THE RUNDOWN
Sunday night at The Burg Center, No. 15 DBU (29-6, 18-2 LSC) took down five-seeded St. Edward's by a score of 70-56, advancing to the South Central Region Championship.
Cody Stevens once again led the Patriots in scoring, dropping 15 in DBU's 14th consecutive win.
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Jaden Shelvin opened the scoring with a putback layup before SEU's Jamison Kay responded by landing his first three of the night. The back-and-forth scoring would last for the first five minutes of the contest, as a
Cody Stevens jumper ignited a 9-3 Patriot run. DBU led 15-10 before the Hilltoppers clawed back and tied the game at 15 via a three-pointer from Mason Courtney.
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The teams traded buckets over the next two minutes, but just as the Patriots held a 19-17 lead, St. Edward's went on their longest run of the night (six points) to take a 23-19 lead. Trailing with three minutes left in the half,
TJ Thomas drilled a three to shrink the deficit to one before
Bishop Jones gave DBU the lead back with a two-handed slam. Conor McManus grabbed the lead right back for the Hilltoppers with a three of his own, but
Cody Stevens would have the final word in the first half as he drilled a lead-taking three with under a minute to go. After Stevens' bucket, the Patriots took a slim 27-26 lead into the locker room.
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The first half featured eight lead changes, as
TJ Thomas and Jamison Kay led everyone with eight points. DBU dominated the glass inside the first 20 minutes, outrebounding St. Edward's 28-18.
Bishop Jones and
TJ Thomas led the group with six each.
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Ryder Bradley gave the Hilltoppers a 29-27 lead at the beginning of the second half by converting an and-one, before
Bishop Jones knotted the score at 29 with a layup, starting the first of three alternating five-point runs. Trailing by three, Jamison Kay and Ryder Bradley worked together to force yet another lead change, taking a 34-32 advantage, but the Patriots would respond back in the form of a
Trevor Frank three, taking the lead right back. This back-and-forth would last until SEU took a four-point lead after Kay visited the free-throw line, but the Patriots would take over shortly.
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An
Xavion Brown layup ignited a 9-0 DBU run midway through the second half, and the Patriots wouldn't look back. Building their lead up as high as 16 points,
Drew Calderon led the way offensively by dropping 14 points in the second half, going 4-6 from beyond the arc. Calderon and the Patriots coasted to the finish line leading by double-digits, punching their ticket to the South Central Region Championship.
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THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU has now won 14 consecutive games.
- For the second consecutive year, the Patriots will play for the South Central Region Championship in their own building.
- Five different Patriots hauled in five or more rebounds in the win.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
+16 - DBU outrebounded St. Edward's 50-34 tonight.
5 -
Xavion Brown dished a floor-leading five assists against SEU.
3 - The Patriots held the Hilltoppers' All-South Central selection, Blake Nielsen, to a measly three points (1-10 FG).
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COMING UP NEXT
The Patriots will take on No. 10-ranked Black Hills State for the South Central Region Championship on Tuesday. Tip-off from The Burg Center is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
