(Photo Courtesy of McNeese State)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Dallas Christian College men's basketball team dropped its first countable contest in the 2020-21 season, falling 108-93 at Baptist Bible on Friday night. The Crusaders struggled shooting in the first half and fell behind 13 points to start the game en route to a 55-30 halftime deficit.

A positive for head coach Dwight Coleman's group is they never stop competing, as the team poured in 63 second-half points. Down a significant margin, the Crusaders were able to use turnovers and free throws to slow the game down and climb back to within 80-66 and just under eight minutes to go. The Patriots answered back to put the game out of reach.

Tyjuan Battles led the Crusaders with a personal-best 30 points, as he shot 9-for-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from downtown. The sophomore out of Fort Worth, Texas also had an 8-for-10 effort at the free throw line.

Micah Tucker chipped in 16 points thanks a 3-for-5 field goal effort (all from three) and 7-for-8 free throw shooting. Tilyr Hobson added 14 points and a game-high five steals to go with six rebounds. Reggie Daniels led the team on the glass with eight boards and rounded out the double-digit scoring quartet with 12 points.

Tre Flowers led the Patriots with 20 points, while Dawson Meinders followed with 18. D'Shawn Coleman contributed 15 points and led all players with nine rebounds. Tre Minton added 14 points.

Both teams turned the ball over at least 30 times and were at the free throw line at a high clip. Baptist Bible made 48 free throws, while DCC had 25 makes. The Crusaders were called for 42 fouls, while the Patriots committed 27.

Dallas Christian returns to action this week with an exhibition at local NCAA Division I UT-Arlington on Thursday, December 17. Keep an eye out on dccsports.com for any adjustments to the Crusaders schedule.