An early second-half run was all the eighth-ranked Christian Brothers University men’s basketball team needed as the Buccaneers held off a late charge by Ouachita Baptist by defeating the Tigers, 53-42, in a Gulf South Conference West Division game Thursday at Canale Arena.
Rowan Ledbetter led Ouachita (12-10 overall, 2-7 GSC West) with 13 points as the Tigers were 15-of-56 (27 percent) shooting and 9-of-15 (60 percent) from the free-throw line.
Ouachita raced out to a 16-11 advantage after Ledbetter drained a 3-pointer with 4:15 remaining in the first half. Christian Brothers quickly closed the gap as Reggie Peyton scored on a layup to cut the deficit to 18-16 with 2:35 left.
Quintin Smith scored the final four points for the Tigers in the first half as Ouachita went to the break on top, 22-19.
Despite being down by three at the break, Christian Brothers opened the second half hot and used a 17-3 run to grab a 36-25 lead.
Ouachita battled back as Daniel Maddox drained a jumper with 8:40 remaining to cut the deficit to 38-33. The Buccaneers pushed the margin to 41-33 after three straight points by Scott Dennis with 6:09 left.
Christian Brothers scored on back-to-back dunks by Peyton and Nick Kohs to grab a 48-37 advantage with 3:03 remaining. Ledbetter sank a pair at the free-throw line to cut the margin to 48-39 with 2:20 left.
That would be as close as the Tigers would get as the Buccaneers sealed the game at the free-throw line.
Peyton led Christian Brothers (19-3, 8-1) with 17 points, while Kohs added 16 and eight rebounds.. Dennis finished with a double-double, 10 points and 14 boards as the Buccaneers were 19-of-41 (46 percent) from the field and 10-of-17 (59 percent) from the charity stripe.
Ouachita returns to action 5:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 14 at Bill Vining Arena against Arkansas-Monticello in a Gulf South Conference West Division game. The contest can be heard on the Ouachita Baptist University Athletic Web site at: www.obutigers.com.
