THE RUNDOWN
In front of a raucous Burg Center crowd on NBA night, DBU's bid for a late comeback came up short, as the Patriots (10-9, 5-6 LSC) fell to West Texas A&M (12-5, 10-1 LSC), 82-77. DBU's conference record falls below .500 for the first time since this season.
 
Both squads came ready to fight from the tip, but the Buffs controlled the first half. Tied at 7, WT began to pull away from DBU with a 15-4 run that developed into a 14-point lead with 5 minutes left in the first half. However, Ta'Jay Dunlap, Carson Hughes, Cameron Kahn, and Ricky Lujan worked together to outscore their opponents for the remainder of the period, 13-6, to narrow the margin to 7 at the half.
 
The Patriots made it a one-possession game less than four minutes into the second frame, but the Buffs refused to give up the advantage. Slowly but surely, WT stretched the difference back to 14. DBU once again answered the Buffs, closing within 4 on a Kahn layup with 3:47 left on the clock. Dunlap hit a three-pointer at the 2:24 mark to bring the Patriots to a 2-point deficit for the first time since 16:43 in the first half. Despite another layup by Ricky Lujan with less than a minute remaining to keep the Patriots' hopes alive, DBU was unable to break the Buffs' hold of the lead and left the Burg with its fourth consecutive loss.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The loss extends DBU's losing streak to four, matching its longest losing streak from last season.
- Cameron Kahn earned his 2nd double-double of the year with 22 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
- Patriot legend and current Miami Heat Assistant Video Coordinator, Remy Ndiaye was in attendance for Thursday's game. The Senegal native spent two seasons in a Patriot uniform and holds 4th place for the school's rebound-per-game record (5.9) and 5th for blocks per game (0.7).
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
5 - West Texas A&M committed only five turnovers.
44 - The Patriots outscored the Buffs in the paint, 44-34.
129 - In his 129th career game, Carson Hughes became the new record holder for career games played in school history, passing Myles Johnson's 128 from 2014-17.
 
BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE POTENTIAL OF THE PATRIOTS GOING FORWARD
"Today, there was some things to build on. There was some positives, and we just got to keep getting better. Whether you've won six in a row or you've lost four in a row, you just got to keep getting better each day and trust the process of improving and watching film and figuring out where we can make some adjustments."
 
UP NEXT
DBU stays at home for another important conference clash. The Patriots will host Lubbock Christian on Saturday at 2:00 pm in the Burg Center.
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