DALLAS — With two defensive-minded teams squaring off, the final score reflected the emphasis on defense as No. 7 St. Mary's University Men's Basketball dropped its first game of the year to DBU, 73-67 on Thursday night.
The two teams combined to force 42 turnovers and grab 21 steals as the Rattlers move to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in Lone Star Conference play, while the Patriots extend their winning streak to five for a 7-4 season record and a 3-0 mark in LSC action.
Neither team made a field goal in the final 4:02 of the game, as the Rattlers outscored the Patriots 5-4 at the free throw line, but were unable to complete the comeback. StMU took a short-lived one-point lead at the 11:32 mark of the second half on a pair of
Justin Britt (Goose Creek, S.C.) free throws, 51-50, but the Patriots answered with a 6-0 run over the next 1:38 for the 56-51 advantage, and the Rattlers were unable to get closer than two the remainder of the game.
Senior
Sebastian Mendoza (Riverside, Calif.) led a quartet of Rattlers in double figure scoring with 14 points, posting the 500th point of his career along the way. Mendoza hit three three-pointers, and added two assists and two steals.
Senior
Wayne Wiggins (Mansfield, Texas) came off the bench to score 12 points. He also led the team with five rebounds and three assists, and was second on the team with three steals. Both
Olaverr Camacho (Barberena, SR, Guatemala) and Britt chipped in 10 points, and Britt blocked a pair of shots.
Senior
Freddie Cooper (Chesterfield, Mo.) led all players with four steals, as the Rattlers collected more steals than the Patriots, 12-to-9. DBU entered the game leading the nation in steals with 15.9 per game.
StMU was outrebounded for only the second time in 2025-26, as DBU recorded 31 compared to 22 for the Rattlers. The Patriots also doubled up the Rattlers in offensive boards, 14-to-7.
The Rattlers step back out of conference play for the final time as they compete in the River City Holiday Classic next week in San Antonio. StMU will face Central Oklahoma at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and Fort Lewis at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at the NISD Sports Gym at the Dub Farris Complex.
