MEDIA COVERAGE
Live Video/Audio: St. Edward's Network
Live Stats: SEU Livestats

OPENING TIP – The Dallas Baptist Men's Basketball Team begins a season-long, four-game road trip that occurs over the next two weeks. Tipping-off the quartet of match-ups is a Thursday night contest at St. Edward's University starting at 7 PM. The Patriots (6-10, 3-6) are searching for their first victory away from the Burg Center, but have won two of the last three games.

LAST TIME ON THE HARDWOOD –  DBU, winners of back-to-back contests including a Thursday upset over at the time second place St. Mary's, were unable to slow down the top team in the Heartland Conference, Texas A&M International. The Patriots endured two small runs in the first half and only trailed 41-34 at halftime.
 
TAMIU rattled off a 16-0 scoring streak out of intermission which helped lift the visiting squad to a 90-71 win.
 
Redshirt sophomore, Jonathan Perry, finished with a game-high 24 points with 18 coming in the second half. Senior, Remy Ndiaye, had another strong showing at home tossing in 17 in the defeat. The forward has now posted double figure scoring games in the past four and has nine on the campaign, all coming in the friendly confines.
 
Myles Johnson concluded the trio of double-digit numbers for the Patriots. The redshirt freshman contributed 11, and has now eclipsed that margin in the past five games for a season-high. It is also the sixth match-up in the past seven the native of Arlington, Texas has surpassed the mark.
 
KEY PLAYERS – Johnson is perhaps the hottest player for the Dallas Baptist Patriot's Basketball Team right now. He sits second on the roster averaging 12.1 points per game (ppg) on the year, but scored at a 14.8 clip on the past home stand.
 
During the five-game stretch at the Burg Center, the forward matched a career-high 21 points. He previously notched this a couple weeks ago on the road at Rogers State University and is only the second time the forward has passed the 20-point mark. In his rookie season, Johnson has managed to notch double figures in 10 contests total.
 
Perry remains the leading scorer on the squad with 294 points and sits fourth in the Heartland Conference for total points. The Kerrville, Texas, native enters his consecutive week first in the league with 18.4 points averaged per game.
 
With another team-high on Saturday, the forward claimed his 14^th double-digit scoring performance in 16 games on the campaign, and has now matched a season-long six games in a row for the second time. The forward continues to impress as he has boasted 20 or more points in five contests, including his record-breaking 47 points versus Southeastern Oklahoma State.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS – St. Edward's (7-10, 3-6) fell short in a close contest against one of the top two teams in the league, Arkansas-Fort Smith, 77-72 on Saturday. A tough slide continues for SEU, as the loss sent the team to its sixth-straight against a conference opponent.
 
In the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Hilltoppers were in control 56-46 with 10:01 remaining. However, UA Fort Smith's Jake Toupal scored 11 points over the next five minutes to give the lead back to the Lions. SEU kept the deficit manageable, but could not overcome it as the Lions went 7-of-10 from the free throw line, including the last pair by Toupal to ice the game.
 
James Stukes paced the Hilltopper's offense with 22 points. The forward is fourth in the Heartland averaging 17.1 ppg and has totaled 291 for a fifth place ranking overall. Harley Nussman is the other individual boasting a scoring average in double figures at 11.2. He also holds a team-high 145 rebounds and is pulling 8.5 boards off the glass per contest.
 
As a team, SEU is averaging 81.5 points a game while allowing opponents to score at a 78.8 clip. The squad is shooting 46-percent and holds a 6-3 record while playing in its home venue on the campaign.
 
SERIES HISTORY – Since the two programs met on the hardwood the first time in 2006, the Patriots have played SEU 16 times and have gone 6-10 against the opposing team. DBU dropped both games last season, with the most recent being a 65-63 final at the Burg Center.
 
In Austin, Texas, the Patriots fell 75-68 after leading at one point in the game by as many as nine points. Of the returners, Perry led with 11 points in the setback and sophomore, Charles Allen, pulled down 10 rebounds for a team-high. Sophomore, Jason Gentry, dished out five assists.

HEARTLAND NUMBERS – Each team enters this week with a 3-6 record in the Heartland standings and will be seeking to make a run for the final playoff spot. Thursday's contest could have a big impact with nine games remaining and both squads' three games behind.
 
In the preseason polls, St. Edward's was predicted to finish just behind the Patriots in the sixth slot, while DBU was selected fifth.
 
Dallas Baptist does rely on its long-range shooting for its offense and the Patriots have been sharp at times pouring in 8.3 a game for second in the league just behind Oklahoma Panhandle State. DBU has tallied 132 altogether and sits fourth in the Heartland just a pair behind two programs that have recorded 134 apiece for third.
 
The Patriots have won two of their last three after dropping six in a row to Heartland foes. The Men's Basketball Team continues to rank in the top three in turnover margin with a positive 2.25 margin. SEU is right behind them in fourth place.
 
St. Edward's is third in steals per game with 7.5 swipes and has totaled 128 for the fourth most in the league. The Hilltoppers are first in the Heartland Conference in blocked shots compiling 62 and claiming a 3.6 average.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE – Dallas Baptist continues its road trip on Feb. 1 at McMurry for a 2 PM start time. Following this weekend, the road slate resumes on Feb. 6 and Feb. 8 versus Lubbock Christian and Texas-Permian Basin, respectively. Both tip-offs will count as rematches since the Patriots matched-up against both squads previously at the Burg Center last month.