THE RUNDOWN
No. 5 DBU defeated Simon Fraser University in an 89-70 thriller on Sunday night in both teams' last game of the CCA Division II Canadian Tip-Off Classic in Langley, BC. The Patriots leaned on a 38-point halftime lead before scoring 51 to fend off the Red Leafs in the second half. Ricky Lujan scored a team-high 21 points, leading the Patriots to their second win of the season.
The first half started rocky for the Patriots as SFU began the match with a 6-0 burst at the beginning of the half holding DBU scoreless for over four minutes until an AJ Borden layup at 16:56. Despite DBU attempting to trim the margin with a layup the Red Leafs extended their lead to eight making it 12-4 in their favor. Defensive pressure from both squads entered the court into a scoreless synonym, drought for over two minutes until another Borden layup ended the dry period. The Patriots started to find their rhythm as they went on a 6-0 run to trim the lead their opponents lead to two. DBU took the first lead of the night with a layup by Drew Calderon from a Cameron Kahn steal with seven minutes left in the match.Â
However, that didn't last long for the Patriots as the Red Leafs took advantage of their foul trouble using two free throws to come with then two, 19-17 before a Ricky Lujan three-pointer extended the gap again. The Patriots lead fluctuated between two and five as SFU continuously took advantage of the Patriots' foul trouble. The Red Leafs took back the lead with four minutes left on the clock, starting a back-to-back battle for the lead as the court saw multiple lead changes over the span of seven minutes. Nonetheless, Cody Stevens and Lujan secured the largest lead for the Patriots (7) as the game entered halftime with the scoreboard reading 38-32 in DBU's favor.
Back-to-back baskets from both sides saw the Patriots' lead rise to double digits, 51-41, with a Trevor Frank three-pointer as the game entered the second half. Xavion Brown capped off a DBU 10-3 run across three minutes bringing their lead to 14. With nine minutes left on the clock SFU used consecutive shots to come within three of DBU and then one 30 seconds later. However, baskets from Frank and Kahn extended the Patriots' lead despite the continuous effort from the Red Leafs to tie it up. SFU was able to hold DBU to only free throws as they went on a 5-2 burst trimming synonym the Patriots lead to four with six minutes left on the clock. The Patriots eventually were able to regain their double-digit lead with a Lujan three-pointer with 3:53 on the clock making the score 78-68. AJ Borden gave DBU their largest lead of the game, 89-69, with 15 seconds on the clock with a three-pointer. However, the Red Leafs were able to get in one last free throw making the clock read 89-70 with the Patriots still coming out on top.Â
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots held the Red Leads to only free throws for four minutes in the first half.
- DBU scored 40 points off turnovers compared to the Red Leaf's 16.Â
- The contest saw three lead changes and was tied twice.Â
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3- Three Patriots scored double figures, including
Ricky Lujan (21),
Cameron Kahn (18), and
Trevor Frank (10).Â
18-Â The Patriots had 18 steals and 15 assists in tonight's matchup.Â
70- DBU was 70% from the charity stripe, 12-17.Â
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER POST-GAME COMMENTS
"Today was a great team effort and it helped us end the weekend on a high note against a very gritty and tough host team. Ricky and Cam led us in scoring, but our bench provided 36 points. We showed that we learned from some of our mistakes from yesterday, and that's the name of the game. It's so early in the season, so we just have to continue to get better. From beginning to end, I thought our defensive pressure was consistent, but the offense really exploded in the second half. I was really pleased with our effort and I'm grateful for the first class event put on this weekend by Simon Fraser."
UP NEXT
The Patriots travel to Lakewood, Colorado, for the South Central Region Challenge for games on November 8 and 9. They will face Colorado Christian and No. 21 Colorado Mesa.
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