Mustangs Pull Away from UT Tyler, 76-61
November 20, 2004
By Clint Buckley
Tyler Morning Telegraph

David didn't beat Goliath, but he sure gave him a run for his money.

The UT Tyler Patriots, a second-year Division III program, stood toe to toe against SMU of the Western Athletic Conference and suffered an admirable 76-61 loss Friday night at Moody Coliseum in both teams' season opener.

"I thought they did a good job," said UT Tyler head coach Matt Wallis. "Any time you're going up against 15 scholarship athletes...you hate to talk about moral victories, but this was a very good job against a Division I program."

The Patriots (0-1) were as close as 46-39 with 15:51 remaining in the game, but an ensuing 13-4 run by the Mustangs offered up some breathing room and paved way for the victory.

SMU point guard Bryan Hopkins led a foursome that notched double figures in points. Hopkins, a preseason all-WAC performer, scored 21 points and dished out seven assists. Devon Pearson added 17 points and five blocks, while Patrick Simpson and Justin Isham combined for 21 points.

Forward Barry Roberts, a true freshman, led the Patriots with 15 points along with six rebounds. Michael Galloway chipped in with 12 points.

UT Tyler's Brandon Weasby, the American Southwest Conference's Freshman of the Year, was held in check by a pressure SMU defense. Weasby managed just two points on just 1 of 6 shooting.

The 5-9 sophomore averaged over 17 points per game as a freshman.

"They did a good job pressuring him, they knew he was the leading scorer," Wallis said. "But he missed some shots when they did give him opportunities."

Roberts gave the Patriots their last lead of the game, 18-16 with 10:53 to go in the first half, before the Mustangs built a 38-24 advantage with 3:36 remaining until halftime.

UT Tyler closed the deficit to 40-34 at the break with Roberts' half-court shot as time expired.

SMU held a substantial edge in field goal percentage, shooting nearly 54 percent to the Patriots' 35. The rebounding tally was surprising even, with the Mustangs holding a slim 40-36 advantage.

The Patriots also held a plus-two in turnovers, 24-22. The UT Tyler defense forced seven turnovers from Hopkins.

While the Patriots did not crack the win column, Wallis still feels like his team did the program proud.

"Our guys really scrambled and hustled for loose balls," Wallis said. "I thought it was a solid performance. Had we done a few things better, we could have possibly won it."

SMU 76, UT Tyler 61
At Moody Coliseum

UT TYLER (0-1)

Michael Galloway 4-13 2-2 12, Eric Simmons 1-2 0-1 3, Joe Henderson 2-8 1-1 5, Patrick Branche 4-11 0-0 8, Brandon Hobbs 0-2 0-0, 0, Brandon Weasby 1-6 0-0 2, Jared Lappa 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Salters 1-4 0-0 2, Chase Floyd 3-4 0-2 6, Jamal Vanderbilt 0-3 0-0 0, George Gordon 0-1 0-0 0, Curtis Clark 3-4 1-2 8, Barry Roberts 6-13 1-1 15. Totals 25-71 5-9.

SMU (1-0)

Patrick Simpson 5-8 1-2 11, Devon Pearson 7-11 2-3 17, Justin Isham 4-8 2-2 10, Bryan Hopkins 7-16 5-8 21, Eric Castro 4-5 1-3, 9, Ike Ofoegbu 0-0 4-4 4, Jon Killen 0-0 0-0 0, Derrick Roberts 0-3 0-0 0, Paulius Ritter 0-0 0-0 0, Christopher Reay 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 29-54 15-22.

Halftime-SMU 40-34. 3-Point goals-UT Tyler 6-17 (Galloway 2-4, Simmons 1-1, Henderson 0-1, Branche 0-2, Weasby 0-3, Gordon 0-1, Clark 1-1, Roberts 2-4), SMU 3-12 (Pearson 1-2, Isham 1-2, Hopkins 2-7, Roberts 0-1. Fouled out-Galloway. Rebounds-UT Tyler 36 (Branche 8), SMU 40 (Castro 9). Assists-UT Tyler 11 (Salters 5), SMU 19 (Hopkins 7). Total fouls-UT Tyler 26, SMU 20. Technicals-None. A-2,737.

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