WILBERFORCE, Ohio-The Christian Brothers University Bucs made just four of their first 24 shots from the field Friday afternoon, digging a 21-point first-half deficit they could not recover from in a 79-70 loss at Central State in the season opener for both schools.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Marauders (1-0) never trailed, jumping to a 9-2 lead on a Markese McGuire layup with 16:02 remaining in the first half.
• A 15-0 run later in the half stretched the Central State lead to 30-9 on a Thomas Farrior triple with 4:52 remaining in the half.
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Mitch Mays (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) broke the Bucs' drought when he knocked down a three-pointer with 4:18 remaining in the half, sparking a quick 9-0 burst that took just 38 seconds off the clock.
The 9-0 burst was part of a larger 18-5 run to close the half as an
Adam Dieball (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) triple brought the Bucs (0-1) within 35-27 at halftime.
• The Marauders opened the second half much as they did the first, extending their lead to 45-31 when Jeremy Brown capped a 6-0 burst with 16:15 remaining.
• Just as in the first half, it was a Mays three-pointer that sparked the Bucs' comeback efforts. First, a 17-7 burst brought them within 52-48 on a Dieball three-point play with 11:06 to play.
• Later, a 9-2 burst brought the Bucs back within one point when a
Joe Laravie (Kettering, Ohio/Alter HS) three-pointer trimmed the deficit to 60-59 with 7:22 remaining.
• CBU could come no closer, however, as the Marauders answered with a 13-5 run to take a 73-64 lead on a Keilan Blanks three-pointer with 3:13 remaining. CBU never came closer than five points in the final minutes.
KEY STATS:
• Dieball led the Bucs with 28 points, one off his career-high, adding seven rebounds and five assists. He was 11-of-14 from the floor, knocking down both of his three-point attempts, and he made 4-of-5 free throws.
• Mays scored 17 points with three assists off the bench in his college debut. He was 6-of-8 from the floor overall, including 5-of-7 from three-point range.
• Laravie scored 10 with a team-high six assists.
• The Bucs shot 41.3 percent (26-of-63) from the floor, including 34.3 percent (12-of-35) from three-point range. CSU was 50.8 percent (31-of-61) overall and 45 percent (9-of-20) from beyond the arc.
• The Marauders out-rebounded CBU 35-30, but the Bucs held a 10-8 edge on the offensive glass.
• CBU committed 16 turnovers to the Marauders' 14.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Bucs and Marauders meet again Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Canale Arena for the Bucs' home opener.
