Box Score

THE LEAD
The Dallas Baptist Men's Basketball Team dropped their first game in 2015 with an 86-78 loss at Lubbock Christian on Monday night.  Despite leading by as many as 11 points in the first half, the Patriots (8-4, 2-2) could not manage to hold on, as LCU shot 59 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes to pull away.  Myles Johnson led DBU, scoring a career-high 26 points in the loss.
 
After jumping out to a 25-16 advantage nine minutes into the game, the Patriots' lead dwindled down to just one point by halftime.   The Patriots and LCU (6-4, 3-0) would exchange the lead in the first two minutes of the second half, before the Chaparrals took over for good on an Isaac Cardona jumper in the paint with 17:33 to go. 

A 24-10 run by the Chaps over the next seven-and-a-half minutes, capped off by a Marcos Schuster three-pointer, extended the LCU lead to as many as 15.  The Patriots' deficit remained in double-digits, until Amari Bryant knocked down a shot from beyond the arc to pull DBU to within nine with 2:36 left in the game. 

Myles Johnson connected on one of his five made shots from three-point land to make it 85-78 with 45 seconds left on the clock, but that would be as close as the Patriots would come in the game's waning moments.

Outside of Johnson's 26 points, Bryant was the only other Patriot to score in double-digits, scoring 11.  Five Chaps finished in double-figures, led by A.J. Luckey, who totaled 21 points on the night.

DBU HEAD COACH, BLAKE FLICKNER, ON LCU'S SECOND HALF PERFORMANCE
"LCU was the better team tonight.  They answered the bell in the second half and we didn't.  Their offense really won the battle in the final 20 minutes."
 
DBU HEAD COACH, BLAKE FLICKNER, ON RESPONDING TO THE LOSS
 "I want to see us handle adversity and respond better defensively moving forward.  This is something for us to learn from as we continue improving through a tough stretch coming up."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
22 – After hitting 6-of-16 three pointers in the first half, DBU shot just 22 percent from beyond the arc in the second half.
6 – DBU outrebounded the Chaps by six boards on the night, 37-31.
9 – With the absence of Franklin Uzonwanne in the rebounding department, DBU's Jonathan Perry pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
80 – LCU shot 80 percent from three-point range in the second half, connecting on 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE PATRIOTS
DBU returns to the Burg Center for a key Heartland Conference showdown versus Texas-Permian Basin.  The Falcons are 3-1 in league play and have won their last two, including a win over Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 pm.