THE RUNDOWN
Ricky Lujan logged his 20th straight double-figures game in an 85-73 victory over Angelo State Thursday evening at the Burg Center. Tonight's performance pushes DBU to 16-3 in LSC play.
Ricky Lujan connected on DBU's first basket of the evening, followed by an ASU 3- 3-pointer. Another layup and free throw by Lujan, combined with a layup by Justin Haire, set the score 7-3 at the first media timeout of the game. The Patriots maintained an edge through the next stretch of action as they went on a 9-0 surge, creating an 18-7 lead with just under 13 minutes remaining in the first half.
A quick 6-0 scoring burst by the Rams trimmed the Patriot's margin to four until a Ta'Jay Dunlap three extended their lead to 21-14 with 9:54 remaining. Trevor Frank followed up with back-to-back three-pointers, pushing DBU's lead to double-digits for the second time. Taking advantage of Patriots fouls, the Rams trimmed the deficit to one, 27-26, with under five minutes left in the half.
The Patriots remained in the lead at halftime, 41-26, after Frank became the first DBU player in double figures with a three-pointer to give the Patriots their largest lead of 13 at the time until a couple of Haire free throws extended the margin to 15.
Dominating inside the paint, the Patriots opened a 10-0 run aided by Lujan's own six points, extending his streak of scoring double figures and pushing the lead margin to 23, 51-28. The three-point barrage continued with Frank draining his fourth and Cody Stevens putting up his first to push DBU's lead to 23 twice. Taking advantage of the Patriots' foul trouble, the Rams used an eight-point run to trim the deficit to 17 with under 10 minutes left in the game.
Finding their momentum after the media timeout, ASU cut the margin to a single-digit game with 5:07 left. Jaden Shelvin put the Rams on ice, reaching double figures with back-to-back layups, expanding the Patriots' lead to 14. The back-and-forth affair continued with both teams trading buckets. A Cameron Kahn layup with less than a minute left put the finishing touches on the Patriot's 85-73 victory.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Ricky Lujan's 98th career start tonight ties Eddie Gloviak for the fifth most games started in program history.
- Jaden Shelvin logged 10 points in his first career start.
- The Patriots scored 26 bench points opposite the Rams 14.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
4- Four Patriots scored double figures, including
Ricky Lujan (24),
Trevor Frank (16),
Cameron Kahn (12) and
Jaden Shelvin (10).
7- Ricky Lujan garnered a season-high seven steals.
21- Ricky Lujan logged his 21st straight double-figures in 24 point performance tonight.
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER'S AND RICKY LUJAN'S POST-GAME COMMENTS
UP NEXT
The Patriots remain at the Burg Center as they face UT Permian Basin on Senior Night Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
