THE LEAD
The DBU Men's Basketball team stayed atop the Heartland Conference standings, knocking off Texas A&M International, 76-61, on Saturday afternoon in Dallas, Texas.  Behind an efficient shooting day from the field and a tremendous defensive effort, the Patriots pulled away from TAMIU in the second half to claim a 15-point win. DBU was led by Amari Bryant, with 19 of his 21 points coming in the second half.  Bryant also contributed four assists and five rebounds.  Patrick Burke also added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Jordan Pratt and JT Harris tallied 10 points apiece.

After a sloppy start with both teams committing five turnovers in the first 10 minutes, TAMIU held a narrow 14-13 lead. Both teams proceeded to trade blows, including three lead changes. That was until the Patriots pushed out in front with a 9-0 run, which gave DBU a 29-20 lead with 3:07 remaining. The Patriots maintained the lead as they went into half with a 30-23 advantage and were led by Patrick Burke's seven points through the first 20 minutes.
 
Burke continued his strong play at the onset of the second half with back-to-back buckets, including an electrifying dunk.  However, the Patriots offense hit a stalemate and TAMIU clawed their way back into the game, tying it a 34 apiece with 15:34 remaining.

That was until Amari Bryant came off the bench to provide instant offense for DBU.  Bryant knocked down two big-time threes and a go-ahead layup to put the Patriots back in the lead, 44-37, with 11:53 left on the clock.

The momentum remained in DBU's hands, as they went on a 14-2 run, orchestrated by seven more points from Bryant and a triple from Boy Van Vliet to open up their largest lead of game, 64-45. DBU closed out the game with a barrage of lay-ups and free throws to take down Texas A&M International 76-61.  Bryant scored an amazing 19 second-half points on 5-of-6 shooting, while JT Harris added 10 second-half points by also going 5-of-6 from the field.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU is 21-6 at home since the start of last year.
- This win puts the Patriots a half-game ahead of Rogers State for first place in the conference.
- DBU scored 44 points off the bench compared to TAMIU's 28.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
70.8 – DBU shot 70.8% from the field in the second half, which is their highest shooting percentage in a half all season.
27 – The Patriots have outscored TAMIU by 27 in the second half this season.
21 – Bryant scored 21 points in 21 minutes of play.
10 – DBU went 10-10 on their last 10 shots in the game.
 
DBU GUARD AMARI BRYANT ON HIS COMPLETE GAME AND BIG SECOND HALF
"I really feel like we are a second half team, we play our best in the second half. I think more so that we came together and said we could not stop playing because we have had games like this before and threw them away but lately we have been doing good at extending the lead. I feel like in the first half I am a get a feel for a game type of player but in the second half I feel like I get more aggressive. It helps out my teammates a lot as they tell me to be more aggressive with my role and the minutes I get."
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots are back on the road to take on UA Fort Smith in Fort Smith, Arkansas at 7 PM on Thursday. DBU came out on top in the two teams last match-up in early January, 86-81.