THE LEAD
The DBU Men's Basketball team's three-game win streak came to a halt on Thursday night in an 82-72 loss to UA Fort Smith at the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  Despite a 26-point effort from JT Harris, the Patriots (15-8, 9-3) were unable to hold on to an eight-point lead with six minutes to play and fell for just the second time in the last 11 games.  With the loss, DBU falls out a first place in the Heartland Conference standings and now sit a half-game behind Rogers State.
 
Xavier Ledet and Boy Van Vliet joined Harris in double-digits, scoring 12 points apiece.  UAFS (16-10, 9-5) was led by Seth Youngblood, who registered a team-high 17 points.  Joining Youngblood in double-figures was the trio of DeVaunta Thomas (15), Kyree Elder (12), and Brett Jolly (11).
 
After falling behind 38-34 at the half, DBU took their first lead of the second half when Xavier Ledet's layup put the Patriots up 58-56 with 9:01 left on the clock.  With the game tied at 61 apiece, DBU looked to seize control of the game when they went on an 8-0 run, capped off by JT Harris' seventh three-pointer of the night. 
 
With DBU holding a 69-61 advantage and just 6:01 left to play, the Patriots went ice cold from the field, missing 11 consecutive shots, allowing UAFS to take a commanding 80-70 lead.  An Amari Bryant layup snapped the scoring drought for DBU, but it would prove to be too late, as the Lions finished the final six minutes on a 21-3 run and handed the Patriots just their fourth loss in conference in the process.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The regular-season series versus UA Fort Smith this year finishes at one win apiece for each team.
- DBU is now in second place in the Heartland, a half-game behind Rogers State and just a half-game in front of Texas A&M International and UAFS.
- The Patriots are now 6-5 on the road this year with one game away from home remaining on their regular-season schedule.
 
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON A TOUGH ROAD LOSS
"You've got to give UA Fort Smith credit, they were prepared and finished the game very well.  They made the plays down the stretch and we didn't.  JT shot the ball well, but we didn't finish inside very well tonight.  We know how hard it is to beat good teams on the road and now we will have to respond to a little adversity and be ready to bounce back on Saturday."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
70 – JT Harris shot 70 percent from three-point range (7-of-10).
7 – DBU was outrebounded by seven boards, 36-29.
5 – There were five lead changes in the game between DBU and UAFS.
 
UP NEXT
DBU travels to Claremore, Oklahoma, on Saturday to face Rogers State in a battle between the top two teams in the Heartland Conference.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.