With a 73-71 win over UT Tyler in Tyler on Wednesday, the Southwestern men's basketball team pushed their win streak to four and improved to 5-4 on the year.

It was a tight first half as the lead bounced back and forth until UT Tyler snagged control at the nine minute mark and never lost the lead, taking a five point advantage, 38-33, into the locker room.

Six minutes into the second frame Southwestern gained control of the game as Travis Kurtz's three and subsequent layup handed the lead back to the Pirates, 48-47.

With eight and a half remaining the Patriots took the lead back which sparked a seesaw battle in the final eight minutes of the contest. After 15 lead changes and four ties in the final eight minutes, Southwestern took the lead for the final time with 1:42 to play as Adrian Johnson drained a pair of free throws to put SU up 72-71. The Pirates forced three turnovers in the final five UTT possessions to hang on to the win and Brandyn Hawk sealed it with a free throw with four seconds remaining.

Blake Scott led the Pirates with 24 points in 33 minutes of action, shooting 9-16 from the floor, 1-2 from three point range and 5-8 form the free throw line. Adrian Johnson added in 12 points and Zach Whitlock 10. Travis Kurtz led SU on the glass with 9 rebounds as the Pirates out-rebounded UTT 39-34.

Southwestern improves to 5-4 on the year while UT Tyler falls to 1-9 overall. SU returns home to open SCAC Conference action on Saturday, facing Texas Lutheran University at 4 p.m.