CLEVELAND, Miss.-After squandering a 12-point first-half lead, the No. 10/8 Christian Brothers University Bucs out-scored host Delta State 21-6 in the final eight minutes as they rallied for a 74-61 win Thursday night in the Gulf South Conference opener for both schools.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• After trailing for most of the first eight minutes, the Bucs (6-0, 1-0 GSC) regained the lead with an
Adam Dieball (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) triple that sparked a 7-2 run capped by a
Jacob Lyons (Hernando, Miss./Christian Brothers HS) layup that gave them a 24-20 lead with 8:21 remaining in the half.
• A 9-0 run late in the half gave CBU a 43-31 lead on an
Alex Trentman (Alexandria, Ky./Bishop Brossart HS) bucket with 1:09 remaining in the half.
• The Statesmen (2-5, 0-1) regained the lead with an 18-2 run sandwiching the halftime break, taking their largest lead of the night when Brett Warner made the second of back-to-back three-pointers to give DSU a 49-45 lead with 14:55 remaining.
• The Bucs held DSU to just 3-of-10 shooting with three turnovers over the final 8:40 after two Armon Benford free throws gave the Statesmen their final lead at 55-53 with 8:56 remaining.
• CBU out-scored the Statesmen 21-6 over that time, led by nine points from
Jeff Larkin (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle HS) as the Bucs stretched out the victory.
KEY STATS:
• Dieball posted game-highs of 24 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes. He finished 9-of-16 overall, including 5-of-9 from three-point range.
• Larkin scored nine of his 16 points in the second half, finishing 5-of-12 overall, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, and he made all four free throw attempts. Larkin added five rebounds and two steals.
• Trentman tacked on 13 points with six rebounds.
•
Luke Rudy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills HS) scored nine, making 3-of-5 three-pointers in 24 minutes off the bench.
• The Bucs shot 50 percent (27-of-54) overall, including 50 percent (13-of-26) from beyond the arc, and they made all seven free throw attempts. DSU finished 45.6 percent (26-of-57) overall, including 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from three-point range, and they made 3-of-4 free throws.
• CBU out-rebounded the Statesmen 33-26, including a 6-5 edge in offensive rebounds, but they committed 10 turnovers to DSU's nine.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Bucs return to action Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. as they visit Mississippi College. Their next home game is Saturday, Dec. 16, when they host Trevecca Nazarene at 3 p.m.
