THE RUNDOWN
Saturday afternoon at The Burg Center, No. 15 DBU (28-6, 18-2 LSC) took down eight-seeded Colorado Mesa 99-66, advancing to Sunday's slate of second-round contests.
Cody Stevens posted the game lead in points, dropping 20 in DBU's 13th consecutive win.
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The Patriots were enforcing their high-pace style from the jump, as
Trevor Frank opened the scoring with a three-pointer, before
Bishop Jones flushed a fastbreak dunk off a turnover. DBU would hold onto its lead for the entire night, expanding the lead to double digits after rattling off runs of five, four, and eight less than eight minutes into the game. The Patriots led 28-12 ten minutes into the contest, and they were just getting started. Less than three minutes later, Frank drilled his second three of the game to extend the lead to 22 points. DBU's first-half lead would grow as high as 27 points, and that's exactly where it rested as the game went into the halftime break. The Patriots led 53-26 after 20 minutes of play.
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Cody Stevens was a perfect 4-4 from the field in the opening half and added a free throw, giving him ten points at the break. DBU outrebounded Colorado Mesa 16-10 in the first frame, but the story of the night at this point was the Patriots' 71.0% field goal percentage. Stevens,
Jackson McCabe, and
Bishop Jones combined to go 11-11 from the field to lead DBU in first-half efficiency.
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The second half brought more of the same for the Patriots, as they'd build their lead as high as 40 points. DBU poked 10 of their 13 steals in the second half, led by Frank, McCabe, and Goodlet, who each had three in the second half.
TJ Thomas went 3-3 from the field, including two three-pointers, to lead the Patriots in efficiency in the second half, as Stevens led everyone on the floor with another ten points. Ten different DBU players found the scoresheet in the second half, as the Patriots coasted to a 33-point victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU has now won 13 consecutive games, which is the longest winning streak in program history.
- Eight different Patriots recorded multiple rebounds this afternoon.
-
Xavion Brown,
AJ Borden, and
Junior Goodlet each dished five assists this afternoon.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
0 - DBU didn't trail for a single second in their first-round matchup.
75% - The Patriots went 12-16 from the free-throw line.
45.0% - DBU shot an elite 45.0% from beyond the arc against Colorado Mesa.
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COMING UP NEXT
DBU will go on to face the winner between (4) Western New Mexico and (5) St. Edward's on Sunday at 7:30 pm.
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