THE RUNDOWN
The Patriots (11-10, 6-7 LSC) broke the spell of a five-game losing streak on Thursday night with a 76-53 victory over Oklahoma Christian (8-12, 4-10 LSC). Austin Garner led DBU in scoring with 16 and tacked on a pair of assists.
 
The Patriots pieced together one of their best halves this season in the opening frame against the Eagles. It took only moments for the Patriots to get a double-digit advantage, as they went up, 12-2, less than 8 minutes into the game. After a team 0-7 start from the field, Drew Tennial broke the dry spell for OC when he hit a three-pointer that proved to be his only bucket of the night. With 19 forced turnovers in the half, DBU's defense held the Eagles to only 20 points in the half, the Patriots' best defensive performance since holding Midwestern State to the same mark in the first half on November 30.
 
The second half stayed with the navy and red. The Patriots extended their lead to as many as 27 in the second period when Caron Hughes converted a 3-point attempt with 13:22 on the clock. Try as they might, the offense never came for the Eagles in an evening where they shot only 36% from the field, and DBU cruised to its 11th victory of the season.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Thursday's win snaps the Patriots' five-game losing streak, its longest since 2014-15.
- DBU held the Eagle's top two offensive contributors, Antonio Gordon and Drew Tennial, to just three points combined.
- In addition to his 11 points, Isaac Bullard snagged 9 rebounds.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
36 - The Patriots outscored the Eagles in the paint, 36-8.
47 - With a team field goal percentage of 47%, DBU has now shot at that clip or better in its last 3 games.
52 - Isaac Bullard, Ta'Jay Dunlap, Austin Garner, and Cameron Kahn scored a combined 52 points.
 
BLAKE FLICKNER ON LIMITING ANTONIO GORDON AND DREW TENNIAL
"It's just really important to do a great job of closing out and moving our feet, making them uncomfortable. If they're uncomfortable, then then they're really, really hard to guard, but if you can pressure them a little bit and get them out of their comfort zone, then you got a chance."
 
UP NEXT
DBU plays its last game of a season-long four-game homestand on Saturday. The Patriots host the UAFS Lions at 2:00 pm in the Burg Center.
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