THE RUNDOWN
No. 3 DBU dropped its second conference game of the season, 65-55, on Thursday evening in Laredo, Texas, at the hands of Texas A&M International. The Patriots struggled from the floor, shooting 37 percent, while the Dust Devils outscored DBU in the paint.
TAMIU scored nine of the first 14 points, holding the lead on a 9-1 run. DBU soon used a 10-2 surge to take the lead, 13-11, with 13:41 left in the half. The Dust Devils went back in front, 21-17, with 8:41 left, holding the Patriots without a point for over two minutes. TAMIU used an 8-0 run to push the margin to 10 points, 30-20, with 4:10 on the clock. TAMIU took a 31-26 lead into the locker room after shots from Ta'Jay Dunlap and Ricky Lujan trimmed the lead to five.
Early in the second half, the Dust Devils were aggressive in opening a 12-3 run. The spurt extended the deficit to 14 with 13:53 to play as the Patriots went without a field goal for over three minutes. DBU countered, opening an 11-0 run to trim the margin to six, 49-43, with 9:44 left in the game. TAMIU extended its lead to 18 with a 14-2 burst, going up 63-45, with 4:39 left in the game. The Dust Devils kept DBU outside arm's reach for the bulk of the half as they could not make a comeback despite a 7-0 run at the end and DBU ultimately fell to TAMIU, 65-55.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU's 25 points in the first half is their lowest in a half this season since January 25 vs. West Texas A&M.
- The Patriots struggled from outside the arc, connecting on just 3-20 three-pointers.
- Cameron Kahn scored a game-high 15 points, and Ta'Jay Dunlap grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
13 - TAMIU won the rebound battle by 13, 36-23.
15 - The Dust Devils outscored the Patriots in second-chance points, 15-4.
55 - DBU was held to a season-low of 55 points.
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER'S ON THE PATRIOTS LOSS
"Tonight, the better and tougher team won. They played really well and outplayed us in every area. I need to do a better job as a coach of having us prepared and keeping us poised. This one is on me. We have preached all year the importance of having a next-play mentality, and that will again be important as we look to bounce back against a hungry, gritty, tough team on Saturday who is celebrating their Senior Night."
UP NEXT
The Patriots remain on the road as they face Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
