Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score Dallas, Texas—It was a defensive battle in Dallas for the Aggie men Saturday as they took on Heartland team Dallas Baptist University.

OPSU coach Jerry Olson said that the team put up their "best defensive effort" thus far, but offensively just couldn't get things done. DBU snapped a six-game losing streak giving the Patriots a 73-62 victory at home.

The Aggies held a narrow lead throughout most of the first half and went into halftime with a one-point advantage (36-35) over the Patriots. OPSU held the Patriots to 42 percent from the field and just 20 percent from three-point range, while the Aggies shot 57 percent from the field and landed 5-10 from beyond the arc in the first twenty minutes of play.

Both teams struggled to find the basket in the second half as the shooting percentages from the field dropped in the thirties for each team. However, DBU dominated from the line sinking a perfect 16-16 for the game.

The Aggies were able to grab a four-point lead with ten minutes left in the game, but a pair of threes brought DBU ahead by two. In the time remaining, the Aggies left fifteen empty possessions on the court and allowed the Patriots eleven shots from the line.

"We took a lot of bad shots and really looked to get our own shots instead of giving someone else a chance," Coach Olson remarked. "We just couldn't make clutch shots when we needed them." The Aggies finished with eight assists for the day.

Defensively the Aggies matched the Patriots in rebounds, each totaling 31; but DBU bested OPSU in steals, grabbing ten to the Aggies' one.

Leading the Aggies in rebounds were Bill Lee and Jeremy Newton with eight and six boards respectively. Lee also contributed 13 points and Newton, who was on the court 37 of the 40 minutes, led the Aggies in scoring with 16 total points, nine coming from long distance. Z. Jones also made an impact with ten points, two rebounds, and two assists.

Overall Coach Olson was pleased with the defense and how the team gave themselves opportunities to win on the road this week.

The Aggies look to improve their 0-6 Heartland record at home this week as they continue conference play with the University of Texas-Permian Basin on Thursday and Lubbock Christian on Saturday.