(January 2, 2009) - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men’s basketball team could not overcome U.T.-Tyler’s hot shooting and the Cru dropped a 78-68 decision to the Patriots Friday night in Belton. The loss drops the UMHB men to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in American Southwest Conference play on the season. U.T.-Tyler improves to 5-6 overall and 5-1 in the ASC with the victory.

UMHB opened the game with a 7-2 stretch, but the Patriots scored the game’s next nine points to take an 11-7 lead. The lead would grow to 13 points before UTT took a 41-29 lead at halftime. The Patriots would stretch the lead to 17 points at 58-41 with 12:04 remaining before UMHB started to chip away. The Cru would cut the lead to nine points on a pair of occasions late in the game, but UTT had an answer each time. UMHB would get it back to 69-59 with 2:26 left to play, but that’s as close as the Cru would get as the Patriots iced the game from the free-throw line.

Tilmon Gaddy led UMHB with 15 points and nine rebounds. David Ray added 11 points off the bench and Jason Wagner scored 10 for the Cru. Anthony Reese had a game-high 20 points to lead U.T.-Tyler. Reese also grabbed a team-best nine rebounds. Michael Johnson came off the bench to added 16 points, Hakeem Kareem had 14 points and Marlon Hill scored 13.

The Patriots shot 55 per cent in the first half and finished the game at 51 per cent from the floor. UMHB hit 52 per cent in the second half, but just 45 per cent for the game. The Cru also turned the ball over 20 times.

The Cru will now hit the road for three key ASC games next week. UMHB will open ASC West Division play with a 7:30 PM tip-off at Concordia Texas Monday in Austin. The Cru men will then face Mississippi College and Louisiana College next weekend.