THE RUNDOWN
No. 4 Seed DBU fell to No. 1 Seed West Texas A&M, 60-54, in the semifinal round of the NCAA South Central Regional Championship late Sunday night in Canyon, Texas. With the loss, the Patriots season ends at the hands of the Buffs. Deng Dut led the Patriots in scoring with a game-high 23 points.
Deng Dut scored on DBU's opening possession, and Jaden Shelvin joined his teammate in the scoring column shortly after. A hot start from the Patriots sent them into the first media timeout ahead by five. WT drew within two, 15-13, on the fast break with 10:56 remaining before the half. WT used a 6-0 scoring burst to pull within two, 22-20, at the 7:33 mark before taking their first lead with a three-point jumper, forcing DBU to call a timeout, triggering a media timeout. The Buffs looked to extend their scoring burst past eight, but a Jaden Shelvin three-pointer knotted the score, 25-25, until WT answered with a second-chance layup to keep their lead with 4:17 left in the opening half. The two teams traded buckets out of the final media timeout break, combining to score seven points as WT took a 31-28 lead into the break.Â
The Buffs opened the second half extending their lead to six, but Dut quickly answered with back-to-back shots to trim their lead to 1, 34-33, at 18:15. An individual eight-point burst by Dut pushed him into double-figures and regained DBU's lead before WT responded to tie up the score 36 apiece. Defensive pressure on both sides saw neither team score for over four minutes until Ta'Jay Dunlap knocked a shot in the paint to level the score again 38-38. The Patriots regained the lead after a Dunlap free throw followed by a Dut layup, and Shelvin dunk to extend DBU's lead to five, 43-38, with 10:34 left on the clock. WT quickly answered, trimming the Patriots' deficit to one on the fast break. A jumper by the Buffs made it a 47-43 ballgame in favor of WT as they opened a 9-0 scoring burst as the clock ticked under nine minutes in the second half.Â
The Patriots were rendered to a 3:40 scoring drought until a Trevor Frank three-point jumper trimmed WT's scoring margin to 1, 47-46. WT maintained a lead that extended on a 14-3 scoring advantage until a DBU capped it off with a Dut driving layup to pull within four, 54-50, out of the final media timeout. The Buffs expanded their lead to seven until they fouled Dut, allowing him to trim their lead to three with 38 seconds left on the clock. Fouls on the Patriots plagued DBU as they fell short of reclaiming the lead en route to the 60-54 final score.Â
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots struggled from outside the arc, connecting on just 5-20 three-pointers. Â
- WT outscored the Patriots 16-2 in second-chance points.Â
- Both teams were 100% from the free-throw line in the second half.Â
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
8- Cameron Kahn grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.Â
23- Deng Dut scored a season-high of 23 points.Â
26- DBU's 26 points in the first half is their lowest in a half this season since February 15 vs. Texas A&M International.Â
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE PATRIOTS' END TO THE SEASON
"It's hard to express the gratitude I have for this group of seniors. There were a lot of tears in the locker room because we poured our hearts out, and they just enjoyed competing together so much. It's hard for the journey to end with a group that loves one another. This group can hold their head high, knowing they left the program in a better position than when they arrived. We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us and try to keep pushing. We'll get over this obstacle someday and look back on this day as a step up the ladder. We'll continue to keep our eyes on Jesus, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross and try to continue competing as hard as we can with integrity and grit for his glory. Today, we hurt, but I am proud of these guys and who they are."
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