THE RUNDOWN
No. 5 DBU encountered another close-call game after a 74-72 victory over Oklahoma Christian on Thursday night in Oklahoma City. Ricky Lujan led the Patriots with a team-high 21 points, and Cameron Kahn scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as DBU improved to 17-2 overall and 7-0 in the East Division of the LSC standings.
Leading 13-9 early in the first half, the Patriots went on a 7-0 run to gain their first double-digit lead after a Trevor Frank jumper put DBU up 20-9. Finding their momentum after the media timeout, the Eagles responded with 10 straight points to pull within one point before a Ricky Lujan halted OC's run. With 4:02 remaining until the break, the Eagles went on a 7-0 run to take the lead and eventually took a 41-36 advantage into the break.
Early in the second half, DBU grabbed the lead back with a Lujan layup to put the Patriots back on top, 47-45. Both teams would go back and forth in a constant lead-change battle for the next 10 minutes until DBU opened a 6-0 run to take a 66-63 lead with 4:54 left to play in the half.
OC quickly tied it back up with a Mou'tae Edmundson three-pointer Two shooting fouls on the Eagles opened the gate for free throws from Frank and Cameron Khan to give DBU the lead with 0:21 on the clock. The Patriots would hold onto their lead as the Eagles could not convert a jumper to send the game into overtime, securing a 74-72 victory for the Patriots.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Ta'Jay Dunlap passed Myles Johnson for the tenth most steals in program history with 93.
- Tonight's performance was Cameron Kahn's 10th career double-double.
- DBU is now 7-0 against opponents in the East Division of the LSC.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
13 - Today's contest had 13 lead changes and was tied 12 times.
24 - DBU scored 24 bench points compared to OC's 14.
34 - The Patriots had a season-high of 34 offensive rebounds.
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE LITTLE MOMENTS OF TONIGHT'S PERFORMANCE
"OCU has always been a tough place to play. They had a great atmosphere and a really good game plan. I'm proud of how we were able to find a way and overcome a below-average night offensively while making some gritty, tough stops on defense in the second half. Deuce and Trev, in particular, really made some tough defensive plays down the stretch. We did a lot of the little things tonight that can make a difference, and we needed every single one."
UP NEXT
The Patriots will travel to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to face UAFS on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
