DALLAS – There are several ways to describe Midwestern State's second straight heart breaking, one-point loss to 15th-ranked Dallas Baptist Saturday afternoon  at Burg Center.
 
It was the tale of two halves. Yeah, that's a played description. It was definitely true with the Mustangs erasing a 15-point halftime deficit to race into the lead finally taking a one-point advantage on a Jermane Carter free throw with 0.6 seconds to play.
 
One could also dissect how the Patriots turned that 0.6 seconds into what seemed like a millennium. DBU used the time to throw a half court pass, get an immediate timeout then win on a buzzer beating lob to improve to 9-1 on the season with a 91-90 win.
 
Many fans-turned-coaches could see the apparent flaws in an improving 7-4 Mustang squad with a great deal of young talent.
 
"We knew it was going to be a lob. The whole bench was yelling it," MSU coach Justin Leslie said. "We had a player blow the coverage. It was one of our smartest guys. My heart just breaks for him. It was an oversight. It was a perfect pass from half court."
 
Did it erase all this team accomplished in the second half? 
 
It certainly didn't erase the Mustangs willingness to come off of the mat against one of the best teams in the LSC, if not all NCAA Division II.
 
Sophomore Terrell Wilson weaved his way through the paint to score a team-high 23 points, while junior Derrick Ogechi bombed in six 3-pointers to close with 20 points and seven assists.
 
Carter delivered his second straight double-figure effort going for 18 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Pierre Sanders scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.
 
That duo played a central role in the closing seconds after Mustangs secured the ball with game tied 89-89 with a chance to win or seemingly go to overtime.
 
"The plan was were going to shoot the shot with 4 seconds left," Leslie said. "That's only enough time for us to get an offensive rebound and them not to get a shot."
 
Sanders put a shot on the rim with just under 4 seconds remaining and Carter crashed for his fifth offensive board of the game. He was fouled on the way back up.
 
Carter misfired on the charity toss and made the second to set up DBU's wild finish.
 
Unfortunately, the age-old adage is you have to learn to win the close ones before a team arrives on a championship trek.
 
"For us to be the team we want to be and to have a chance to win these games," Leslie said. "It's the whole 40 minutes that count. It's unfortunate we're going to remember the last shot in both of those games. We had multiple opportunities to pull away last night or today to stay within striking distance. The top of the Lone Star Conference is elite nationally and that's where we are going to be."
 
Midwestern State continues its journey Wednesday night against another nationally ranked opponent in Lubbock Christian. Tipoff at Rip Griffin Center is set for 7:30. 
 
"My message to this team has to be consistent since before our first scrimmage. Our greatest challenge was going to be learning how to win," Leslie said. "These are guys who are learning on the fly. They are going to work and then are going to continue to represent Midwestern State. We are going to do the right things."