THE RUNDOWN
William Heather led all scorers with 19 points on a career-high 5 threes, but it was not enough for DBU (5-3) to clinch an upset in the 72-70 loss against A&M-Commerce (5-0) on Thursday night at the Burg Center. Austin Garner (15 points, 4 rebounds) and Ricky Lujan (13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) also reached double figures in scoring. 

Heather dominated the opening minutes of the game, pouring in each of the Patriots' first 11 points without missing a shot. Lujan and Julian Miranda knocked down consecutive deep balls to give DBU a 20-10 lead at the 11:43 mark. The visiting Lions would methodically chip away at the lead, knotting the game at 35-35 before a Carson Hughes second-chance layup sent DBU into the half with a two-point advantage.

After shooting 8-18 from deep in the first half, DBU cooled down from beyond the arc down the home stretch. A&M-Commerce notched its first lead of the night at 47-46 midway through the second half, but DBU quickly re-captured the advantage and extended the cushion to six. Consecutive TAMUC threes once again tied things at 55-apiece, and both teams juggled slim leads the rest of the way. A Lions layup with under 20 seconds to play put DBU in a 72-67 deficit. Garner, who collected 13 of his 15 points in the second half, hit a 25-foot three-pointer with 5.4 seconds remaining to bring DBU back to within two. Following a foul and a missed free throw, the Patriots had a chance but needed to inbound the ball from the opposite baseline. The baseball pass to just past midcourt was stolen, and A&M-Commerce ran out the final three seconds.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU shot 40% from beyond the arc.
- The Lions entered tonight as the country's top shot-blocking team (7.8 per game), but managed just a season-low 3 blocks versus the Patriots.
- DBU struggled at the free-throw line, connecting on 2 of 8 attempts.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
5-7 – William Heather shot 5-7 from deep, which marks a career-high in both made three-pointers and three-pointers attempted in a game.
15 – Austin Garner's 15 points were the second-most he has recorded in a game in his career.
10-5-5 – Ricky Lujan compiled at least 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists for just the second time in his career. 
7 – Javion Richard set a personal-best mark with six rebounds. 
2 - William Heather picked up a season-high two steals. 

UP NEXT
The Patriots remain at home to square off against UT Tyler on Saturday, December 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.