THE RUNDOWN
On opening night of the 2025 River City Holiday Classic, DBU (8-4, 3-0 LSC) took down Rogers State (6-5, 1-2 MIAA), extending the Patriots' win streak to six.
Xavion Brown led everyone on the floor in points (18), assists (5), and steals (4), while shooting 50% from the field.
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Brown opened the scoring by making his first three-point attempt of the season, and DBU was able to build an 11-3 lead just a little over two minutes into the contest. The teams would trade buckets for a smidge before the Hillcats turned up the heat: Rogers State rattled off a 14-0 run across three minutes, putting the Patriots in a 16-26 hole halfway through the first frame. As DBU responded by turning in several mini-runs of their own,
Drew Calderon led everyone with six points in the last ten minutes of the opening half, and the teams entered the break knotted up at 39.
Jaden Shelvin led the Patriots with three steals in a half where they forced Rogers State to turn the ball over 14 times.
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With a layup,
Jackson McCabe gave DBU its first lead since the game was six minutes old, and similarly to the Patriots' win last time out over No. 7 St. Mary's, the two teams would play cat and mouse in the opening ten minutes of the second frame. Three lead changes and six ties later,
Trevor Frank sank a layup that gave DBU a 57-56 advantage that they would not relinquish. The Patriots outscored the Hillcats 20-13 inside the last 10:20, cementing DBU's sixth consecutive win.
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Coach
Dr. Blake Flickner had this to say on the win: "Gritty performance today against a really good Rogers State team. Guys were locked in and were able to make some adjustments on the fly which was huge. I also felt like we closed out the game down the stretch more intelligently which is a mark of a team that is maturing and figuring out how to win. X filled up the box score, but there were big time contributions from lots of guys today. Really proud. Now we got to rest up for a very quick turnaround."
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The majority of
Xavion Brown's damage was done in a spectacular second-half: Brown scored 13 points, hauled in three boards, dished three assists, and plucked two steals inside the last 20 minutes of Tuesday's contest.
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Drew Calderon and
Jaden Shelvin combined to go 7-7 from the free-throw line tonight.
- The Patriots outrebounded Rogers State 21-16 in the second half.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
50% - Amidst
Xavion Brown's box-office night, he shot 7/14 from the field.
19 - X played 19 of 20 minutes in the second half.
8 - Eight different Patriots recorded a steal tonight.
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COMING UP NEXT
Following Tuesday's victory, DBU will square off with Missouri-St. Louis to conclude the 2025 River City Holiday Classic. Wednesday's tip-off is scheduled for 3 pm.
