Lady Bucs Fall Short in Upset Bid
By Rori Eddie

Memphis--It wasn't the outcome the Christian Brothers University women's basketball team was looking for today inside De La SALLE Gymnasium, but if it's any consolation the Lady Buccaneers can say they had the No. 12 ranked Delta State University Lady Statesmen on the ropes.

With just 1:02 ticks left on the clock, junior guard Sarah Condra intercepted an Amber Gean pass, took the miscue the length of the floor and pulled her CBU squad to within three at 56-59. It was as close as the Lady Buccaneers could get, as Katrina King's 22-point, 19-rebound performance propelled her Lady Statesmen to the 63-58 victory.

The victory places Delta State at a stout 15-3 record on the season, while the Lady Statesmen improve to 7-1 in Gulf South Conference action. The Christian Brothers University Lady Bucs slip to a 9-8 mark on the year with a 2-5 stand in league play.

The Lady Buccaneers battled the entire contest, never letting Delta State take larger than a 10-point lead. The Lady Statesmen carried the slight 33-29 advantage to the locker room at the half, and returned to shoot 47.8 percent from the floor for the second half.

CBU would convert at a 55.0 percent clip in the second half, but a dismal 1-of-5 effort from behind the three-point line would loom large in the closing ticks of the ball game.

Delta State was also comforted today by a 36-23 rebounding advantage. The margin would equal a 12-4 DSU advantage in the second-chance point category. In the end, DSU would prove why it holds the No. 12 ranking in the nation.

The Delta State offense would be paced by King's 22-point outing, while teammates Megan Teel and Amber Gean added 12 and 13 points, respectively.

Mary Buford collected a team-high 18 points, on a 7-of-10 shooting performance for the Lady Bucs. Freshman Rubenia Finley would be the only other CBU shooter to find double-figures with 14 points.

Christian Brothers University will return to the road to battle another GSC force, Ouachita Baptist on Monday, January 28th, at 6 P.M.