THE RUNDOWN
No. 16 DBU defeated Texas A&M Kingsville by a 15-point margin on Thursday night, securing a 94-79 victory. The Patriots took control early, with Jaden Shelvin hitting a three-pointer to spark an 8-0 run and give DBU an early lead. Despite a strong push from the Javelinas, who managed to close the gap at times, the Patriots maintained their composure and built a commanding lead. Drew Calderon, Trevor Frank, Ricky Lujan and Shelvin were instrumental in DBU's offensive surge, while timely contributions from Xavion Brown and Cameron Kahn helped extend their advantage. The Patriots led by 20 at halftime and never looked back, with crucial free throws from AJ Borden and a jumper by Junior Goodlet sealing the win in the final minutes.
DBU took control early in their matchup against TAMUK, with Jaden Shelvin setting the tone by opening the scoring for the Patriots with a three-pointer to spark an 8-0 run. Cody Stevens and Ricky Lujan followed with additional buckets, stretching the lead to 8-2. However, the Javelinas responded swiftly, battling back to tie the game as both teams traded blows. The key moment came when Drew Calderon went on an eight-point run, pushing the Patriots ahead by five, 16-11. Though TAMUK was able to close the gap to just one point, DBU answered with timely shots from Xavion Brown and Cameron Kahn, extending their lead once again.
Trevor Frank then hit back-to-back three-pointers, giving DBU their first double-digit advantage, 39-27, with just under five minutes remaining in the first half. After the under-four media timeout, Calderon added two free throws, and Brown sparked another scoring burst that was capped off by a Lujan layup. Frank kept his strong performance going, knocking down another three-pointer to reach 13 points before Calderon closed the half with a three-pointer of his own, giving DBU a commanding 54-34 lead heading into the break.
The second half began with Shelvin sinking a three-pointer off an assist from Kahn, followed by another three from Calderon to push the Patriots' lead to 26, 60-34. Both teams applied full-court pressure, leading to a nearly two-minute scoring drought before Jackson McCabe broke the silence with a jumper, capping off an 8-0 run for DBU. The Javelinas responded, cutting their lead to 19 with a three-pointer from Zyon Little, followed by back-to-back buckets from Daniel Sanchez to ignite an 11-2 run.
Lujan then hit double digits with 14 points off an assist from AJ Borden, and Stevens added a three-pointer to restore DBU's 20-point advantage, 78-58. With just seven minutes remaining, TAMUK began chipping away at the lead, eventually trimming it to 12 after a shot from Jake Arnold. However, Borden hit four crucial free throws to extend DBU's lead back to 19, and Junior Goodlet added a jumper in his debut to help the Patriots seal a 94-79 victory.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Drew Calderon and Trevor Frank led the court in efficiency (19.0).
- DBU maintained the lead for 95.8% during today's matchup.
- AJ Borden, Cameron Kahn, and Drew Calderon were flawless at the free-throw line, making every attempt.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
4- Four Patriots finished in double figures, including
Trevor Frank (20),
Drew Calderon (16),
Ricky Lujan (15) and
Xavion Brown (12).
7- AJ Borden and
Xavion Brown led the Patriots with a team-high seven rebounds.
20- DBU produced 20 fast break points compared to TAMUK's 15.
100%- Cody Stevens was spotless from the field, making every shot from both the field and three-point range.
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER POST-GAME COMMENTS
"We came out firing on all cylinders tonight. It was fun to see the offense really get going, but it started with great defensive energy. Every game is tough on the road in the LSC, and we're thankful to come out with a victory. It was great seeing DBU Basketball alumni Juan Reyna who always comes out to support us when we come to Kingsville. We are excited to just keep focusing on the process of getting a little bit better every day as we move through January!"
UP NEXT
DBU travels to Laredo, Texas, for a game against Texas A&M International on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. at the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building.
