THE RUNDOWN
Dallas Baptist University advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament with a dominant 74-54 victory over Regis University. Cameron Kahn led the Patriots with a game-high 19 points, while Jackson McCabe contributed a team-high 7 rebounds, playing an essential role in both the offense and defense. DBU showcased strong teamwork, aggressive defense, and efficient offense, establishing control early in the game and never looking back. With the victory, the Patriots are now set to continue their historic tournament run, moving on to the semifinals.
The Patriots came out strong in the first half, establishing control early with an aggressive defensive effort and efficient offense. Ricky Lujan opened the scoring with a layup after a strong defensive pressure by Drew Calderon, and Jaden Shelvin forced a turnover, resulting in another easy layup from Lujan, putting the Patriots up 4-0 at the 18:52 mark. Regis quickly responded with a layup, but Cameron Kahn answered right back, scoring to extend DBU's lead to 6-2 at 18:19. After a three-pointer from Regis cut the deficit to 6-5 at 16:46, Jackson McCabe stepped up, knocking down two free throws after being fouled to give DBU an 8-5 advantage.
The pace of the game started to pick up in favor of Regis, and the Rangers managed to tie it up at 8-8 before taking their first lead of the game at 14:44 with a score of 10-8. Regis then went on a 7-0 run, forcing the Patriots into a two-minute scoring drought. However, Kahn broke the drought with two free throws, bringing the score to 10-12 at 13:36. Lujan's layup tied the game once again at 12-12, but Regis regained the lead, and an and-one play gave them a 15-12 lead. Trevor Frank then hit a crucial three-pointer to cut the deficit to 17-15, but the Rangers quickly responded with their own shot to maintain a slim lead.
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As the game continued to see back-and-forth action, DBU tied it again at 19-19 with a layup from JR Goodlet. Regis pushed back, going up 21-19 after two free throws, but a three-pointer from Shelvin gave the Patriots a 22-21 lead at 6:40. From there, DBU found their rhythm. Lujan's layup extended the lead to three, and Frank capped off a 7-0 run with another three-pointer, making it 26-21 at 4:51. Two free throws from Lujan and a pair from Xavion Brown stretched DBU's lead to 30-22 at 4:23, part of an 11-1 run by the Patriots. The atmosphere in the Burg Center was electric as DBU pushed their lead into double digits, with Kahn's layup making it 34-24 at 2:15. At that point, the Patriots had forced 14 turnovers from Regis, compared to their own 9. Despite a few baskets from Regis, Kahn's and-one play pushed the DBU lead back to 37-27, and Calderon's free throw extended it to an 11-point advantage. The Patriots weren't done yet. Lujan's layup at 36 seconds put DBU up by 13, and they closed out the first half with a strong 40-29 lead, looking dominant on both ends of the court.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The second half saw Regis come out with determination, cutting DBU's lead to 42-34 early in the period. However, Isaac Bullard quickly responded with a creative shot from behind his head, pushing the Patriots' lead back to 10 at 44-34 with 16:28 remaining. The game continued to be a back-and-forth battle, with the Patriots' lead fluctuating between 8 and 10 points as the Rangers fought to stay within striking distance. At the 14:28 mark, Lujan hit a clutch three-pointer, extending DBU's lead to 49-36—the largest lead of the game up to that point. The Patriots' defense ramped up, forcing the Rangers into a scoring drought that lasted over two minutes. During that stretch, Kahn capitalized on the opportunity with a layup, pushing the lead to 51-36 at 11:07. Another two-minute scoring drought from Regis followed, and Kahn added another layup, extending the DBU lead to 16 points.
The Patriots' defense continued to dominate, highlighted by a spectacular sequence at the 4:20 mark. Brown made a layup in the paint, followed by a block and a steal from McCabe, leading to a fast-break layup by Isaac Bullard, which put DBU up by 17 at 67-50. The crowd was fired up as the Patriots began to seize full control of the game. Frank capped off a seven-point run with a three-pointer, extending the lead to 20 points. With the game in hand, DBU showed their confidence and flair. McCabe delivered a powerful dunk off an assist from Frank, bringing the crowd to its feet as the Patriots cruised to a 74-54 victory, securing their place in the next round of the tournament.
FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Tonight's victory marks DBU's first-ever postseason win on their home floor, propelling them into the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Semifinals.
- The Patriots forced 25 turnovers from the Rangers and capitalized by scoring 18 points off those turnovers.
- The Patriots were relentless on both ends of the floor, racking up 15 steals, 15 assists, and 4 blocks, showcasing their all-around defensive prowess and unselfish team play.
- Cameron Kahn led the team in scoring with 19 points, while Jackson McCabe grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Xavion Brown dished out the most assists and also tied with Cody Stevens for the team lead in steals with three.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3- Three Patriots finished in double figures tonight, led by
Cameron Kahn with 19 points, followed by
Ricky Lujan with 15, and
Trevor Frank with 10.
28- The Patriots' bench contributed 28 points, making a significant impact on the game.
44- DBU produced 44 points in the paint compared to Regis's 28.
DBU POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE- NCAA DIVISION II SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS
UP NEXT
The Patriots will return to the Burg Center tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Semifinals, where they will face the winners of the final quarterfinal matchup.
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