Box Score RUSSELLVILLE, Ark.—The No. 17 Christian Brothers University Bucs won a defensive struggle 50-35 at No. 22 Arkansas Tech Saturday night to finish the first half of the Gulf South Conference West Division schedule in first place.
The Bucs (17-3, 6-1 GSC West) controlled the pace all game against the more uptempo Wonder Boys (14-6, 4-3), keeping them flustered at every turn as they pulled away.
The Bucs exploded for a 16-1 run over a stretch of nearly nine minutes in the first half after ATU had jumped to a 4-2 lead, with freshman
Scott Dennis (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore HS) capping the run with a steal and a fast-break dunk that put the Bucs ahead 18-5 with 10:31 remaining in the half.
The Wonder Boys closed the lead to four points early in the second half as a Laithe Massey basket trimmed the lead to 21-17 with 18:25 remaining. Three-pointers by
Kyle Couvion (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville HS) and
Connor Wetzel (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming HS) bookended a pair of
Nick Kohs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) free throws as the Bucs quickly extended the lead back to a 29-17 with 16:20 to go.
The Wonder Boys whittled the lead back to four again with an 8-0 run as Renard Allen's layup cut the margin to 31-27 with 11:29 to play. After nearly two scoreless minutes, the Bucs went on a 15-3 run to put the game out of reach, with a two-hand Kohs dunk serving as the exclamation point on the 50-35 win.
Kohs led the way with game-highs of 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Couvion scored 13 with five assists and three steals.
Reggie Peyton (Memphis, Tenn./St. Benedict HS) added 10 points.
Thiago Cordeiro led the Wonder Boys with 13 points.
The Bucs held ATU to just 32.6 percent (15-of-46) from the floor, including 6.3 percent (1-of-16) from three-point range. The Bucs also forced 17 turnovers while committing just 12. CBU was 39.1 percent (18-of-46) from the floor, including 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from three-point range.
The Bucs open the second half of the GSC schedule Thursday night as they host No. 16 Arkansas-Monticello, who entered Saturday night's game at Southern Arkansas tied with the Bucs for first place.
