THE LEAD
The DBU Men's Basketball team clinched a share of their first-ever Heartland Conference regular-season title with a 97-86 win over Oklahoma Christian on Saturday at the Burg Center.  On a day in which DBU (19-9, 13-5) honored seniors Myles Johnson and Jordan Pratt, Johnson registered a season-high 28 points, while Pratt added a double-digit performance of his own with 10 points.  With the win, DBU secures the No. 1 seed at the Heartland Conference Tournament next week in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
 
The Patriots jumped on the Eagles (8-18, 3-15) early, edging out a 10-point margin with 7:21 remaining in the first half.  Led by Myles Johnson's 15-point effort through the first 20 minutes, DBU expanded their lead to as many as 17 before taking a 50-39 advantage into the locker room.
 
In the opening minute of the second half, an electrifying slam dunk by Xavier Ledet ignited the Patriots as they built their lead back up to 17 points with 14:35 remaining in the game.  DBU would maintain their double-digit lead until OC's Luis Lopez's made free-throw cut the Eagles' deficit to nine points with 8:24 to play.  The Patriots finished off the Eagles over the final eight minutes, as they were never able to pull closer than nine points down the stretch.
 
With 0:29 seconds left on the clock, Jordan Pratt exited the game for the final time in his career at the Burg Center, followed by Myles Johnson with 0:21 seconds remaining.  Both seniors received standing ovations from the Patriot crowd, as they capped off their career at DBU as champions of the Heartland Conference.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU follows up last year's Heartland Conference Tournament title with the program's first-ever regular-season title in the Heartland.
- The Patriots share the Heartland Conference title with Texas A&M International and UA Fort Smith, who also finished the season 13-5 in league action.
- DBU claims the No. 1 seed at the Heartland Conference Tournament, virtue of winning the league's tie-breaker system, going a combined 3-1 against Texas A&M International and UA Fort Smith.
 
DBU HEAD COACH ON WINNING A CONFERENCE TITLE
"It's really special.  I love these guys.  They've shown unbelievable heart and unbelievable passion with the way they've played all year.  They're very unselfish and love to compete and it makes for a fun group to coach."
 
DBU HEAD COACH ON WHAT SENIORS MYLES JOHNSON & JORDAN PRATT MEAN TO THIS TEAM
"Both of those guys are really special.  They've got so much heart.  Just the effort and the passion that they play with is so incredibly special, it's hard to match."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3 – Myles Johnson surpassed Nick Fox for the third most points in school history and has now totaled 1,673 points during his career.
113 – Myles Johnson started his 113th career game at DBU, matching Jordan McGowen for the most starts in school history.
63 – A big reason behind the Patriots' win was their 63 percent shooting from the field in the first half.
 
UP NEXT
DBU travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the Heartland Conference Tournament, which begins on Thursday, March 2 at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center.