THE RUNDOWN
No. 16 DBU fell short against UT Permian Basin 83-78 Saturday afternoon at the Burg Center. The Patriots (14-3, 8-3) dropped their second contest in three games in a battle that was not decided until the final minutes.
 
Both squads played well in the opening period, with the only difference coming from behind the arc. The Falcons caught fire midway through the half, nailing four treys in a row while the Patriots shot an ice-cold 16 percent from three-point land. However, a late DBU run capped by a Carson Hughes layup ignited the Burg Center and closed the UTPB lead to just 41-39.
 
The second half turned into a slugfest that featured six different lead changes. DBU found its three-point attack, at one point holding a seven-point lead on a much-improved 50 percent shooting. The Falcons countered by forcing the ball inside, putting pressure on the interior defense and getting into the bonus with 12 minutes left in the game. UTPB's Pat Dembley forced the Patriots' hand, scoring nine of his game-high 23 points at the charity stripe.
 
Senior forward Jonathyn Washington led the way for DBU, bulldozing his way to a career-high 22 points on 50 percent shooting. Carson Hughes exploded for 21 points of his own while Chandler Jacobs added 13 points in a contest that was not decided until a series of critical turnovers in the closing moments.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
-The Patriots have now lost twice in three games for the first time all season.
- UTPB improves their series deficit against DBU to 14-10 all time.
- Carter Brown becomes the first Patriot to pass the 400 assists mark, the all-time assist leader dishing five dimes to bump his career total to 403.
 
HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE GAME
"Well it was the first time all year we didn't finish great. We had turnovers down the stretch and just didn't make the defensive plays we needed to... Credit Permian Basin they finished strong and deserved to get the win.. We are only halfway through conference play, there will be so many more games that will come down to one possession and we just need to be better at taking care of the ball and finding stops when we need them."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
15 – UTPB's Pat Dembley's 15-point performance in the second half proved too much for the Patriots to overcome.
12:00 – The Patriots were the victims of several controversial calls that placed them in the bonus with 12 minutes remaining in the second half.
2 – Carson Hughes and Jonathyn Washington become the first Patriot duo to score over 20 points this season.
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots conclude the abbreviated three game home stand by hosting Tarleton State for the "Coaches vs. Cancer" event. Tip-off is slated for 2:00pm on Saturday, January 26^th.