March 1, 2008

Final Stats

MEMPHIS--Junior guard Erin Nigh (Morristown, Ind./Morristown HS) buried a three-pointer with 41 seconds left to lift the Christian Brothers University Lady Bucs to a 68-66 win over Harding and a berth in the Gulf South Conference Tournament.

The Lady Bucs (18-9, 6-8 GSC West) were picked last in the preseason GSC West Coaches' poll, and their hopes for the tournament seemed dim after a stretch of seven losses in eight games in January and February. They kept the season alive with an overtime win at Arkansas-Monticello Thursday night, but their postseason hopes again seemed faint at best with 18 minutes left as an 11-0 Harding (18-9, 8-6) run blew open what had been a tie game in the final seconds before halftime, giving HU a 45-34 lead.

But for the second game in a row, it was Kat Butler (Nashville, Tenn./Brentwood HS) who sparked the comeback as she sank a three-pointer, the Lady Bucs' first of the game and her only points of the night, to stem the tide. Katie Hume (Memphis, Tenn./Evangelical Christian School) dropped in a three-pointer of her own on the Lady Bucs' next possession, then she capped what became a 15-4 run when she made another three with 13:03 to play, knotting the game back up at 49.

Harding took a 66-65 lead with 1:27 remaining. The Lady Bucs' next possession was extended twice by Harding fouls, and Nigh got open and made a three-pointer off the inbounds pass from the second foul for the game's final points. The Lady Bucs' defense forced three misses in the final 16 seconds to seal the victory.

Crystal Shelton (Nashville, Tenn./Hume Fogg HS) led the Lady Bucs with 15 points as CBU put four players in double figures. Sheena DeBose (Tunica, Miss./Rosa Fort HS) had 13 points and nine rebounds, while Michelle Malone (Millington, Tenn./Millington HS) also scored 13. Hume finished with 10 points, one off her career high. Butler only scored three points, but she had seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.

Stacey Owens and Catherine McMenamy scored 13 each for the Lady Bisons.

With the win and No. 1 Delta State's win over Henderson State, the Lady Bucs finished tied with HSU for fifth place in the GSC West. CBU won the tiebreaker by virtue of splitting the season series with fourth-place Arkansas-Monticello. UAM swept HSU, and CBU and HSU's records were identical against the top three teams in the division.

The Lady Bucs will face GSC East 4 seed North Alabama Wednesday afternoon at 2:45 p.m. in the first round of the GSC Tournament at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven. The winner moves on to play No. 1 Delta State Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. CBU won 57-54 over North Alabama in December.