Men's Basketball
Box Score
The Patriots hosted the Rattlers from St. Mary's University on Thursday night for a Heartland Conference match-up. The Patriots were able to come from behind and finish off the Rattlers for their seventh conference win and fifth consecutive win, 68-59. The win moves the Patriots record to 17-5 for the season and 7-4 in Heartland Conference play.
The first half started good for the Patriots as they led the Rattlers for the majority of the half. They extended their lead to as many as six before Darren Lee for the Rattlers drained three consecutive three-point shots to tie the game at 20. Lee finished the night with 17 points, two rebounds, and one steal. Then Curtis Mitchell for STMU connected from behind the arc to move the Rattlers in front of the Patriots with six minutes left in the half. The Rattlers were able to slow down play and hold off the Patriots to finish out the first half leading 35-31.
The Rattlers forced the Patriots on their heels early as they jumped to a nine point lead early in the second half, 35-44. The Patriots struggled to mount any kind of offensive attack as the Rattler big men were holding down the middle and contesting every DBU shot. Nick Morey for STMU posted a double-double in the loss scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. He also was able to give one assist and block three Patriot shots. Center Luiz Moreira also contributed on the glass for the Rattlers as he had eight boards.
The Rattlers moved their lead to 11 midway through the second half and seemed to half the Patriots up against the wall. The Patriots responded to the Rattler call with hustle and team play as they surged forward to go on a 22-2 run to finish out the game and defeat the Rattlers by nine, 68-59. The Patriot defense held the Rattlers to a mere two points in the last nine minutes of the game.
Juniors Trent Brownlee and Dean Pele seemed to be the difference makers late in the game Thursday night as they contributed big off the bench for the Patriots. Brownlee ended the night with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Pele scored 12 points and led the Patriots on the glass as he brought down eight boards. He also had four steals and one block in the win.
The Patriots had four total players score in double figures in the win. Sophomore Braxton Adamson had 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Adamson shot 50 percent on the night going 6-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Senior Shelby Lewis rounded the list out as he posted an even 10 points while grabbing one rebound to go along with his four assists on the night.
“What an exciting game. This was a huge victory for us against a great team. Our team battled and stepped up to the challenge tonight, particularly on the boards. It was one of our best performances of the year in terms of rebounding. St. Mary's is statistically the best defensive team in our conference, and we are listed as the best offensive team, so it was a 'strength on strength,' match-up, and our defense really stepped up to the challenge. We had one big spurt where our offense got going and we were able to get over the hump. From that point on our confidence just kept rising, and our guys never looked back. I am so proud of our guys. This team has shown a lot of toughness and passion throughout the year. The team plays so unselfishly. Even when we were behind, we hung in there and just kept executing our game plan. It was truly a team effort,” Head Coach Blake Flickner said.
With the win, the Patriots improve their season record to 17-5 and move into third place in the Heartland Conference with a 7-4 record. The win marks the Patriots fifth consecutive win, and continues their home winning streak to four games. The loss moves the Rattlers to 5-4 in the Heartland conference and evens up their season record at 10-10.
The Patriots are back in action as they travel to Odessa, Texas to take on the UT-Permian Basin Falcons for a Heartland Conference match-up. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
