THE RUNDOWN
The No. 19 Patriots (3-1) dropped their first game of the season, 80-66, to the Southern Arkansas Muleriders on Saturday. 12 3-pointers and staunch defense helped SAU (2-2) spoil DBU's homecoming at a sold-out Burg Center.

Both sides swapped threes to open the game; the Muleriders would find six more in the first half alone. Aaron Lucas and the SAU defense prevented the extra pass and disrupted DBU's typically crisp ball movement. The Patriots kept themselves within striking distance to close the first half with post defense and an even 18-18 effort on the boards. 

A four-point deficit quickly ballooned into double figures. Southern Arkansas opened the second half on an 8-0 run as the Muleriders improved from 30 to 60 percent shooting. SAU swung the ball all over the perimeter, burying four more treys as the Patriots struggled to keep pace. An alley-oop dunk from Ricky Lujan to Alex Holcombe and a solo slam from Carson Hughes had the Burg Center roaring in the closing minutes; however, DBU's inability to defend the rim kept the deficit in the double digits.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 
-DBU's home winning streak ends at 18. 
-SAU improves to 3-4 all-time vs. the Patriots 
-The Patriots' four blocks are a season-high.

COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE GAME 
"I have to take responsibility because we didn't look too sharp offensively. We gotta give them [SAU] credit because they played very well. We will learn from this game and try to get better. We have a lot of young guys, and we are still trying to figure out how they fit together."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
18 - Hughes tied his season high with 18 points.
11 - William Heather scored in double figures for the second time this season.
7- SAU's Devante Brooks stifled the Patriots' offense, recording a game-high seven blocks. 

UP NEXT
The Patriots hit the road for the first time this season to face Southern Nazarene on Saturday, November 27. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.