WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Joshua Blaylock scored 33 points, including eight straight points in the final minutes to help No. 2 seed Fort Lewis survive a pesky Dallas Baptist squad in the first round of Saturday's South Central Regional.

The Skyhawks found themselves in quite a battle down the stretch with No. 7 DBU, but with his team trailing by a point with 5:25 to play, Blaylock made a three-point play, then nailed a 3-pointer, followed by two free throws to lift Fort Lewis to a hard-fought 95-87 victory.

FLC has now won 16 straight games to improve to 28-3, and advances to Sunday's second-round matchup against No. 3 Angelo State, which knocked off Arkansas-Fort Smith earlier in the day in a similar outcome. The Skyhawks jumped out to a 22-7 lead midway through the first half and held a 51-41 lead early in the second.

But even key player Patrick Burke out of the game with four fouls, the Patriots went on a 10-0 run as four different players hit jumpers in the run. With the game tied at 51, both teams went back and forth, each building five-point leads at one point before Blaylock took over late.

With 1:45 to play, Fort Lewis pushed its lead to three on a layup by Rasmus Bach. On their next possession, Blaylock put the game out of reach with a layup with only 43 seconds to go, giving his team a commanding five-point lead.

Bach scored 19 points off the bench, and had a game-high eight rebounds. Cade Kloster added 10, while Will Morse led all players with five assists and scored six points. The Skyhawks made 27 of 31 free throws, including 21 of 23 in the second half.

For the Patriots, who won the Heartland Conference Tournament, the season ends with a 23-9 record. Guard Joey Miller had 23 points, hitting 10 of 14 from the field. Amari Bryant had 19 off the bench and Myles Johnson scored 15. But Burke, who was limited to just 19 minutes, scored only seven points.