MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A late rally by the Delta State University men's basketball team ultimately came up short and the Statesmen fell on the road 87-77 in head coach Mike Nienaber's return to Christian Brothers on Thursday at Canale Arena in Memphis.
 
THE BASICS:
Score: Christian Brothers 87 | Delta State 77
Records: Buccaneers (11-12, 7-8 GSC) | Statesmen (8-14, 4-10 GSC)
Series: Delta State leads 59-44
Location | Time: Canale Arena | 7 PM
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HOW IT HAPPENED

• Christian Brothers stormed out to an 8-0 lead behind a pair of three-pointers from Aiden Ruthsatz and Malik Jones.
• Maalik Cartwright responded with a basket and a pair of free throws, and a Keyshaun Street 3-pointer cut the advantage to 10-7. 
• Both teams continued to go back-and-forth in the first half, and a Savvas Georgiadis layup cut a slim CBU lead to one with 8:46 to play in the first half. 
• Will Midlick helped keep it close with a triple at the 5:51 mark to pull Delta State within four, 28-24.
• Christian Brothers had every answer, however, and they forged their biggest lead to that point behind three Ruthsatz 3-pointers in the final four minutes of the half to build a 47-37 halftime lead. 
• CBU used an 11-4 run out of the locker room to take a 58-41 advantage and extended their lead to a game-best 17 points, 64-47, with 13:12 left to play in the contest. 
• Delta State continued to chip away, however, using three Anderson McCoy layups as part of a 15-6 spurt that pulled DSU within three possessions at 70-62 at the 7:32 mark.
• CBU pushed the lead back to 12, 74-62, on two Brad Miller free throws with 6:55 remaining, but Cartwright responded by converting a three-point play and Airen Brooks added a bucket from in close as DSU made it 78-73 with 3:30 to go.
• Another Brooks layup would draw the Statesmen within four at 80-76 with 1:35 to play, but that is as close as it got as CBU used a Ruthsatz three-pointer and a pair of free throws from Miller iced the game and gave the Bucs the 87-77 win.

 
TURNING POINT

• The Statesmen managed to cut a 17-point second half deficit down to 80-76 with 95 seconds to play, but Aiden Ruthsatz answered with a three-pointer to put CBU back in control of the game.

 
STAT OF THE GAME

• The Bucs drilled nine three-pointers and got to the foul line 24 times as opposed to seven three-pointers and 13 attempts from the foul line. 

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Maalik Cartwright tallied his second consecutive double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
• Anderson McCoy scored more than 15 points for the second consecutive game and the fifth time on the campaign. 

UP NEXT

• The Statesmen are back on the road, this time with a trip to Jackson, Tenn. to take on Union University on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 4p.m.