MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Christian Brother's Samantha Reeves grabbed a double-double with 30 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Buccaneers to 67-64 Gulf South Conference women's basketball victory over West Alabama to split the season series at Canale Arena on Saturday.
 
With the win, the Buccaneers snap a two-game skid, improving to 12-8 overall and 9-7 in the GSC. The Tigers drop their fourth straight league contest, falling to 6-16 on the season and 3-12 in the conference.
 
"We had no inside game today," UWA head coach Rusty Cram said. "Our post let us down. Ariel and Cat put up double-digit points, but we can't rely on two people. We need more players to step up."
 
"We never quit and had the shots at the end," Cram said. "We played good enough to win, but we couldn't finish."
 
After a point-for-point battle in the opening minutes, Ariel Wilson exploded for seven points on consecutive possessions, propelling the Tigers to a 20-12 lead at the media timeout. The Buccaneers answered with a 7-0 run to close out the first quarter down 20-19.
 
CBU's Sara Owen gave the Buccaneers the lead after three minutes of a defensive stalemate in the second period. Cat Taylor went 4-of-4 from the line in the following three minutes and hit a three-pointer to cap off a productive run from the senior, putting UWA back in front 27-25.
 
West Alabama shot 43 percent (11-26) from the field and 100 percent (5-5) from the line in the first half to take a 30-28 lead into the intermission. Reeves contributed 15 of the Buccaneers 28 points in the first 20 minutes.
 
Reeves led the vanguard of a Christian Brothers offensive attack, lighting up the scoreboard for nine points in the first five minutes of the third period, extending the Buccaneers lead to 42-33.
 
Trailing 47-35, Taylor completed the old-fashioned three-point play, followed by a conventional three-pointer in the closing minute of the third, pulling UWA back within eight points.
 
Jenna Bradberry and Fannasy Garrett-Hammett grabbed a pair of three-point plays before a UWA timeout with 7:38 to play, bringing the score line to 54-48. Taylor and Wilson teamed up for a combined nine points to give West Alabama the lead back with just over four minutes to play.
 
A back-and-forth dogfight for control of the game erupted over the closing minutes, ending with a layup from Reeves with 15 ticks on the clock to secure the 67-64 conference victory for Christian Brothers.
 
Taylor led the Tigers with 22 points, converting 100 percent (10-10) of her free throws and netting five field goals. She also led the UWA defensive effort with six rebounds, five on the defensive side of the ball. Wilson followed with 16 points.
 
Reeves' 30 points led all scorers. She recorded 11 rebounds with 10 boards for the CBU defense. Rachel Lee was the other double-digit scorer for the Buccaneers, chipping in 12 points on the afternoon.
 
The Tigers will return to Pruitt Hall for a GSC clash against Alabama-Huntsville on Thursday. Tip off is slated for 5:30 p.m.