The Dallas Baptist Patriot Basketball Team fell to Abilene Christian on Monday night in their last nonconference matchup of the season. With the 71-85 loss to the Wildcats, the Patriots drop to 8-4 on the year, and will now prepare for Heartland Conference play set to begin on January 10.

Junior Jordan McGowen and Senior Braxton Adamson led the way for the Patriots, scoring 16 and 14 points respectively.

The Patriots led the Wildcats the entire first half, and held as much as a nine point lead with only five minutes left before the break. However, Abilene Christian closed out the half with two consecutive buckets to trim their deficit to three, 34-37, just before halftime.

A three-pointer by Senior Jared Whitmire right after the break pushed the Patriot lead back to six, but the Wildcats responded with their first big run of the game. Thanks to a stifling defense that held DBU scoreless over the next three minutes, the Wildcats scored 11 unanswered to take a 45-40 lead at the 16:45 mark.

Playing in front of their home crowd, and trying to redeem an 86-90 loss suffered to the Patriots back in November, Abilene Christian continued to extend their lead for the duration of the game. The Wildcats connected on 61 percent of their shots from the field in the second half, and pushed their lead to as much as 19 late in the contest. A three-pointer by Adamson was too little, too late for the Patriots as they fell 71-85.

Dallas Baptist will open up their Heartland Conference schedule at home on January 10, as they welcome St. Mary's to the Burg Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.