#4 DBU (15-1, 9-1) vs. #1 West Texas A&M (16-1, 10-0)
January 25 | 7:30 p.m. | Canyon, TX| First United Bank Center
MULTI-MEDIA COVERAGE
Video: LSC Digital Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @DBUBasketball
Facebook: DBU Athletics
COUNTDOWN TO TIP-OFF
No. 4 DBU connected on eight three-pointers en route to 51 first-half points and never looked back in a 99-82 win over Texas A&M International on Saturday. Cameron Kahn led all scorers with 19 points, while
Ta'Jay Dunlap and
Austin Garner logged 16 points, and
Ricky Lujan added 10 of his own as DBU won for the eighth straight time.
The Patriots took a commanding lead in the first half with a 15-2 run capped off by Cameron Kahn to put DBU up 26-11. TAMIU, with a heavy defensive surge, forced three DBU turnovers and trimmed the lead to nine after going on a 9-2 run with 3:10 left to play in the first half. Extending their lead back to 15, the Patriots opened an 8-2 run, closing out the half 51-38.
DBU continued its dominating performance into the second half and built a 69-48 cushion with 12:41 left to play. Slowing down the pace, the Dustdevils brought the Patriots' lead to 12. The margin did not dip below 15 for the remainder of the contest as a Deng Dut jumper capped off a 10-2 run with 5:23 left on the clock. A
Jaden Shelvin three-pointer with the assist coming from
Trevor Frank gave the Patriots their largest lead of 23 at the 3:08 mark before the Dustdevils went on a 7-0 surge, trimming that lead to 16. Ultimately, DBU secured their victory over TAMIU with a final score of 99-82.
On Thursday, the Patriots continue their schedule in Dallas against West Texas A&M.
PATRIOT STORYLINES
- DBU is ranked as high as No. 4 in the NABC Coaches Poll and is ranked in all three national polls.
- DBU ranks first in the LSC and ninth in the nation in steals, averaging 10.9 per game. The Patriots lead the conference and rank sixth in the nation for scoring offenses (92.8).
- Defensively, DBU ranks first in the LSC and fifth in the nation in turnovers forced per game (21.13).
- Cameron Kahn ranks second in the conference points per game, averaging 20.9. Khan was recently named on Bevo Francis's Top 100 Watch List.
- Deng Dut leads the Patriots in assists. Dut is currently ranked tenth in the conference in assists per game.
-Ta'Jay Dunlap and
Ricky Lujan lead DBU in steals and are ranked second in the conference for their steals per game.
SCOUTING WEST TEXAS A&M
- West Texas A&M defeated Eastern New Mexico 89-87 Saturday in their tenth conference win.
- The Buffs rank second in the conference in scoring margin (12.8) and turnover margin (3.3).
- West Texas A&M ranks fourth in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (12.18) and fifth in three-pointers per game (8.5).
- Larry Wise leads West Texas A&M in points (305) and ranks third in the conference in points per game (19.1). Wise was recently named on Bevo Francis's Top 100 Watch List.
- Ryland Holt ranks third in the conference in blocks (22) and blocks per game (1.29).
- Kieran Elliott leads the Buffs in rebounds with 117. Elliott ranks fourth in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (3) and eighth in rebounds per game (6.9).
SERIES HISTORY
The Buffs lead the all-time series, 6-1. In their last meeting, West Texas A&M defeated DBU 82-77 at the Burg Center on January 19, 2023. This will be their eighth matchup since the Buffs beat the Patriots 98-82 on February 15, 2020.
UP NEXT
On Saturday, the Patriots will travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face Lubbock Christian. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
