HOMEWOOD, Ala.-The Christian Brothers University Bucs led for the entire first half, but No. 16 Valdosta State outscored them 51-40 in the second half to take a 90-80 win in the semifinals of the VisitSpaceCoast.com Gulf South Conference Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Bucs (18-12) used a 10-0 run capped by a
Jeff Larkin (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle HS) triple to open a 17-6 lead with 12:24 remaining in the first half.
• The Bucs held the lead until early in the second half, when the Blazers (26-4) used an 11-2 run to take a 52-44 lead on a Jeremiah Hill jumper with 16:57 remaining.
• Another 11-2 Blazer run extended their lead to 78-65 on a Josh Lemons layup with 6:16 remaining, and the Bucs never came closer than seven points again.
KEY STATS:
• Larkin scored a game-high 30 points with four rebounds. He went 11-of-22 from the field, including 5-of-10 from three-point range, and he made all three free throw attempts in 37 minutes.
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Adam Dieball (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) scored 24 points with eight assists and seven rebounds in 39 minutes. He shot 9-of-17 overall but just 1-of-6 from three-point range.
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Brad Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder HS) scored 14 points with five rebounds, four assists and no turnovers in 38 minutes.
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Joe Laravie (Kettering, Ohio/Alter HS) added 10 points and five rebounds.
• The Bucs shot 47.5 percent (29-of-61) from the field, including 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from three-point range. VSU finished 55.2 percent (37-of-67) overall, including 64.7 percent (22-of-34) in the second half and 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from beyond the arc.
• The Blazers out-rebounded the Bucs 38-30, including a 12-9 edge in offensive rebounds, and they forced nine CBU turnovers while committing four.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Bucs await the NCAA Tournament Selection Show to find out whether they will go to the NCAA South Regional. The selection show will air at 9:30 p.m. at NCAA.com.
