THE RUNDOWN
No. 6 DBU improved to 13-1 after an 81-77 win over St. Edward's Saturday in Austin, Texas. Cameron Kahn led the Patriots with a team-high 22 points as the Patriots improved to 7-1 in conference play and 4-0 in the East Division of the LSC standings.
SEU went on an early 8-0 run just minutes into the game with their high-pressure defense forcing three Patriots turnovers. DBU responded with their own 9-2 run, cutting the Hilltoppers' lead to one, before a Trevor Frank three-pointer tied the game at 16 apiece.
Led by a defensive surge and a Hilltoppers' turnover, Deng Dut found an open Frank who connected on a jumper to give the Patriots their first lead of the half. A Jayden Johnston three-pointer ignited a SEU 5-0 run to take back the lead, but a Justin Haire layup put DBU back on top.
The Hilltoppers regained their lead with 8:28 left to play in the half but gave it up after a Cameron Kahn dunk on a fast break that was started by a Frank steal to put the Patriots up 28-25. The two East Division leaders would battle it out in lead changes in the last minutes of the half until a Ricky Lujan layup put DBU up 38-37, ending the razor-thin first half.
In the second half, a 7-0 Patriots' run capped off by a Cody Stevens layup gave DBU their first double-digit lead of the half. SEU responded with an 11-1 run with 9:32 left to play in the half to pull tp within two of DBU.
The Patriots would then go on a pair of offensive surges, extending their lead to 76-67. The Hilltoppers would eventually cut the deficit to five, but a foul would put Ta'Jay Dunlap on the line where DBU's senior guard made both free throws to extend the Patriots' lead to 81-75. SEU would get a layup in the last second of the game, but it wouldn't be enough as time ran out with DBU holding on for an 81-77 road win.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Cameron Kahn's 22-point performance passed Eddie Gloviak for the sixth-most points in school history.
- The win today improves DBU to 13-1, their best record through 14 games since the 2019-2020 season.
- Ta'Jay Dunlap had an eye for the ball with 17 points, nine rebounds, and three steals.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
9 - Today's contest had nine lead changes and was tied six times.
30 - The Patriots tied their season-high of 30 defensive rebounds.
5 - DBU has won five straight since their lone loss to Eastern New Mexico on December 9.
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON A BIG ROAD WIN
"Big win on the road tonight. This was a tough week on the road vs two good teams. I loved the grit and composure we showed. The guys played with a lot of joy but a great competitive edge against a well-coached team. Ricky, Cam, and Ta'Jay jumped out in the box score for carrying a lot of the scoring lead, but our bench was awesome. They came in and really gave us a spark and some great minutes. This was a great overall team win."
UP NEXT
The Patriots return to Dallas to face Texas A&M-Kingsville on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
