THE LEAD
The DBU Men's Basketball team fell in the championship game of the Heartland Conference Tournament, 68-59, to UA Fort Smith on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  The Patriots (21-10) were led by Julian Miranda, who scored 20 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team.  Amari Bryant joined Miranda as the only other Patriot to score in double-figures, adding 17 points of his own.  UAFS (23-10) was paced by Seth Youngblood's 22 points, as the Lions' senior guard was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
 
In a first half that went back-and-forth between the two teams, UAFS took an 18-16 advantage with 5:27 left on the clock and never relinquished the lead the rest of the way.  The Lions would finish the half on a 13-6 run to take a 29-22 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, DBU responded with an 18-11 run of their own, capped off by an Amari Bryant jumper that tied the game at 40 apiece.  The game would turn from that point though, as UAFS scored the next 11 points over a five-and-a-half minute span to take a 51-40 lead over the Patriots with 6:01 left in the game.
 
A three-pointer from Seth Youngblood made it 54-42 and sparked another run by the Lions.  Moments later, a dunk by DeVaunta Thomas put UAFS up by 20 with 1:38 remaining and gave the Lions their largest lead of the game. 
 
Despite a 15-4 run by DBU over the final minute-and-a-half, the Patriots' last push was not enough, as the Lions claimed the tournament title with a nine-point victory over DBU.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots finished the season 1-2 against UAFS.
- DBU was held to their second lowest point total of the season.
- The Patriots are now 5-1 in the last two years at the Heartland Conference Tournament.
 
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON FALLING TO UAFS IN THE TITLE GAME
"UAFS was the better team today.  I'm proud of the way our guys competed.  I thought we defended really well and the guys played with a lot of heart, but we were unable to get our offense going.  They deserve a lot of credit for that.  In life, it will happen that we fall short of achieving our dreams and goals, but then we just refocus and moved ahead on to new goals and dreams."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
33 – DBU was held to just 33 percent shooting from the field.
2 – UAFS was able to hold the Patriots' leading-scorer on the year, Patrick Burke, to just two points.
34 – Half of the Lions' 68 points were scored in the paint.

2017 HEARTLAND MEN'S BASKSTBALL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
MVP: Seth Youngblood - UA Fort Smith
Julian Miranda - Dallas Baptist
Yanni Wetzell - St. Mary's
Tyler Rogers - Lubbock Christian
Brett Jolly - UA Fort Smith
Ladarius Coleman - UA Fort Smith