Box Score

The Dallas Men's Basketball Team missed the chance at a 2-0 start to their season-long four game trip by dropping a 75-73 contest at McMurry on Saturday. In a tale of two halves, Dallas Baptist (7-11, 4-7) led by as many as 23 points in the first half and carried a commanding, 48-27 advantage into the locker room. McMurry (10-10, 5-6) would respond with a huge second half, outscoring the Patriots, 48-25, over the final 20 minutes.

Despite the War Hawks run in the second half, DBU maintained a double-digit lead with just under nine minutes to play in the game. McMurry would cut the Patriot edge to single-digits when Kourtney Goff delivered a layup with 8:12 remaining. DBU's lead would slip to two, when Brandon Golden connected on a three pointer at the 5:12 mark. One minute later, McMurry grabbed their first lead of the afternoon, when Alfred Perez hit a free throw, putting the War Hawks up 68-67.

The Patriots eventually found themselves down three, 74-71, with 22 seconds left in the game, when senior, Remy Ndiaye, pulled down a rebound on the defensive end. DBU redshirt sophomore, Jonathan Perry, brought the Patriots to within one, connecting on two of his game-high 22 points, with 10 seconds remaining.

After a McMurry turnover, the Patriots had the basketball with eight seconds left, but turned the ball back over on an inbounds play. Following a made free throw by the War Hawks', Alex Lewis, DBU still had a chance to tie. Those hopes were dashed when Perry missed a shot in the lane at the buzzer.

"This was definitely a tale of two halves and we were on the wrong end," Patriots' Head Basketball Coach, Blake Flickner said following the loss. "They played absolutely fearless and with great resiliency in the second half and we didn't match that. Down the stretch we had opportunities, but they made the plays and we didn't."

Joining Perry in double-digits were junior, Wesley Gipson, who poured in 13 for the Patriots, while sophomore, Jason Gentry, added 11. Four War Hawks scored in double-digits, led by Kourtney Goff's 18 point performance.

Despite the close loss, DBU's hopes of making the Heartland Conference Tournament are much alive, with seven league games remaining on the schedule. "This needs to be a good learning experience for our young team," stated Flickner. "We'll have to bounce back with a tough stretch in the schedule coming up."

The Patriots return to the hardwood on Thursday night for a 7 pm tipoff at Lubbock Christian. DBU concludes their four game road stretch next Saturday at Texas-Permian Basin, before returing to the Burg Center on February 13th versus Arkansas-Ft. Smith.