Box Score

THE LEAD
The Dallas Baptist Men's Basketball Team fell back to a .500 record in Heartland Conference action with an 81-65 loss at Texas-Permian Basin on Monday at the Falcon Dome in Odessa, Texas.  In a game in which DBU (13-9, 7-7 ) was outplayed in the paint and on the boards, the Patriots could not hold off a strong second half from UTPB and now fall into a tie for seventh place overall in the Heartland Conference standings.  In spite of the loss, DBU sits just one game out of fourth place, behind St. Edward's, for the fourth and final spot in the Heartland Conference Tournament.
 
After the Patriots jumped out to a 6-0 advantage in the game's first two minutes and extended the lead to as many as nine with 15:48 to play in the first half, UTPB (14-8, 9-5) managed to take a 46-42 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
Coming out of the break, the Falcons went on a 22-9 run over the first nine-and-a-half minutes, giving UTPB their largest lead of the game at 68-51.  DBU would be unable to recover and could not manage to trim the deficit to under double-digits for the remainder of the game.
 
Struggling to keep pace with the inside presence of UTPB's Chris Griffin and Codye Hatcher, the Patriots were outscored in the paint, 48-32, and outrebounded by 14 boards.
 
DBU was led by Shannon Lilly, who scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.  The Falcons placed five players in double-figures, highlighted by Madison Turner's 19 point performance.  Chris Griffin added 17, while Codye Hatcher recorded a double-double with 12 points and game-high 11 rebounds.
 
DBU HEAD COACH - BLAKE FLICKNER, ON THE LOSS & THE ROAD AHEAD
"Tonight UTPB was the better team.  They really pressured us and we didn't respond well enough.  We got away from our identity and were out hustled.  We have six games left in the regular season and they will all be extremely meaningful and important."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
37 – The Patriots shot just 37 percent from the field, while UTPB shot 53 percent.
29 – In the second half, DBU shot just 27 percent from the field.
27 – DBU shot 27 percent from three-point range, connecting on just 4-of-15 shots from beyond the arc.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE PATRIOTS
DBU returns home on Saturday to take on Newman University.  The Patriots fell 88-75 back on January 19 to the Jets in Wichita, Kansas.  Both teams currently stand tied in the Heartland Conference with 7-7 records in the league.