THE RUNDOWN
No. 16 DBU pulled away from Texas A&M International in an 82-74 victory on Thursday night, despite a resilient push from the Dustdevils in the second half. The Patriots came out strong, quickly building a double-digit lead in the opening minutes, but TAMIU fought back, tying the game multiple times and keeping the pressure on throughout. With key contributions from multiple players, DBU managed to maintain control for most of the game, building a solid lead before holding off a late rally from the Dustdevils. Although TAMIU cut the margin to as little as five in the final minutes, the Patriots held their ground to secure the win.
The Patriots came out strong, applying heavy offensive pressure and quickly building a significant lead within the first three minutes. Despite DBU's fast start, TAMIU battled back, tying the game three times, with the score knotted at 11 all with 13:57 remaining. Drew Calderon then hit a key three-pointer to push the Patriots back into the lead. In the midst of a back-and-forth scoring exchange, Jaden Shelvin and Ricky Lujan added important shots to extend DBU's lead to six. The Patriots built on their momentum, taking advantage of Dustdevil turnovers to stretch their lead to 10, 25-15, with baskets from Cody Stevens and Xavion Brown.
TAMIU responded with a layup from Elijah Bailey, but Trevor Frank quickly countered by forcing a turnover and converting to give DBU an 11-point advantage, 35-24, with just under seven minutes to play. However, with under five minutes left in the half, the Patriots struggled to find a field goal, allowing the Dustdevils to cut the margin to single digits. Free throws from Lujan and a layup from Jackson McCabe pushed DBU back into double-digit territory, but Brown's attempt to close out the half with a dunk was answered by a step-back three from TAMIU, leaving the Patriots with a slim 45-36 lead heading into the break.
The second half began with Kahn going head-to-head with TAMIU's offense, trading baskets with Isaiah Sommers and Emaniel Alexandre for the first three minutes. Kahn's scoring spark ignited a 15-point run for the Patriots, capped off by a layup from McCabe, pushing DBU to an 18-point lead, 60-42, with 14 minutes remaining and forcing the Dustdevils into a two-minute scoring drought. Shelvin extended the advantage to 21 with back-to-back layups, but TAMIU responded with their own rally. By the under-eight media timeout, the Dustdevils had trimmed the lead to 17, taking advantage of multiple DBU-scoring droughts. With 1:46 left, TAMIU had cut the deficit to just five points, but DBU held firm, ultimately securing the 82-74 victory.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- AJ Borden led DBU with a team-high five assists, while Trevor Frank recorded a team-high five steals.
- The Patriots maintained the lead for 94.5% during today's matchup.
- DBU forced 27 turnovers from the Dustdevils, converting them into 32 points.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3- Three Patriots finished in double figures, including
Cameron Kahn (17),
Ricky Lujan (16), and
Trevor Frank (16).
6- Cody Stevens led the Patriots with a team-high six rebounds.Â
51- DBU produced 51 points in the paint compared to TAMIU's 35.
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER POST-GAME COMMENTS
"Tonight's matchup was a great wire-to-wire win against a really tough team that is not at all easy to play against. Cam, Ricky, and Trev were big contributors offensively and Xavion helped ice the game with a couple of clutch rebounds late, but it was a total team effort with lots of guys making plays to help get us over the top. We are excited to get home and play in front of the Patriot faithful this week!"Â
UP NEXT
DBU heads back to Dallas for a four-game homestand that begins with a showdown against West Texas A&M on Thursday, January 23.
