Dallas Baptist University Athletics

THE LEAD
Facing Rogers State in the Heartland Conference opener, the DBU Men's Basketball fell 75-72 to the Hillcats at the Claremore Expo Center in Claremore, Oklahoma, on Saturday.  The Patriots were unable to hold onto a 12-point lead at the half, as DBU (6-2, 0-1) was outscored 57-32 over the final 20 minutes.  Rogers State (8-0, 1-0) was led by Donald Moore, who topped all scorers with 34 points.  The Patriots' trio of Amari Bryant, Tim Simmons, and Patrick Burke highlighted DBU's scoring efforts, as each totaled double-digits.  Bryant led DBU with 19 points, including 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range.
 
Down 23-22 with 4:33 remaining in the first half, the Patriots rattled off a 13-0 run, punctuated by two three-pointers from Bryant and Burke.  Leading 35-23 at the break, DBU endured a 7-0 run by Rogers State to start the second half before the Patriots' Myles Johnson scored his first points of the game on a free-throw. 
 
DBU's lead would slip to one point with just over four minutes left to play, as Rogers State's Donald Moore hit a pair of free throws to make it 61-60.  Moore, who helped orchestrate the Hillcats' comeback, scored 28 of his 34 points in the second half.
 
With the score tied at 66 apiece, a three-pointer from Rogers State's J.C. Hartzler put the Hillcats up by three with 1:38 remaining in the second half.  Myles Johnson would pull DBU back to within one, as he drained a shot from beyond the arc with five seconds left on the clock, but a pair of free throws from Moore would extend the lead back to three for Rogers State.  Faced with a last second shot to tie the game, Joey Miller missed a desperation three at the buzzer, snapping DBU's four-game win streak.
 
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE CLOSE LOSS
"This was an incredibly high level intensity game.  Rogers State was the best team we've played so far and their toughness really showed.  I was proud of the way we defended them and kept them off the boards in the first half, but we couldn't seem to find the same magic in the second half.  Our guys competed, but didn't quite have enough to get over the hump on the road.  We'll focus on finals this week, but this will be a good learning experience for us and what it takes to win our conference."
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Rogers State's Donald Moore went 14-for-14 from the free-throw line.
- Myles Johnson, DBU's leading scorer entering today, played the majority of the game in foul trouble and finished with four points.
- The home team has won all five contests in the series between the two teams.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
7 – DBU scored seven points off of Rogers State's 16 turnovers.
2 – Tim Simmons finished two rebounds shy of a double-double.
40 – The Patriots finished the game shooting 40 percent from three-point range.
 
UP NEXT
DBU travels to Fort Smith, Arkansas, next Saturday to take on UA Fort Smith.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.