THE RUNDOWN
The DBU Basketball team opened its 2019 campaign with a 78-66 victory against Colorado Christian Friday afternoon in Lakewood, Colorado. DBU lead for all but 16 seconds of game time and featured three Patriots in double figure scoring. Offensively, Chandler Jacobs led the way with 28 points on 12-21 from the field, while Carson Hughes tallied a team-high five assists. Senior guards Conner Lidiak and Carter Brown combined for 32 points of their own to ensure the 12-point victory.

The Patriots took the lead four minutes into the game and would not surrender it again. DBU carried a 15-point lead into intermission behind a two-way attack of paint points and Conner Lidiak three-pointers. The senior guard erupted for 15 first half points  to compensate for the otherwise 2-11 performance from behind the ark. The Cougars went on a 9-0 run at the end of the first half behind a 17-point performance from Elijah Oliver, but the Patriots' six steals helped keep the Cougars at bay.

The Cougars would open the second half on a 13-2 run to trim the Patriot lead to four points. For CCU, Oliver's 25 points and Justin Engesser's double-double threatened to steal the game's momentum. However, DBU's Chandler Jacobs responded with a personal 8-0 run to re-establish control late in the game. Jacob's scored 19 of his game-high 28 points in the second half.

The Patriots' early defensive activity proved critical in holding off the Cougar's comeback attempt down the stretch. Brown's game-high four steals contributed to 18 points off CCU turnovers and helped secure the 78-66 victory.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots are now 5-3 all-time against Colorado Christian.
- DBU has now won their season opener five of the last six years.
- Chandler Jacobs scored his 1000th career point with nine minutes left in the game.
 
HEAD COACH BLACK FLICKNER ON THE WIN
"We were really having a hard time scoring in the second half. I thought we were getting some stops, but we weren't expanding the lead and being very efficient on the offensive end. That's when Chandler Jacobs took over offensively and that made the difference in the second half."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
36- The Patriots made their presence felt inside with 36 paint points.
92.7- The Patriots held the lead for 92 percent of the game (37 minutes)
8 – Eight different Patriots recorded a point versus the Cougars.
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots face Colorado Mesa at 12:00 pm Saturday for the final game of the Lone Star Conference vs. Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Challenge.