MEMPHIS-Visiting North Alabama out-scored the Christian Brothers University Bucs 17-3 over the final six minutes as they pulled away to an 82-64 win to spoil a series of CBU comebacks earlier in the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Lions (9-6, 6-3 GSC) opened the game on a 24-10 run capped by a DeAndre McKinnie triple with 9:53 remaining in the first half.
• Adam Dieball (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) singlehandedly brought the Bucs (7-8, 5-4) back into the game, scoring eight of his career-high 29 points during a 10-0 run that brought CBU back within four points at 24-20.
• After UNA extended its lead to 12 points again at 48-36 on a John Fletcher layup with 15:46 remaining, Dieball again led a CBU rally. The Bucs used a 17-5 run to draw even at 53-all on a Dieball layup with 10:08 remaining. Dieball scored nine more points during the run.
• From there, however, the Lions controlled the action, regaining the lead for good with a 6-0 burst. The Bucs trimmed the lead back to four points on a Cody Garbuzinski (Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) layup with 7:42 remaining and later on a Jordan Miller (Fulton, Ky./Fulton City HS) free throw with 6:04 to play, bringing CBU within 65-61.
• UNA used a 15-0 run over the next four minutes, capped by a Dimario Jackson trile with 2:07 remaining to give the Lions their largest lead of the game at 80-61.

KEY STATS:
• Dieball scored a career-high 29 points and dished out a career-best seven assists with four rebounds. He was 11-of-22 overall but just 1-of-5 from three-point range. He either scored or assisted the Bucs' first 26 points of the game.
• Alex Trentman (Alexandria, Ky./Bishop Brossart HS) added 11 points with six rebounds and two blocks.
• Garbuzinski scored eight with five rebounds.
• The Bucs shot just 14.8 percent (4-of-27) from three-point range, their second-lowest number of the season, and their 38.1 percent (24-of-63) overall was also their second-worst night of the season.
• UNA shot 43.5 percent (30-of-69) overall, including 35.0 percent (7-of-20) from three-point range.
• The Lions out-rebounded CBU 51-30, including a 19-9 edge in offensive rebounds that they converted into a 17-4 edge in second-chance points. The Lions committed 12 turnovers to the Bucs' 11.

COACH MIKE NIENABER'S THOUGHTS:
"Obviously you have to shoot better than we shot to win the game. Adam got going where they couldn't stop him, obviously he had 29. I think at halftime he had two-thirds of our points. So that was there, and the other thing that was there was cuts. Too many times when we're cutting to the basket we're settling for the kickout threes but we're not making them."

"Most of them were not bad looks, we've just got a lot of inconsistency. If you look at our numbers compared to years past, our perimeter shooting has not been good this year by and large. And that's something in this offense that you've gotta have."

"The thing we've got now that I don't think we had consistently the last few years is we've got a guy in the post who's really getting it done and scoring. They're not stopping Adam one-on-one. You get him the ball, and they have to bring somebody."

"But all that said, rebounding. We battled and got it tied. But how many of those remaining baskets came off of misses where they got the second or third shot."

WHAT'S NEXT:
The Bucs hit the road Monday night for a 5:30 p.m. game at Alabama Huntsville, who is tied for first place. The Bucs wrap up the first half of the GSC schedule Thursday night at 7 p.m. as they host Union.