TYLER, Texas -- Sophomore Jalin Brown provided the energy to propel Midwestern State's 7-0 run to close the first half and to a 59-44 win Thursday night at Louise Herrington Patriot Center.
 
The win is the second in three games for the Mustangs, who improved to 2-9 on the season and 2-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
 
"(The dunk) really changed our momentum," Brown said. "I feel like we were locked in in practice this week and we able to continue that tonight."
 
Brown's first dunk of the game was sandwiched by a jumper by D'monta Harris and a 3-pointer by Elijah Lee to give the Mustangs a 22-15 halftime edge.
 
UT Tyler's first-half scoring was the lowest output by a Midwestern State opponent this season, while the 44 total points were the fewest since the Mustangs beat Texas A&M-Kingsville, 66-44, on Feb. 1, 2018.
 
Brown finished off his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He connected on 7-of-10 shots. His second dunk was the frosting on the cake in the closing moments.
 
"JB was wonderful on both ends of the floor," MSU coach Justin Leslie said. "He did a fantastic job all the way around. He's been establishing himself in practice with speaking out and leading. I was proud that he was able to translate that into a game."
 
The Mustangs struggled from the field in the first half shooting 37 percent from the field and 1-of-11 from the arc, but fared much better after the break firing in 48 percent from the field.
 
"We were getting the looks that we wanted," Leslie said. "We just had to stay the course tonight. You can't let that whether the ball goes in the basket or not determine if it was the right shot. We were just missing them in the first half."
 
Freshman guard Evan McCarthy proved clutch down the stretch scoring each of his 13 points in the second half.
 
"We are constantly talking to our guards about the concept of risk and reward," Leslie said. "Give Evan credit, he's not afraid to go out and attack."
 
Ty Glover splashed in 20 points to pace UT Tyler, who fell to 4-7 and 1-5 in league play.
 
Midwestern State takes on Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday afternoon at A&M-C Field House. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.