THE RUNDOWN 
DBU (6-5) jumped out to a 13-point halftime lead and maintained an advantage for over 34 minutes of game time, but Henderson State (7-3) chipped away and came up with crucial points down the stretch to give the Patriots a 78-75 loss at the Burg Center on Monday afternoon. 

After failing to score in the opening three minutes of action, the DBU offense found its groove. Grayson Buehler came off the bench and immediately knocked down consecutive triples to give the Patriots an 8-2 edge. Austin Garner joined in on the perimeter barrage, following suit with a pair of treys to bump the lead to seven. The Reddies fought their way back to a three-point game, but DBU continued to apply pressure from deep while also getting to the free throw line. The Patriots connected on 8-of-15 threes in the opening frame against the nation's 5th-best 3-point defense (28%) and went to halftime with a 42-29 advantage.

Momentum swung in favor of HSU to begin the second half, as DBU saw its lead get trimmed down to 5. Garner and Carson Hughes each converted on triples to reclaim a double-digit advantage, but the Patriots hit a cold stretch shortly after. A 53-42 lead shrunk to just two at 53-51 over a three minute period. Miranda found Garner on a back-door cut to give DBU a much-needed basket, but coach Flickner's squad could not extend the advantage to more than six. The Reddies continued to chip away, eventually capturing their first lead since the game's opening minute at 69-68 with 3:05 remaining. DBU tied things up at 72 when Ricky Lujan split attempts on consecutive trips to the charity stripe. A Cameron Kahn charge attempt went HSU's way, resulting in his fifth foul and a pair of free throws from the Reddies to put DBU in a 76-74 hole with 28.7 seconds left. Following free throws from both teams, the Patriots had the ball down three with 6.4 to go. Ricky Lujan received the inbounds pass and curled off of a high ball screen. The HSU defense was ready and forced a last-second pass to Garner, and the game-tying attempt from behind the arc fell short.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Austin Garner has now connected on 11 three-pointers in his past two games.
- HSU's Damian Dear entered today's game averaging 2.5 points per game, but stepped up to lead all scorers with 20 points.
- DBU now shifts focus to conference play, with one more nonconference matchup remaining on the calendar halfway through Lone Star Conference action.

COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE SECOND HALF
"In the second half we didn't take any charges. They just kept driving on us, and we were soft on the defensive help. We needed to be a bit tougher in that situation...we've got to continue to move on to the next play and learn from situations like this."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
21 – DBU forced 21 turnovers, a season-high mark given up by the Reddies.
29.6 – The Patriots shot just 29.6% from the floor in the second half after shooting 46.4% in the first half. 
5 – Ricky Lujan recorded 5 steals, with all five coming in the opening 20 minutes of play. 

UP NEXT
DBU will open Lone Star Conference play at UT-Tyler on Friday, December 31. Tip time is set for 7:30 p.m.