MONTEVALLO, Ala.-The Christian Brothers University Lady Bucs never trailed Thursday night at Montevallo, withstanding a late 19-3 Falcon run to win 67-65 as they closed out the first half of the GSC schedule.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Lady Bucs (7-9, 6-4 GSC) opened the game on a 16-5 run capped by a
Courtney Banks (Memphis, Tenn./White Station HS) triple with 3:36 remaining, but the Falcons (2-16, 0-10) would answer with a 10-2 run to pull within 18-15 on a Paige Ward layup in the final seconds of the first quarter.
• A 6-0 burst extended CBU's lead back to 24-15 on a
Mikaela Blissett (Oran, Mo./Scott County Central HS) layup with 8:46 remaining in the second quarter, but Montevallo battled back with a 12-3 run to tie the game at 27 on a Ward jumper with 6:05 remaining in the half.
• The Lady Bucs answered with seven straight to take a lead they would not relinquish, then a 15-1 second-half run capped by a
Shelmesha Barbee (Ripley, Tenn./Ripley HS) layup gave them a 57-36 edge, their largest of the night, with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter.
• A
Rafaella Angelidou (Thessaloniki, Greece/Aristoteleio Kollegeio) three-point play gave CBU a 64-46 advantage with 8:11 remaining, when the Falcons started a late rally to make a game of it. Four straight Montevallo three-pointers, by four different players, brought them within 64-59 when a Jomekia Morine triple with 5:23 remaining capped a 13-0 run.
• After Angelidou stopped the bleeding with a free throw and then a layup with 3:33 remaining to extend the lead to 67-59, Montevallo scored the game's final six on two Nautika Philpot layups and two Morine free throws with 55 seconds remaining.
• A CBU turnover with 30 seconds remaining gave the Falcons a chance at the last shot, but two midrange jumpers missed and
Kenzie Jones (Park Hills, Mo./Central HS) snared the rebound as time expired to preserve the victory.
KEY STATS:
• Blissett led CBU with 15 points, adding six rebounds as she shot 7-of-9 from the field in 27 minutes.
• Angelidou scored 13 with six rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.
• Banks added 11 with five assists and two steals in 29 minutes off the bench.
•
Brynne Lytle (Jackson, Tenn./Trinity Christian Academy) struggled from the field but grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds with four assists.
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Kelsey Adkins (Lawrenceburg, Tenn./Lawrence County HS) scored eight with four rebounds in 13 minutes.
• Jones added eight with seven rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes.
• CBU shot 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from the field, including 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from three-point range. The Falcons finished 36.4 percent (24-of-66) overall, including 36.7 percent (11-of-30) from beyond the arc.
• CBU out-rebounded the Falcons 53-31, including a 17-8 edge in offensive boards. The Lady Bucs committed 22 turnovers to Montevallo's 11.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Lady Bucs visit West Alabama Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Their next home game is next Thursday, when they host third-place Lee at 5 p.m.
