Silver City, N.M. – Tuesday night at the Louise Herrington Patriot Center, the Western New Mexico University's men's basketball team lost a nail-bitter 58-54 against UT Tyler.

"I thought we played well enough to win tonight. The little things like missed free throws and rebounding the ball was the difference" said Head Coach Zane Gibson.

Missed free throws and getting outrebounded hurt the Mustangs towards the end of the second half allowing the Patriots to stay in the game and have more offensive opportunities.

The Mustangs dominated the paint scoring 44 compared to UT Tyler's 26pts. They also outshot the Patriots 46% to UT Tyler's 39%.

The first half started out as a defensive game, but as the first half went on, both teams got the offense rolling. With around 7 minutes left in the first half, the Mustangs went on an 8-0 run after Olamide Pedersen (Bronshoj, Denmark /Sunrise Christian Academy) had two blocks in back-to-back possessions and topped it off with a dunk. Amarion Cash (Phoenix, AZ/Mountain Pointe HS) then had the hot hand, draining back-to-back three-pointers and eventually tied the game.

Going into the half, the Mustangs were down six points, 32-26. Cash's 7pts led all Mustang scores in the first half.

To start the second half the Mustangs grabbed their first lead with around 11 minutes left in the game. Due to turnovers, fouls, and missed shots, both teams scored 6 points combined in the first 9 minutes of the second half.

Once the Mustangs grabbed the lead, they led for 5:27 before the Patriots capitalized the Mustangs missed free throws and regained the lead. The Mustangs were 4-13 on the night killing momentum to extend their 4-point lead with 5:37 left in the game.

Tony Avalos (Las Cruces, NM/Onate HS) continued his hot streak putting up 17pts, 11 of which were in the second half. Pedersen was credited for three blocks and helped push momentum with his three dunks. Jordyn Arnette (San Antonio, TX. /San Antonio Cole HS ) led the Mustangs with eight rebounds, the only Mustang with more than five.

UT Tyler played a great defensive game and outrebounded WNMU 38-30. Da'shon Wyche was off to a hot start, cashing in 15pts in the first half. He would go on to score only 2pts in the second half. Rooche Grootfaam and Darius Alford both had 10pts each, as Wyche, Grootfaam, and Alford accounted for 65% of the Patriots' offense.

"I am proud of how we competed tonight. The Mustangs are headed in the right direction," said Gibson.

The Mustangs tip-off tomorrow night against the Patriots for round 2 at 4:00pm MT/5:00pm CT.
 

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 Western New Mexico University is a member of the NCAA Division II, and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For additional information regarding Mustang Athletics, visit www.wnmumustangs.com; visit wnmu.edu for more information about Western New Mexico University. Follow the Mustangs on social media: @WNMUathletics (Twitter & Instagram).