THE RUNDOWN
The Patriots fell to Texas A&M-Kingsville, 70-65 in a hard-fought road battle Thursday night. DBU (19-8, 13-8) could not overcome the Javelinas in crunch time, losing a close contest in which neither side created a double-digit lead.
 
The Patriot offense struggled to crack the Javelinas' second ranked defense, shooting below 30 percent from three for the second time in three games. Free throws made all the difference in a game that was not decided until the final 14 seconds. Neither team shot exceptionally well from the charity stripe, but A&M-Kingsville's 34 attempts from the foul line proved insurmountable in the games closing moments.
 
Carter Brown led the Patriots with a double-double. The senior guard collected a career-high 14 rebounds while pouring in 11 points on 45 percent shooting. Chandler Jacobs was the only other Patriot to reach double figures, scoring 18 on the night.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots fall to .500 all time versus the Javelinas.
-The Patriots need a win Saturday to clinch their fifth consecutive season of at least 20 wins.
- Conner Lidiak has become a pest in the paint, tallying five blocks in his last three games.
 
HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE GAME
"Tough loss tonight. We knew Kingsville would give us their best shot and that the game was going to be a grind. We needed to handle adversity in what we knew would become a difficult game. We had some good moments but couldn't get over the hump... Carter Brown played really, really well and Jalen gave us some good minutes… We can't hang our heads because we have to bounce back on Saturday."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
2 – Carter Brown and Chandler Jacobs were the only Patriots to score in the double figures. Tonight's contest was just the second game all season in which the Patriots had less than three double-digit scorers. 
3 - Jalen White's three steals versus the Javelinas are a career high.
7 – In a back and forth game, the largest lead for either team was just seven points.
 
UP NEXT
DBU will play its final regular season game against Texas A&M-International on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.