THE RUNDOWN
The No. 5 Patriots held off a late push from Midwestern State to win 77-75 in their Lone Star Conference opener Wednesday evening. Â
Ricky Lujan led everyone on the floor in scoring with 20, as
Cameron Kahn and
Trevor Frank contributed 12 and 11 respectively.Â
The Patriots opened Lone Star Conference play with a fast start against Midwestern State. Ricky Lujan got things rolling with two free throws at the 19:20 mark after drawing a foul from MSU's Mason Gibson, and Cameron Kahn followed with the first field goal of the game, a smooth layup in the paint. Xavion Brown then dunked at 17:26, electrifying the crowd after Lujan's steal, sparking a 6-0 run. The Mustangs briefly cut into the lead with a layup, but DBU's defense dominated, forcing five turnovers and four steals in the first five minutes. The Mustangs struggled offensively, failing to score for nearly three minutes while the Patriots expanded their lead to 10-2 at the 14:06 mark. Despite DBU's early defensive pressure, the Mustangs managed to rally, going on an 11-1 run to tie the game at 13-13 and eventually taking a 13-11 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining.Â
The game became a back-and-forth affair, with DBU regaining the advantage through free throws from Lujan and a layup by Jackson McCabe. The Patriots then exploded on a 15-0 run, highlighted by a three-pointer from Lujan and a crucial and-one play, extending their lead to 26-13 at the 5:39 mark. Lujan, who scored 8 of those 15 points, helped push the lead into double digits and forced a three-minute scoring drought from MSU. The Mustangs, however, cut the deficit to 31-25 by 4:40, then closed the gap further, making it 33-30 with 2:40 remaining. DBU held a slim 36-34 lead at the half after a late jumper by MSU. A last-second shot attempt by McCabe was blocked as DBU held a slim 36-34 lead at the break, setting the stage for an exciting second half.
DBU opened the second half with a layup from Brown, followed by a 6-0 run capped by Isaac Bullard's fast-break layup at 16:18, pushing the lead to 46-38. McCabe extended the advantage to 49-39 with a second-chance layup and an and-one opportunity, but MSU capitalized on DBU's foul trouble to pull within six points at 13:56.A timely three-pointer from Cody Stevens helped restore DBU's momentum, and a layup by Kahn pushed the lead back to double digits at 54-43. However, the Mustangs wouldn't go down easily, going on a 7-0 run to close the gap to just four points at 9:17. Kahn, who reached double digits with a jumper at 7:15, answered with key buckets, and Lujan hit a clutch three-pointer, pushing DBU's lead back to nine at 60-54.
The final stretch of the game was intense, with both teams trading baskets and the lead fluctuating between six and three points. MSU kept fighting, pulling within two with a three-pointer in the final 13 seconds. However, Daniel Figueira answered with a crucial layup to seal the win at 77-73. Despite MSU's late rally, DBU held on for a 77-75 victory, keeping their lead in the closing moments and securing the win in their conference opener.
FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- This is the second straight year the Patriots started 9-1 through their first 10 games.Â
- The Patriots forced 21 turnovers from the Mustangs.
- DBU leads the all-time head-to-head series against MSU 9-2.
- With Ricky Lujan's team-high of 20 points this marks his second straight game of 20 points.Â
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
2-2- Three Patriots were perfect from the charity stripe going 2-2, including
Cody Stevens, Issac Bullard, and
Daniel Figueira.Â
3- Three Patriots finished in double figures, including
Ricky Lujan (20), Cam Kahn (12), and
Trevor Frank (11).Â
100- Ricky Lujan made his 113th career start tying him Jordan McGeown for second most starts in program history.Â
113- With Issac Bullard's 17 minutes he notched his 100th career game when he subbed in at the 17th minute of the first half.Â
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER POST-GAME COMMENTS
UP NEXT
Patriot hoops will pick back up on Friday as they continue Lone Star Conference play against Lubbock Christian at The Burg Center.
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