Box Score MEMPHIS—No. 6 Alabama-Huntsville out-scored the No. 13 Christian Brothers University Bucs12-0 over the final five minutes to rally for a 67-62 win over the Bucs Sunday afternoon at Canale Arena, clinching the No. 1 seed in next month's GSC Tournament.
After both teams started sluggish from the field, the Chargers (21-3, 12-1 GSC) used an 11-2 run to open up a 19-10 lead on a Conner Blasi layup with 9:29 remaining in the half. Senior forward
Zack Warner (St. Louis, Mo./Clayton HS) scored 10 of his game-high 23 points during a 21-6 run that gave the Bucs (19-5, 10-3) a 31-25 lead on a pair of Warner free throws.
Back-to-back threes by
Pat Graham (Bowling Green, Ohio/Bowling Green HS) and
Cory McArthy (St. Louis, Mo./Christian Brothers College HS) lifted the Bucs to a 55-45 lead, their largest of the game, with 11:33 remaining. From there, the Chargers out-scored the Bucs 22-7. First, the Chargers answered with eight straight points to close within two points on a Blasi dunk.
Harry Green (Memphis, Tenn./White Station HS) answered with a three to extend the lead to five points again. After Jaime Smith knocked down a jumper, four
Scott Dennis (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore HS) free throws pushed the Bucs' lead to 62-55 with 5:25 remaining, but the Bucs didn't score again.
First, Ronnie Mack made a jumper to start the run. After a Zane Campbell free throw, Xavier Baldwin buried a three-pointer to cut the Bucs' lead to 62-61 with 2:16 remaining. The Chargers were a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line over the final 1:16 to retake and then extend the lead.
Warner scored his 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range and 2-of-2 at the free throw line. Green scored 11 points with a game-best 14 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Green scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and added five assists.
Josh Maggette led the Chargers with 18 points, nine assists, and four steals. Campbell scored 15, and Blasi scored eight with seven rebounds in 17 minutes.
The Bucs shot 48.8 percent (21-of-43) overall and 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from three-point range. UAH was 47.2 percent (25-of-53) for the game. The Chargers converted 15 CBU turnovers into 17 points, while the Bucs scored seven points off eight UAH miscues. The Bucs out-rebounded the Chargers 27-23, but UAH held a 7-5 edge in offensive rebounds.
With the loss, the top two seeds in the GSC Tournament are set, with the Chargers in first place and the Bucs in second place. The tournament begins Friday, March 2, in Niceville, Fla. Discounted all-tournament passes are on sale for $20 for adults and $10 for students in the CBU athletics office.
The Bucs play their final non-conference game of the season Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when they host New Orleans. They wrap up the regular season Saturday at Delta State.