THE RUNDOWN
On Saturday afternoon, the eighth-ranked DBU fell 97-88 at the Burg Center. The Patriots were led by Cameron Kahn, who scored 22 points and was followed in double-figures by Ricky Lujan (21), Ta'Jay Dunlap (13), and Austin Garner (11).
Cameron Kahn opened the game's scoring with a layup assisted by a steal from David Bradley. The Patriots opened a 10-2 run after a steal by Austin Garner led to a Ricky Lujan layup, forcing an early timeout from UTPB at 19:00. UTPB got on the board with a jumper at 17:57 before jumpers from Ta'Jay Dunlap, and Lajuan pushed DBU's lead to 15-8 just before the first media timeout of the game. UTPB brought on a defensive streak as they took advantage of the Patriots' fouls and tied it up 15 apiece with 13:51 left in the first half. DBU quickly extended their lead to 23-18 after two Trevor Frank three-point jumpers and an Issac Bullard layup.
The Falcons cut the lead to 1, 30-29, with just under nine minutes on the clock until Khan connected on his shot from inside the paint. UTPB used a quick 9-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 34-32, at 6:42, leaving DBU without any field goals in the last 3:48. The Falcons' momentum remained as they opened a 13-3 run and led, 42-35, at the final media timeout of the half. Breaking the Falcons' defensive pressure, a Garner three-pointer put DBU back in the running. At the half, UTPB held the lead 45-40.
UTPB's deficit fluctuated between six and eight as both teams entered a back-and-forth points battle in the first four minutes of the second half, with the Patriots trailing 56-48 at the 15:58 mark. A brief 6-0 burst by DBU courtesy of Justin Haire, Dunlap, and Lujan cut the Falcon's lead to just three, 63-60, with just over 11 minutes to play. Garner leveled the score 65-65 with his third three-point jumper at 10:40. A layup from Kahn gave DBU the lead, 67-65, until the lead was traded back to UTPB, killing the Patriots' momentum with a three-point jumper. Following a charging foul on Kahn, the two teams traded baskets, 76-71, until the media timeout was called at 6:29.
Taking advantage of UTPB's fouls, DBU was able to trim the Falcon's lead to two, 81-79, with free throws, a Dunlap jumper, and 3:49 left in the game. The Patriots' streak didn't last long, as UTPB was able to extend their lead back to eighth, 89-81, forcing DBU to call a timeout. The Patriots could not level the score, eventually dropping the contest 97-88.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Cameron Kahn's rebound game tonight pushed him to a career-high of 600 rebounds. Khan is only the third player in program history to reach 600 rebounds.
- Ta'Jay Dunlap's performance tonight marks his 100th career steal.
- The Patriots struggled from outside the arc, connecting on just 9 out of 20 three-pointers.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
7 - Justin Haire garnered a team-high seven rebounds.
20 - DBU scored 20 points off of 10 UTPB turnovers.
40 - The Falcons outscored the Patriots in the paint, 40-38.
UP NEXT
The Patriots will travel to Tyler, TX, to face UT Tyler. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:30.
