#3 DBU (20-3, 14-3) vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (6-17, 4-14) 
February 17 | 3:00 p.m. | Kingsville, TX| Gil E. Steinke Physical Education Center

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

COUNTDOWN TO TIP-OFF
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. 

On Saturday, the Patriots will continue their road schedule in Kingsville, TX, against Texas A&M-Kingsville.  

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 scoring offenses (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 50 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-KINGSVILLE
- Texas A&M-Kingsville defeated UT Tyler 55-47 in their fourth conference win. 
-  The Javelinas lead the conference in three-point percentage defense (31.8).
- Texas A&M-Kingsville is ranked third in the conference in steals per game (8.3) and third in turnovers forced per game (14.09). 
- C.J. Smith leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.81) and ranks second in steals per game (1.87). Smith leads the Javelinas in points (367), assists (90), and steals (43). 
- Jordan Henderson leads Texas A&M-Kingsville in blocks (17), and Kendrick Washington leads in rebounds (91). 


SERIES HISTORY
The Javelinas lead the all-time series 4-3. DBU defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville 97-68 in their last matchup at the Burg Center on January 18, 2024. This will be their eighth match-up since the Patriots defeated the Javelinas 72-55 on January 4, 2020. 


UP NEXT
The Patriots will head home to face Angelo State on February 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.