Feb. 28, 2008

Final Stats

MONTICELLO, Ark.--The Christian Brothers University Bucs jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes and led throughout as they won 59-55 at Arkansas-Monticello, clinching a berth in next week's Gulf South Conference Tournament.

The Bucs (18-9, 9-4 GSC West) pushed their lead to as much as 17 late in the first half after three straight three-pointers, two by Kyle Couvion (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville HS) and one by Kevin Weybright (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming HS).

The Boll Weevils (15-11, 7-6) trimmed the lead as close as one point after four straight D'Angelo Dean free throws made it 53-52 with 2:03 left, and the teams traded baskets to keep it at one point on a Derek Easter tip-in with 49 seconds left. The Bucs made four straight free throws in the final minute to regain control, eventually winning 59-55 on the road for the second straight Thursday night after winning at Ouachita Baptist by the same score.

Weybright finished with a game-high 17 points as he moved up both the CBU and GSC career scoring lists with 1,880 points. He passed Randy Engel (1991-95) for second place on the CBU list and is 78 points behind all-time leading scorer Bill Lowry. He also passed Anthony Reed of Troy State for ninth place on the GSC scoring list and is 82 points behind eighth-place Otis Boddie, who played at North Alabama from 1976-80.

Couvion finished with 14 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting, making four three-pointers, while Nick Kohs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) scored 14 points with six rebounds. Reggie Peyton (Memphis, Tenn./St. Benedict HS) scored eight points, and his two steals gave him 67 for the season, setting a new CBU single-season record.

Duke Sturdivant led UAM with 13 points and six assists. Dean scored 12, while Deron Brown and Derek Easter added 11 each.

The Bucs shot a blistering 60.5 percent (23-of-38) from the floor, including 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from three-point range, while UAM finished 36.4 percent (20-of-55) overall and 25 percent (6-of-24) from three-point range. UAM out-rebounded the Bucs 30-24, including a 16-4 edge on the offensive glass, and they forced 19 turnovers while committing 12.

The win sets up a first-place showdown at Canale Arena Saturday night as the Bucs host Harding, who is 16-10 and 10-3 in the GSC West after winning 73-70 over Southern Arkansas tonight. Harding won the first meeting 64-63 in overtime on a put-back as time expired. Tip-off for Saturday's game, which is also CBU's Senior Night, is set for 5 p.m.