THE RUNDOWN
No. 5 DBU turned in an impressive 104-76 victory Saturday afternoon over UAFS in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Ricky Lujan dropped a team-high 23 points, leading the Patriots to their 12th conference win of the season and an 18-2 mark through 20 games.
DBU set the pace as they scored 21 of the game's opening 28 points en route to building a 24-point edge, 34-10, with 9:48 left in the first half. Attempting to find their rhythm, the Lions went over three minutes without a field goal before opening an 11-2 run. The Patriots would eventually extended their lead to 22, taking a 61-39 advantage into the locker room.
DBU scored six points in the first sixty seconds of the second half to put the Patriots up by 28. DBU reached the 30-point margin for the first time, 78-48, with 12:48 remaining and pushed their lead out to 32, 82-50 with 11:40 to go after going on an 11-2 run.
UAFS chipped away a 9-0 run with two minutes left in the half, but never got any closer than 29, as DBU claimed a 104-76 victory.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Ricky Lujan's 23-point performance passed Eddie Gloviak for the sixth-most points in school history.
- The Patriots shot 20-28 from the charity stripe.
- Justin Haire and Deng Dut grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
5 - Five Patriots scored double figures, including
Ricky Lujan (23),
Cameron Kahn (18),
Trevor Frank (12),
Austin Garner (13), and
Ta'Jay Dunlap (10).
16 - The Patriots racked up a season-high 16 steals.
36 - DBU totaled 36 points off of UAFS's 24 turnovers.
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE TEAM'S MENTAL AND PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS
"This was a great effort today from start to finish. Saturdays are always tough, and our fourth straight road game could have been some fatigued, but the guys never showed it. There was lots of mental and physical toughness shown today. Everything looks better when the ball goes in, but I loved the effort we showed most of all. The 20 assists, 16 steals, and 14 offensive rebounds really set the tone. This was just an excellent road win."
UP NEXT
Next Thursday, the Patriots will return to Dallas to face St. Edwards. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Burg Center.
