MEMPHIS-Visiting Lee started the game on a 10-2 run and never trailed Thursday night at Canale Arena as they handed the Christian Brothers University Bucs a 69-57 loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• A Keevin Tyus jumper capped the game-opening 10-2 run for the Flames (8-6, 4-4 GSC) with 16:22 remaining in the first half.
• The Bucs (8-7, 5-4) shaved the deficit to three points after a
Jordan Miller (Fulton, Ky./Fulton City HS) jumper and a
Brad Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder HS) triple cut the deficit to 17-14 with 9:41 remaining in the first half.
• Lee answered with six straight points to extend their lead to 23-14 on a Tyus jumper with 5:19 remaining in the first half, and the Bucs never came closer than seven points again, with Lee extending its lead to as many as 20 points in the second half.
KEY STATS:
•
Adam Dieball (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) led the Bucs with 16 points and four assists.
•
Cody Garbuzinski (Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) added 10 with a team-high six rebounds.
• The Bucs shot 44 percent (22-of-50) from the floor but just 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from three-point range. Lee finished 52.8 percent (28-of-53) overall and 48 percent (12-of-25) from beyond the arc.
• The Flames out-rebounded CBU 28-22. Each team grabbed five offensive rebounds, and Lee committed 10 turnovers to the Bucs' seven.
HEAD COACH MIKE NIENABER'S THOUGHTS:
"You've always got to say you give them credit defensively and you ask what are we doing defensively, because they were getting clean, open looks and we were hurrying. They contested and did a better job defensively as much as anything. I give them credit for that."
"I don't know where we are mentally. I think it may be one of those things where you've got guys struggling on offense and it carries over to the defensive end. The shooting has just been brutal for two weeks now. Hopefully we can figure it out. We're just going to have to go look at film and go back to the drawing board a little bit."
"We're playing without Jeff. Not to make excuses, but you don't have one of your key players, other players are struggling and then Jordan goes down. When Adam's struggling, Jordan has been able to pick us up at times. He came in and got us a couple of buckets early."
"I'm going to go look at film and see if I can see something on film that I'm not seeing while I'm watching it, trying to find the right combination of players."
On Cody Garbuzinski's play:
"Cody was doing more of the things that we've got to get everybody doing. The intensity. That's why Cody has always been part of the mix, even when he hasn't been doing as much offensively. But he gives you 110 percent all the time and we need more of that."
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Bucs return to action Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. as they host Shorter.
