THE RUNDOWN
In a preview of two potential NCAA Tournament teams, the Patriots (3-3) staved off a comeback from the No. 16 Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm (2-2) on Wednesday afternoon at The Burg Center. SNU trailed by as many as 18 in the second half and shrunk the margin to 2 with less than 9 seconds in the game.
 
The affair started with a back-and-forth pace. Down, 16-14, Jalen White hit a 3-pointer off a Ta'Jay Dunlap assist and initiated a 13-3 stretch for DBU. The Patriots maintained a sizeable advantage for the remainder of the half and headed to the locker rooms up by 13 at the half. The Crimson Tide's top scorer, Adokiye Iyaye (17.0 PPG), was held to just two points.
 
The next 10 minutes played much like the last 10 of the first half. Southern Nazarene owned the boards in the second half, outrebounding DBU, 24-15, and chipped away at the double-digit deficit.
 
In an only two-possession game, the Crimson Tide defense forced the Patriots to call a timeout on two occasions to avoid a five-second violation with less than 20 seconds left in the game. Lagging by only three points, SNU held the ball for the game's final possession, but Tyler McGhie was unable to convert an off-balance three from the top of the key, allowing DBU to sneak away with the important victory.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Ricky Lujan led the Patriots in scoring with 18 points.
- Jalen White had an eye for the ball, garnering nine rebounds and three steals.
- Lujan (3), Ta'Jay Dunlap (3), and Cameron Kahn (4) each dished at least three assists.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
11 - The Patriots forced a season-low 11 turnovers.
29 - The Crimson Tide had a 29% three-point percentage in the second half.
50 - DBU shot better than 50% from the field in back-to-back games.
 
BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE SECOND HALF
"We talked about, at halftime, [Southern Nazarene was] not going to go away. They're a really good team, and they're really well coached. We shot 62% against them in the first half, and that never happens. They're a really good defensive team, so we knew it was going to be a challenge. We had to step up and be even better in the second half. For a while, I thought we were good and then they started chipping away and making a run. But we responded and pulled back away and closed it out down the stretch." 
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots travel to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to battle Henderson State in their last non-conference competition before conference play begins on November 30 against Midwestern State.
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