Box Score MEMPHIS—The Christian Brothers University Bucs snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday as they pulled away to a 68-55 win over second-place Delta State, a critical victory in a tight Gulf South Conference West Division race.
The Bucs (15-8, 5-5 GSC West) used a 9-0 run to build a 15-7 lead early on a
Zack Warner (St. Louis, Mo./Clayton HS) bucket with 12:30 remaining in the half, and while the outcome remained in doubt until the final minutes, the Bucs never trailed again.
After the Statesmen (17-5, 8-2) cut the lead to 49-45 on a Joe McCray three-pointer with 6:55 remaining, the Bucs answered in a big way. The Statesmen deflected a CBU pass deep into the backcourt with the shot clock under ten seconds.
Scott Dennis (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore HS) tracked the ball down near the three-point line and brought the ball upcourt, drilling a pull-up three-pointer from NBA three-point range to put the lead back to seven with 5:39 remaining. He followed with a layup to extend the lead to 54-45. A fast-break dunk by
Connor Wetzel (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming HS) and an
Alex Rogers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills HS) driving layup extended the lead to 58-45 with three minutes remaining, and the Statesmen never cut the margin to single digits again.
Dennis finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds, his fourth straight double-double and his 11th overall.
Kevin Doran (Memphis, Tenn./St. Benedict HS) scored 14 points off the bench, making four three-pointers. Warner scored 13, and
Kyle Couvion (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville HS) had 12 points and seven assists with just one turnover.
McCray led DSU with 14, and Eric Spencer scored 13 off the bench. Roderick Ollie added 11.
The Bucs shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the floor and 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the free throw line. DSU shot 39.1 percent (18-of-46) overall and 54.2 percent (13-of-24) at the free throw line. The Bucs out-rebounded the Statesmen 36-28, including an 11-8 edge in offensive rebounds.
The Bucs return to the court Thursday night at 7 p.m. as they host Harding.
