THE RUNDOWN
In a showdown between a pair of top 25 teams to open the 2021-22 basketball season, No. 19 DBU defeated No. 4 Colorado Mesa, 63-56, on Friday night at the Burg Center in the first game of the Lone Star Conference vs. Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Challenge.  DBU (1-0) overcame a six-point deficit at the half to outscore Colorado Mesa (1-3) by 13 points in the final 20 minutes to win their season opener for the third straight year.

The Patriots came out of the gates on fire, opening up an 8-1 lead in the game's first five-and-a-half minutes.  The Mavericks outpaced DBU over the next 14-plus minutes, outscoring DBU 31-18 to take a six-point lead into the break.

After falling behind by as many as eight points five minutes into the second half, a three-pointer by William Heather with 14:48 put the Patriots on the comeback trail.  It would be three of Heather's game-high 21 points.

Another shot from beyond the arc by Heather with 8:57 left to play gave DBU their first lead since the 2:25 mark of the first half.  An Austin Garner three-pointer one minute later extended the Patriot lead to four, as DBU eventually opened up a lead as large as 13 points with 3:27 left on the clock.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU has defeated an opponent ranked in the top 10 each of the last three years.
- The Patriots extend their home win streak at the Burg Center to 17 straight games.
- With the win, DBU now holds a 4-3 lead in the all-time series over Colorado Mesa.

HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE WIN
"It was a really gritty win tonight.  We trailed for significant stretches, but the guys stuck together and trusted the game plan.  Mesa is really good and they make it so tough for you offensively, but we responded with some gritty defense of our own.  We also had to overcome some adversity down two starters, but they hung tight together and made some big plays.  We drew seven charges and when the shots weren't falling, we still found a way to win."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
38 - DBU scored 38 of their 63 points off of turnovers.
36 - The Patriot defense held the Mavericks to just 36 percent shooting from the field.
301 - Julian Miranda moved into fourth all-time in school history with 301 career assists.

UP NEXT
No. 19 DBU hosts Colorado Christian on Saturday at the Burg Center.  Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.