#3 DBU (20-2, 14-2) vs. Texas A&M International (13-10, 9-8) 
February 15 | 7:30 p.m. | Laredo, TX| TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building

MULTI-MEDIA COVERAGE
Video: LSC Digital Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @DBUBasketball
Facebook: DBU Athletics

COUNTDOWN TO TIP-OFF
No. 3 DBU closed the weekend with a 92-84 win over St. Mary's at the Burg Center, marking their 20th win this season. Ta'Jay Dunlap led the Patriots with 20 points and seven rebounds as DBU swept the season series against St. Mary's. 

The Patriots scored 12 of the first 24 points in the opening five minutes and opened an 11-2 run, including a trio of three-pointers in under four minutes, to go ahead by nine with 16:03 left in the first half. Building an 11-point edge, a pair of Justin Haire free throws capped off an 11-2 DBU run. DBU led by 11, 47-36, as the halftime horn sounded. 

Coming into the second half strong, STMU opened an 8-2 run, trimming DBU's 11-point lead to five. The Patriots responded by extending their lead to 13 on a pair of three-point jumpers from Ta'Jay Dunlap and Austin Garner with 16:01 left on the clock. The Rattlers then went on a 7-0 burst to trim the deficit to six but were quickly stopped by an Issac Bullard jumper. 

The Patriots answered with their own 8-2 run, leading to an STMU scoring drought for over three minutes and putting the DBU up 12, 75-63 with 7:46 left on the clock. The Patriots extended their lead to 17, 84-67, on a 9-2 surge capped off by a Trevor Frank jumper with 5:29 left on the second half clock. Looking to trim the deficit, the Rattlers opened a 7-0 run but were quickly stopped by a Dunlap dunk with 1:20 left in the game. STMU cut the lead to eighth in the last seconds and were unable to get any closer as DBU came through with a 92-84 victory. 

On Thursday, the Patriots will continue their schedule in Laredo, TX, against Texas A&M International.  

PATRIOT STORYLINES 
- DBU is ranked as high as No. 3 in the CBB Nation Poll and is ranked in all three national polls. This ranking is the highest the Patriots have received in program history. 
- 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 their scoring offense (92.8).  
- Defensively, DBU ranks first in the LSC and fifth in the nation in turnovers forced per game (21.13).
- Cameron Kahn leads the conference in points (334) and field goals (132). Khan was recently named on Bevo Francis's Top 100 Watch List. 
- Ricky Lujan ranks second in the conference in steals (30) and third for his assist/turnover ratio (2.60).
- Ta'Jay Dunlap also ranks second in the conference in steals (30).

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL
- Texas A&M International defeated Oklahoma Christian 64-60 in their ninth conference win. 
- The Dust Devils lead the conference for their scoring defense (66.7). They are also ranked third in the conference for turnovers forced per game (14.13).
- Texas A&M International is ranked fourth in the conference in steals per game (7.8) and sixth in blocks per game (2.9). 
- John Achebe ranks fourth in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (2.96) and ninth in rebounds per game (6.6). Achebe leads the Dust Devils in rebounds (147), assists (50), and steals (28). 
- Matthew Okoye ranks eighth in the conference in free throws (86). Okoye leads Texas A&M International in points (284), averaging 14.2 per game. 
- Olaverr Camacho leads the Dust Devils in blocks (20) and in field goal percentage (67.7%). 

SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots lead the all-time series 20-13. DBU defeated Texas A&M International 99-82 in their last matchup at the Burg Center on January 20, 2024. This will be their 34th match-up since the Dust Devils defeated the Patriots 88-64 on January 1, 2007. 

UP NEXT
The Patriots will travel to Kingsville, Texas, to face Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.