box score

Jamal Holden made a layup with 54 seconds to go which gave the University of Texas of the Permian Basin the lead for good and eventually a 70-68 win over Dallas Baptist. After trailing by seven with 5:11 to go, Holden's bucket was part of a 12-4 run which helped the Falcons improve to 8-7 overall and 2-1 in Heartland Conference play.

With the victory, the Falcons surpassed last year's win total and after starting the season 1-5, have now won seven of their past nine games, including two in overtime.

Holden finished with a season-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting and made five of the team's nine three-pointers on the night. He was one of three players to finish in double-figures as Ke'Andre Derrick finished with 13, while Dwayne Soders added 10 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the year.

The game featured 10 ties and eight lead changes and neither team was able to establish a comfortable lead. UTPB led nearly the entire first half, including a five point advantage on two different occasions. The Falcons opened the game on a 5-0 run after a three-pointer and layup by Derrick. Dallas Baptist would eventually tie the game at five on a 12-footer by Jordan McGowen, who led all scorers with 25 points. He would give the Patriots their first lead of the game on a layup with 12:57 to go before the break to make it 13-11. They would take the lead on two other occasions until Holden's three-pointer with 53 seconds to play gave the Falcons a 30-27 lead. UTPB would eventually go into the locker room with a 32-29 edge thanks to a 20-foot baseline buzzer beater jumper by Erik Martin.

The trend would continue in the second half as the two teams exchanged buckets with the Falcons clinging to the lead. They would go up by as many as six (45-39) with 14:59 to go after a three-pointer by Louis Crane, but a 9-0 run would eventually give the Patriots a 48-45 lead with 10:37 to play.

A three-pointer by Luther Thomas tied it at 48, but McGowen drained a three on the other end to give the Patriots a 51-48 lead. They would keep the lead for the next seven minutes, including a 61-54 advantage with 5:11 to go.

The momentum finally turned in the Falcons favor when Holden blocked a shot that was grabbed by Soders, which led to a dunk by Elijah Jordan, giving the Falcons a 64-63 lead with 2:16 to go. Nick Fox quickly gave the lead back to the Patriots after a layup with 1:09 to go, but Holden's layup 15 seconds later gave the Falcons the lead for good.

UTPB will remain at home on Saturday when it hosts Arkansas-Fort Smith at 4:30 p.m. in the Falcon Dome.