THE RUNDOWN

The No. 5 ranked DBU Patriots (24-3, 16-2) took down the Texas A&M International Dustdevils (11-16, 6-12) by a 32-point margin on Thursday night. Five players would contribute double-digit scoring as the Patriot offense matched their third-highest point total of the campaign. Jackson McCabe led the troops with 14 points on 100% efficiency (7-7). 

For the majority of the first half, tonight's game played out identically to the last time these two met; the Patriots held a small lead that they wouldn't relinquish thanks to high-percentage looks off of frequently forced turnovers. DBU's full-court press defense was very effective early, forcing a lot of TAMUI's first-half possessions to go late into the shot clock. At the conclusion of the first half, seven Patriots would have five or more points, led by Cameron Kahn's eight. DBU would hold a 24-point lead entering the break.

When the buzzer sounded for the second half, the Patriots would immediately pick up where they had left off. They continued to dominate the interior, manufacturing inside looks for the duration of the night. The DBU offense was outdone in efficiency marks but had 19 more shot attempts due to all of the forced turnovers. The Patriot's potent, high-motor playstyle forced two of TAMUI's starters to foul out before the game's end, as DBU cruised to a 98-66 victory. 

Freshman AJ Borden soared over his previous season-high total for assists (five) with a team-leading nine helpers. Borden would also lead the team in steals with three. Trevor Frank and McCabe led the team in plus-minus with a +25 mark. In a game where the Patriots struggled from the line (58.8%), Drew Calderon was a bright spot, making each of his five attempts from the charity stripe.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

- DBU extends their lead in the all-time series against TAMUI to 22-15.

- TAMUI entered tonight allowing 66.7 PPG, the third-best clip in the LSC. The Patriot offense exceeded that number by 31 points.  

- Drew Calderon, Cameron Kahn, and Isaac Bullard combined to go 11-11 from the free-throw line tonight.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

+34 - DBU's points-off-turnovers differential tonight (44-9).

+21 - The Patriots attempted 21 more free throws than the Dustdevils tonight.

15 - DBU rattled off a 15-0 run towards the end of the first half, their largest of the contest.

POSTGAME INTERVIEW 

COMING UP NEXT

DBU will look to extend their active winning streak this weekend as Texas A&M-Kingsville (10-13, 6-11) visits The Burg Center on Saturday afternoon.