The Howard Payne men’s basketball team dropped their season opener to the University of Texas at Dallas 60-73 Friday at the Fred Jacoby I-20 Classic hosted by the University of Texas at Tyler.

Howard Payne found themselves down early and were not able to recover. 25% first half shooting by the Jackets led to a 16-38 halftime deficit. With 51% shooting in the second, Howard Payne outscored UT-Dallas 44-35 to bring the final score to 60-73.

The Jackets were led by freshman Kanyon Payne with 14 points, he was 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. Zane Smith and Keith Perry followed with 12 and 11 points respectively.

UT-Dallas was led by Brandon Greene with 17 points. Scott Rodgers added 14 points and nine rebounds.

On Saturday, the Howard Payne men’s basketball team’s late rally falls short and the Yellow Jackets lose to the University of Texas at Tyler 58-65 on day two of the Fred Jacoby I-20 Classic.

Both teams held the lead in the first half but UT-Tyler was able to secure a 31-26 lead at the break. The Jackets shot just 29 % from the field and were out rebounded by 10 in the first half.

UT-Tyler extended their lead to 12 early in the second half, but Howard Payne battled back. The Jackets tied the game at 39-39 with a 13-1 run, The run was capped by a three-pointer by Brandon Irwin with 11:03 to play.

UT-Tyler pulled away again and gained an eight point advantage. The Jackets cut it to a three point ball game, 56-59 with 1:21 remaining on a Keith Perry jumper. 

UT-Tyler hit a key three-point bucket and went on the secure the game 58-65.

Howard Payne was led by Quentin Calloway with 11 points and seven rebounds. Henry Valladares had 10 points and Kanyon Payne had a team high eight rebounds.

UT-Tyler was led by Michael Johnson and Dexter McMarion with 17 and 16 points respectively.

Howard Payne falls to 0-2 on the year while UT-Tyler improves to 3-0 overall. The Yellow Jackets will play next Saturday against LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas at 3:00 pm.