davis Moore are averaging 5.0 points per game. Frank and Moore have both hit three 3-pointers for the Patriots who are 18-for-46 (39.1 percent) as a team from beyond the arc through 80 minutes of play.

UT Tyler will return to action next week with a 7 p.m. rematch against TLU at the Herrington Patriot Center. The Patriots were 10-3 at home last season.

AWARD: @EmekaO_27 named ASC East Division Player of the Week after averaging 27 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in @uttylermbb season-opening wins at Texas Lutheran and Southwestern. Obukwelu and the Patriots return to action at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at Austin College. pic.twitter.com/lNEBItZbCg

— UT Tyler Patriots (@uttylerpatriots) November 20, 2017