THE RUNDOWN
No. 6 Patriots earned their 21st win after defeating the Cameron Aggies, 91-82, on Saturday afternoon. Ricky Lujan and Cameron Kahn led the Patriots in scoring, tallying 22 and 19 points, respectively. Justin Haire also came up big, pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds to help secure the victory. DBU got off to a hot start, fueled by an early 9-0 run, but the Aggies battled back to keep things close throughout the game. Despite some stretches of offensive droughts, the Patriots' defense and timely plays from key contributors pushed them to a double-digit lead in the second half, and they never looked back, cruising to the win.
The DBU Patriots surged early against the Cameron Aggies, with Trevor Frank hitting a three-pointer to ignite a 9-0 run, including key plays from Cameron Kahn, giving the Patriots a strong lead and forcing the Aggies to call a timeout. However, Cameron responded with a 9-0 run of their own to tie the game at 9 apiece with 17 minutes left. Justin Haire's three-pointer put DBU back in front at 12-9, but despite the Patriots' lead, Cameron dominated inside, shooting 71% in the paint by the under-12 media timeout. Nonetheless, DBU's relentless defense kept pressure on the Aggies, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on rebounds.
A Ricky Lujan layup helped DBU extend their lead to 28-24 as the under-8 media timeout approached. The Aggies briefly took the lead after a free throw by Zaveion Okoh, but Lujan responded with a clutch three to put DBU back in front, 31-29. Lujan would go on to lead all scorers with 11 points in the first half, including back-to-back threes that capped off an 8-0 run and gave the Patriots a 36-29 advantage. Despite some back-and-forth offensive pressure, DBU held a 46-39 lead heading into the second half.
The Aggies came out strong in the second half, taking advantage of DBU's foul trouble to trim the deficit to just three points, 50-47, following a clutch three-pointer and an and-one opportunity. However, Junior Goodlet made a key steal and layup in the paint, pushing the Patriots' lead to seven as they entered the under-16 timeout. Despite DBU's advantage, a three-minute scoring drought allowed Cameron to close the gap, making it a two-possession game until Xavion Brown's second-chance layup gave the Patriots a boost.
Foul trouble for the Aggies gave DBU an opportunity to extend their lead to 69-61 with free throws from Lujan. The Patriots then pushed their advantage to 11 after a second-chance layup by Justin Haire at 7:35. Cameron responded with a quick scoring burst, cutting the DBU lead in half, but the Patriots regained control and extended their advantage back to 11, 86-75, thanks to contributions from Lujan and Kahn. After another scoring lull, Brown's jumper in the paint gave DBU their largest lead of 12, 88-76, with 1:36 left. The Patriots held firm down the stretch, coasting to a 91-82 victory.
FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Â With tonight's win, the 2024-2025 Patriots tie the 2023-2024 squad for the best record in program history through 24 games (21-3). The Patriots are now five wins away from matching the 2017-18 team for the most wins (26 in a season).Â
- Justin Haire led DBU with a team-high 10 rebounds, while Xavion Brown recorded a team-high four assists. Â
- The Patriots forced 20 turnovers from the Aggies, converting them into 26 points.
- Ricky Lujan scored 11 points a half to lead all scorers in today's game with 22.Â
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3- Three Patriots finished in double figures, including
Ricky Lujan (22),
Cameron Kahn (19), and
Trevor Frank (14).
15- Cameron Kahn sits 15 points removed from 2,000 on his career (19 points tonight).
54- DBU produced 54 points in the paint compared to Cameron's 42.
DBU MBB JUSTIN HAIRE "PLAYER OF THE GAME"Â POST-GAME COMMENTS
UP NEXT
The Patriots head to Austin and San Antonio next week for matches with St. Edward's on Thursday, February 6, and St. Mary's on Saturday, February 8.
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