No. 23 DBU repeats as LSC tournament champion on last-second shot - Lone Star Conference Skip To Main Content

Men's Basketball

No. 23 DBU repeats as LSC tournament champion on last-second shot

Championship Central
 
By NICK EATMAN

FRISCO, Texas –  In a battle of the last two LSC Championship Tournament winners, the title is staying in Dallas after DBU’s dramatic 76-74 over Eastern New Mexico Sunday at Comerica Center.

DBU’s Trevor Frank's left-wing jump swished the net with 0.2 seconds remaining, giving the Patriots the lead, eventually the win and back-to-back tournament titles.

In a game between the top seeds, the win also likely gives DBU a shot to host next week’s regional tournament again in Dallas.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Greyhounds, who also had a chance to host the regional. And ironically, the loss a flipped version of the regular-season meeting between both teams as ENMU’s Cooper Jackson hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Greyhounds a 76-73 win (Jan. 29).

As it turned out, that was DBU’s last defeat as the Patriots have won 12 straight games to improve to 27-6.

Xavion Brown was named tournament MVP for the second consecutive year, becoming the first player in LSC Championship Tournanent history to win the award in back-to-back years. He was joined on the All-Tournment team by Frank and DBU guard TJ Thomas, along with ENMU guards Mo Austin and Jackson.

Brown led all scorers with 17 points but provided much more for the Patriots than just scoring, tallying six rebounds, five assists and two steals in the final. Over the three tournament games in Frisco, Brown averaged 11.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

On Sunday, the game lived up to a 1-2 matchup as neither team led by more than eight points. There were 12 ties and 12 lead changes and like a tournament final between two good teams should be, it went down to the end.

ENMU trailed most of the second half until a big run, sparked by Elijah Hollins, who made four 3-pointers, including one with 7:06 left to give ENMU a 65-60 lead.         
But DBU clawed back behind a pair of buckets from Thomas and a big dunk by Bishop Jones. Brown’s layup with 1:59 gave the Patriots a three-point lead and he later extended the lead to four on a free throw.      

But missed free throws down the stretch by DBU kept the game close. In the final seconds, Jackson tied the game with two clutch free throws with 5 seconds remaining, setting up the final play.

DBU inbounded the ball under the Greyhounds' basket and drove the court before Drew Calderon found Frank on the left side. With a toe on the 3-point line, Frank swished the shot. After a short review to see the clock and if it was indeed only a two-pointer, ENMU heaved a long pass the length of the court but didn’t have enough time to get a shot off.          
           
DBU Notes:
  • For the first time in LSC Championship Tournament history, Xavion Brown won tournament MVP for the second straight year. He joined only Tim Burnette (Tarleton State) as the only players to win the award twice. Burnette was named MVP in 2004 and 2006, and is the last player to win MVP from the runner-up team.
  • Brown had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Brown has now played 10 games with at least five rebounds, five assists and 10 points and DBU is 9-1 in those games.
  • The Patriots have one of the deepest benches in the country, ranking fifth in the nation with 38.3 bench points per game. DBU had 33 on Saturday and averaged 39.3 for the three-day tournament.
  • Bishop Jones had 12 points, getting into double figures for the 10th time this season.
  • DBU is 23-2 this season when scoring over 75 points.
Eastern New Mexico Notes:
  • ENMU was looking to win its third-ever LSC Tournament title and second in three years. The Greyhounds are 2-1 in the final game, having won both previous appearances in 1993 and 2024.
  • Mo Austin filled the stat sheet again on Sunday, scoring seven points with eight rebounds and eight assists. For the tournament, Austin averaged 11.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals.
  • Cooper Jackson, fresh off a 35-point performance Saturday that ranked 13th in LSC Tournament history, scored nine on Sunday. Jackson averaged 25.6 points for the tournament and was on the All-Tournament team with Austin.
  • The Greyhounds rank second in the LSC with 10.1 steals per game but only had four Sunday.