March 15, 2008

Final Stats

LAKELAND, Fla.--No. 17 North Alabama's Casey Holt made a three-point play with 21 seconds left to lift the Lions to a 72-71 victory over the Christian Brothers University Bucs in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Regional in Lakeland, Fla.

The Bucs (22-10), playing without star forward Kevin Weybright (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming HS), had led for most of the game before Holt's game-winning play. Weybright injured his ankle in practice earlier in the week.

The Bucs built a 32-23 lead late in the first half as back-to-back Reggie Peyton (Memphis, Tenn./St. Benedict HS) layups capped a 9-2 run with 5:17 remaining in the half. UNA (25-8) answered with a 13-2 run to take the lead, but the Bucs scored the final three points of the half to go into the locker room ahead 38-36.

UNA guard Isaac Gay made a three-pointer to start the second half to put the Lions ahead, which would be their only lead of the second half until Holt's three-point play.

Junior center Nick Kohs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East HS) turned in another monster game, as he answered Gay's three with seven straight points to give CBU the lead again. The Bucs stretched it to 12 points with another 9-2 run capped by four straight points from Peyton on two free throws and a layup.

But UNA responded with another run, scoring the next 11 points to trim the lead to one. The Bucs appeared to have survived, however, as a three-pointer by senior guard Justin Ray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills HS) stretched the lead back to six at 69-63.

Andrew Chesney made a three-point play for the Lions, but Ray answered with two free throws to make it 71-66. UNA scored the final six points, however.

Kenny Johnson made a jumper with 39 seconds left, and the Bucs missed the front end of a one-and-one, then fouled Holt on the rebound. Holt made the first free throw, but UNA's Phil Collins rebounded the miss, setting up the three-point play for Holt.

Kohs led the Bucs with a career-high 30 points and 10 rebounds, while Peyton scored 20 points. Freshman forward Sean Hennessy (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle HS) scored nine points on three three-pointers in his first career start, as he filled in for the injured Weybright.

Holt led the Lions with 18 points and nine rebounds. Thomas Fraise scored 17. Johnson added 12, while Quinn Beckwith scored 10.

The Bucs finished the game 28-of-49 (57.1 percent) from the floor and just 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) at the free throw line, while UNA was 24-of-56 (42.9 percent) overall and 16-of-24 (66.7 percent) at the charity stripe.

The Bucs out-rebounded UNA 36-25, while the Lions forced 15 turnovers to the Bucs' seven.

CBU finishes its most successful season since joining the NCAA at 22-10, with its first-ever Gulf South Conference championship and its first-ever appearance in an NCAA Regional. The loss also ends the CBU careers of Weybright, Ray, and guard Roberto Casiano (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/De La Salle HS). Weybright scored a school-record 1,972 points in 111 games. Ray scored 817 in 98 games, while Casiano scored 234 in 77 games.