THE RUNDOWN
No 10. DBU committed heist Thursday night against the Lions of Fort Smith, escaping with a 67-66 victory at the Stubblefield Center. The Patriots trailed for all but the final 15 seconds until a pivotal basket by Carson Hughes allowed DBU to sneak away with the win.
 
Points were difficult to obtain in a battle between two of the Lone Star Conference's top ten defenses. DBU (13-1, 7-1) came out of the gate sluggish, trailing Fort Smith by as many as 15 points in the first half. The Patriots showed their resilience in the final 20 minutes, chipping into the Lions' lead by converting free throws opportunities and defending against the three-ball.
 
Tylan Dean led the charge for the Patriots, scoring 14 points off 50 percent shooting from the field. The guard trio of Carter Brown, Carson Hughes, and Chandler Jacobs came up big when it mattered most, scoring a combined 35 points while making big plays down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
-The Patriots continue to be clutch in close games, with the 67-66 victory DBU improves to 3-0 in one possession games on the season.
-DBU levels the series history with UAFS at .500 (12-12).
-The Patriots have played in two games this season that ended with a score of 67-66, DBU has won both contests. 
 
HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE WIN
Fort Smith deserves credit for an unbelievable game. They out played us for most of the game. Our bench was key, and we just found a way. Our players deserve all the credit for grinding it out and making timely plays. We only led for 15 seconds, but it was the 15 that mattered. Carson made a couple of big plays down the stretch and Tylan, Chandler, and Carter were great defensively on Halums.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
24 -The Patriots allowed an opponent to score over 20 points for just the seventh time this season (Matthew Wilson 24 points).
42- DBU's 42 paint points were necessary to secure the win on a night where the Patriots shot 19 percent from three-point land. 
19- The Patriots shot 19 percent from behind the arc, DBU's lowest three-point percentage since a 2018 contest versus Rogers State (17 percent).
 
UP NEXT
DBU wraps up a quick two game road trip when they head on the road to battle Oklahoma Christian. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday, January 11^th at 4:00 p.m.