Beeville, Texas — January 3, 2026 — The Coastal Bend Cougars earned a strong victory on Saturday, defeating the Tyler Junior College Apaches 75-72 on a last second buzzer beater from Sophomore Samuel Galan. The contest was a back and forth battle of physical basketball that had the visiting Apaches leading 38-40 at the half. Several lead changes and ties throughout the second half kept the fans on edge. Tyler would expand their lead to 8 late in the game but the Cougars would surge back behind a great defensive effort to take their first victory in 2026, 75-72.

Patteway's 24 points lead the way 

Freshman wing, Taj Petteway, delivered an outstanding performance, scoring a game high 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting, while adding 8 rebounds and 3 steals. 

Galan Dominates the Paint

Sophomore post Samuel Galan provided a physicality inside, posting 14 points and 9 rebounds while blocking 2 shots. Galan capped his solid night with a highly contested 3 pointer at the buzzer. 

Smith Controlled the game with 7 assists

Nathaniel Smith played with pace the entire evening to the tune of 7 assists to go along with his 13 points. The Sophomore D2 transfer guard matched the physical play of Tyler with his own to help the Cougars set the 2026 year on fire. 

The Cougars interior presence helped sett the tone as they outsocred the bigger Tyler team 56-34 while edging the Apaches on the glass 37-36. 

Next Up:

Coastal Bend College will return to action on Wednesday, January 7th, to play against #2 Trinity Valley.