THE RUNDOWN
The DBU Men's Basketball team escaped the Stubblefield Center with a 68-67 win over UA Fort Smith on Thursday night. In a game that featured 11 lead changes and nine ties, a pair of Ricky Lujan free throws gave the Patriots a crucial two-possession lead in the final four seconds. The Patriots then dodged a potential four-point play as UAFS' (4-3) Matthew Wilson drained a buzzer-beating three to end the contest. 

Ball security and paint points led DBU (4-2) to its second nail-biting win in Fort Smith in the last three years. The Patriots committed just three turnovers in the second half of action and cracked open the Lions' interior defense. Second-half post-ups from William Heather (10 points, four assists) and backdoor cuts from Carson Hughes (11 points on 4-for-7 shooting) helped DBU overcome shaky 3-point shooting (7-for-25). UA Fort Smith won the battle of the boards, but a game-high six offensive rebounds from Cameron Kahn helped DBU limit the damage. 

A game-high 25 points from Matthew Wilson and 9-of-10 free-throw shooting from Chris Rollins (15 points) left DBU in a 59-53 deficit with six minutes remaining. But a streaking Lujan (team-high 15 points, three assists) connected with a trailing Austin Ganer (12 points) for a 3-pointer that ignited a 9-0 DBU run. While DBU's offense heated up down the stretch, UAFS hit just two of its last eight shots. A missed free throw and a pair of game-tying threes in the final 20 seconds forced the Lions to send Lujan to the line and put the game away. 

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
-Cameron Kahn's six offensive boards are the most of his career.
-The Patriots have won three of their last four at the Stubblefield Center. 
-DBU picks up its first road win of the year. 

COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE WIN 
"That was a really gritty, tough win on the road tonight against a very tough team. I thought we executed the game plan very well and I was really pleased to see our guys hang tough after we fell behind in the second half. Showed some growth and maturity for a team that is learning how to win."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
8 - DBU committed a season-low eight turnovers. 
34 - 20 - The Patriots outscored the Lions in the Paint, 34-20.
17 - 9 - DBU overcame a 17-9 disadvantage at the charity stripe. 

UP NEXT
DBU completes its road trip at Oklahoma Christian on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.