A quick 9-0 spurt midway through the first half was just enough to lead host University of Texas-Tyler to a 75-61 win over the LeTourneau University men's basketball team on Tuesday night at the Herrington Patriot Center.

The YellowJackets (2-5, 1-3 ASC) built an early lead on the strength of 3 pointers by sophomore Ladaria Brown and junior Aaron Frizell (pictured) as they built a 10-6 lead on the host Patriots. Both Brown and Frizell finished in double figures in the loss, scoring 14 and 19 points, respectively. The two was joined in double figures by senior Justin Jones, who had 10 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double double of the young season.
 
The Patriots (4-3, 3-2 ASC) exhibited balanced scoring with an inside-outside game. Senior Joe Stephens led UTT with 17 points on the strength of four 3 pointers. He was joined in double figures by three others – DeMarcus Metcalf came off the bench to add 14; plus, Tre Potter with 11 and Travis Dykman with 10.
 
When LeTourneau junior Zach Driver made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 24 with 2:07 to play in the first 20 minutes, the Patriots scored six unanswered points to close out the half for a 30-24 lead.
 
The Patriots scored six of the first eight points in the second half to build a double-digit lead but LeTourneau could only cut the deficit to as little as six on a pair of occasions in the second half. To spark the YellowJackets, Brown scored 14 of his 19 points in the final 20 minutes.
 
Next, LeTourneau will close out the 2013 portion of its schedule when they travel to Clarksville, Arkansas on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. to face Ozarks.