GOLDEN SUNS SUFFER HEARTBREAKING TWO-POINT LOSS AT EIGHTH-RANKED CHRISTIAN BROTHERS; EARNS THIRD SEED AT
GSC TOURNAMENT

        MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boy Basketball team saw its chance to earn a share of the Gulf South Conference West Division title slip through its hands in the final 10 seconds of Saturday’s 65-63 loss to 8th-ranked Christian Brothers in Gulf South Conference action at Canale Arena.

With the win, Christian Brothers (22-5 overall, 11-3 GSC) claimed its second straight GSC West Division title and earned the No. 1 seed from the West Division in next week’s GSC Tournament at the DeSoto County Civic Center in Southaven, Miss.

Tech, who fell to 19-7 overall and 9-5 in the GSC, earned the No. 3 seed from the West Division and will open the GSC Tournament next Friday, March 6 against North Alabama, the No. 2 seed from the East Division, in the second of four quarterfinal games beginning at 2:45 p.m. UNA picked up two wins this season against the Wonder Boys.

“We had the ball in our hands and the score tied with nine seconds left, but we failed to execute and that was the difference in the game,” Wonder Boys Head Coach Mark Downey said following the loss. “We work on late-game situations in practice every day.

“We gave the No. 8 team in the country all it could handle and we had two looks at the basket to win or tie the game and that is all you can ask for.”

 Tech, who trailed by as much as 10 points with 7:17 left in the game, used a 16-6 run to tie the game with 51 seconds remaining following a three-point play by senior center Thiago Cordeiro (Recife, Brazil). Tech’s closing run was aided by 13 straight points from junior forward Dusan Radivojevic (Belgrade, Serbia). During Tech’s run, Radivojevic made a lay-up, three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to cut CBU’s lead to 62-60 with 4:11 left in the game.

Following Cordeiro’s three-point play to tie the game, CBU’s Reggie Peyton missed a floater in the lane with 15 seconds left, but on Tech’s ensuing possession, Peyton stole the outlet pass and was fouled with 9.5 seconds left in the game. The senior guard, who finished with 17 points, nailed two free throws to give the Buccaneers a 65-63 lead. Tech, though, had two shots in the closing seconds (a three-pointer by Radivojevic and a tip-in by Cordeiro) to either win or tie the game.

          “I’m sick of losing close basketball games,” a clearly frustrated Downey said. “It didn’t come down to that last play tonight, so we can’t harp on it.”

          In the first half, it appeared that Tech’s chances to pull off the upset were rather slim as the Bucs took a 22-14 lead with 7:17 remaining. The run was aided by eight straight points from Nick Kohs and was capped by a dunk on a fast-break by Peyton. Kohs finished the night with a game-high 24 points and added 10 rebounds.

          Following CBU’s run, Tech climbed back into the game thanks to the 3-point shooting of junior guard Brandon Freidel (Victoria, Texas). Friedel scored Tech’s final 18 points of the first half, all on three-pointers, to drop CBU’s lead to 36-32 at the half. In fact, over the final 10 minutes of the half, Friedel accounted for all of Tech’s offense.

          “Brandon, Dusan and Chad kept us in the game most of the night thanks to their offensive abilities,” the third-year Tech coach said. “Brandon really was a big difference in the first half, especially once CBU pushed out to its 8-point lead.”

          In addition to Friedel, Radivojevic scored 18 points, while senior guard Chad Henderson (Memphis, Tenn.) playing in his hometown added 12 points in the loss. Senior forward Troy Marcus (Bronx, NY) added eight points and nine rebounds for the Wonder Boys.

          Along with Kohs’ 24 points and Peyton’s 17 points, Zack Warner scored 13 points in the game, including eight in the first half.

          For the game, Tech shot 35 percent from the field and 48 percent (12-for-25) from the 3-point line, while CBU shot 43 percent from the floor and 47 percent (7-for-15) from downtown. In addition, CBU was 12-for-19 (63 percent) from the free throw line and Tech was 9-for-14 (64 percent).

          The Bucs also held a 39-36 edge on the glass and committed 13 turnovers that led to 20 Tech points. Tech finished with 11 turnovers on the night.

 Christian Brothers Box Score

 -- Tech Athletics --