Dallas Baptist University Athletics

THE LEAD
The Dallas Baptist University Men's Basketball team defeated Colorado Mesa University, 99-78, on Friday night at the Burg Center in Dallas, Texas. Myles Johnson led the Patriots with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and shot 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Boy Van Vliet and Amari Bryant joined Johnson in double digits with 18 and 16, respectively. The two combined to make 14-of-24 shots and five three pointers. Xavier Ledet added 11 points and led the squad with five assists and 10 rebounds. 

Bryant scored five of DBU's first seven points to vault the team to a 13-2 lead to open the game, and the Patriots never looked back. The first 10 minutes turned into a game of runs as the Mavericks went on a 10-point run to close the lead to 15-13. DBU answered with a 20-4 run of their own, led by seven points from Vliet. The Patriots closed the half with another 9-2 run to head to the break with a 46-29 lead.

Myles Johnson came out firing to open the second half, sinking two straight three pointers and tacking on a two-point jumper to score DBU's first eight points. After the first media timeout, Vliet made three straight field goals to extend the Patriot lead. Johnson led DBU on a 12-0 run later in the second half with eight more points. The Patriots cruised through the final minutes of the second half to claim the opening victory.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
 - DBU has won six home openers in the last seven seasons.
 - The Patriots' starters shot 62.5% from the field in the first half and 66.7% in the second half.
 - DBU shot 90.9% from the free-throw line, the highest in a game since January 4, 2016, vs. Lubbock Christian (92.3%).

COACH BLAKE FLICKNER - ON MYLES' PERFORMANCE
"Myles did what Myles has does. He's a great shooter. He understands the game. He's a great leader for us. I thought he had a great game."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
26 - DBU's 26 assists were the highest in a game since recording 28 against UTPB on February 8, 2016.
5 - The Patriots had five players score double-digit points.
23 - Myles Johnson scored the most points in a game since scoring 26 against UA-Fort Smith on February 25, 2016.

UP NEXT
DBU hosts Colorado Christian at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Burg Center.