SHREVEPORT, La. - The Centenary men's basketball team fell 66-59 to its cross-town rival Louisiana State University-Shreveport on Tuesday evening at the Dock. The decision moves the Gents to 2-5 while the Pilots improved to 6-0 on the season.
Centenary trailed by as many as 15 minutes in the second half, but erased the deficit to grab its first lead of the contest, 54-52, at the 5:09 mark as James Sapp knocked a pair of free-throws. Sapp paced the Maroon and White with 21 points on the evening - marking a career-high for the Shongaloo, La., native.
LSUS rallied to regain the lead, but Sapp again answered for the Gents knocking down a jumper to knot the contest with 3:02 left to play. However, the Pilots went on a 10-3 run to close out the backyard battle.
Brandon Campbell joined Sapp in double figures as the Mansfield, La., product added 10 points. Caden Cheramie was the catalyst on the glass for the Maroon and White grabbing 10 rebounds.
Centenary, which out-scored the Pilots 39-34 in the second stanza, finished the evening shooting 36.5 percent from the floor including a 44.4 clip in the second half. The Gents connected on 61.3 percent from the free-throw line. LSUS hit 39.3 percent from the field along with a 69.6 mark from the charity stripe.
Lyndale James led the Blue and Gold with 15 points 13 rebounds. Kyle Preston joined James with a team-best 15 points while Joseph James added 10 points.
Centenary returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 7 as they open a three-game homestand against Hendrix College. Tip is slated for 4 p.m.