MONTGOMERY, Alabama-The Christian Brothers University Bucs moved back into sole possession of fourth place in the Gulf South Conference standings with an 83-61 win at Auburn-Montgomery Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• After trailing briefly early, the Bucs (19-8, 11-8 GSC) used a 21-3 run to take a 29-16 lead when
Brad Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder HS) made the second of back-to-back triples with 8:34 remaining in the first half.
• AUM (9-18, 5-14) answered with a 10-0 run to come as close as 29-26 on an OJ Merriweather jumper with 2:56 remaining in the half.
• CBU closed the half on a 6-0 burst to restore a double-digit lead on an
Adam Dieball (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) triple with 44 seconds remaining in the half, giving CBU a 38-28 lead. AUM never came closer than seven points in the second half.
• The Warhawks used an 8-2 run to come within 54-47 on a Kenneth Keith triple with 14:01 remaining.
• The Bucs answered with a 7-0 burst to extend their lead to 63-49 on a
Jacob Lyons (Hernando, Miss./Christian Brothers HS) layup with 11:30 remaining.
• CBU closed the game on a 14-2 run to stretch the final margin to 22 points on a
Tyler Estep (Cincinnati, Ohio/Reading HS) layup with 26 seconds remaining.
KEY STATS:
• Laravie scored a game-high 26 points with six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 34 minutes. He finished 8-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, and he sank all seven free throws.
•
Jeff Larkin (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle HS) scored 16 points with four rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes.
• Dieball added 15 with five assists and four rebounds in 38 minutes.
• Miller tacked on 12 with five rebounds and five assists before fouling out in 34 minutes.
• The Bucs shot 45.0 percent (27-of-60) overall, including 36.8 percent (14-of-38) from three-point range. AUM finished 41.7 percent (25-of-60) overall, including 30.8 percent (8-of-26) from beyond the arc.
• CBU out-rebounded the Warhawks 40-30, including a 10-5 edge in offensive boards, and they forced 16 AUM turnovers while committing 15.
GSC STANDINGS:
Valdosta State clinched the top seed at 18-1 with their 18th straight win Saturday, and West Florida locked up the No. 2 seed at 16-3. West Alabama has clinched the No. 3 seed at 13-6. With Delta State's loss to Lee Saturday, the Bucs regained sole possession of fourth place at 11-8, followed by Lee, Montevallo and Delta State, who are tied for fifth at 10-9. Despite a loss Saturday, North Alabama also clinched a GSC Tournament berth at 9-10.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Bucs close out the regular season Thursday night at 7 p.m. as they host Union. With a win, the Bucs would clinch a home GSC quarterfinal game for the second consecutive year. They will play in the GSC quarterfinals Tuesday, Feb. 27, with the site, opponent and time to be determined.
