Patriots Run Past Schreiner
November 27, 2006
Stats -- Broadcast

The University of Texas at Tyler had four players in double-figures Monday night as they grabbed their first win of the season, beating Schreiner 86-75.

The Patriots raced out to an 18-8 lead and never trailed, thanks to their 18-for-27 (66%) shooting in the first half. Anthony Reese (SO/Longview, TX) led the charge with 15 points in ten minutes.

The Patriots also got back on track at the free throw line, shooting 11-for-17 (64%). Coach Matt Wallis said it was good for his guys to have everything come together.

“You can’t imagine what a struggle it’s been this past week, I’m just really proud of the guys for fighting back tonight against a salty opponent.”

The Patriots were strong in the paint, with 14 points for Kevin Byrne (SR/Clinton, MS)  and five rebounds, while Anthony Hightower (JR/Houston, TX) had seven of each.

The scoring drought ended for Brandon Weasby (SR/Houston, TX), who got back on track with 11 points, including 3 three-pointers.

Schreiner was led by Kevin Deans, who posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Mountaineers gave the Patriots several different looks on both sides of the ball, and Wallis was proud of his team for sticking to the game plan.

“They doubled the ball a lot, and they were sporadic in the things they would do. It was hit or miss, we weren’t sure exactly of what they were going to do because they gave us so many looks. I thought our guys did a good job of just executing our game plan and not worrying about Schreiner.”

The Patriots bench was another strong area, with the UT Tyler subs chipping in 20 points in the first half against none for the Schreiner bench.

“That’s what we’ve been looking for so far this season, the depth that I believe we have. I was really happy with the guys stepping up and hitting shots. It’s just one of those deals where we got into a funk in the first two games, but we stepped up tonight and hit the shots.”

The Patriots start a winning streak with the victory just in time for their first road trip of the season, and Wallis said the win gives them a big boost.

“It’s unbelievable how much weight this takes off our shoulders. If you go on the road 0-and-3, it’s hard to win in this conference. I was just pleased with the guys to get this one, and that takes a little bit of the pressure off of us.”

The Patriots next game will be on the road at Mary Hardin-Baylor Thursday night at 7:30. That game will be broadcast live on the UT Tyler Sports Network.

Reid Kerr can be reached at rkerr@uttyler.edu.

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