SHREVEPORT, La. - The Gents trailed for the entire first half, but 13 unanswered spanning both halves and a hot shooting second half gave Centenary (2-2) an 88-80 win against Hendrix (1-2) in the final game of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference/Southern Athletic Association Classic.

The Gents scored 56 points in the second half, the most in a stanza in nearly a year.

Trailing 39-25 with less than two minutes before break, Centenary scored seven-straight points to cut the deficit to seven at half. And it all started with the only missed free throw in 13 attempts on the night for sophomore Travion Kirkendoll. Kirkendoll hit the first, but missed the second. However, sophomore Kendall Demouchet tipped-in the missed freebie to cut the deficit to 11. Centenary forced a stop and Demouchet hit a jumper off a pass from senior Justin Cueto. Another stop and Campbell scored a layup out of a timeout.

Hendrix had one last chance to stem momentum before break, but Demouchet blocked a three and Kirkendoll grabbed the board as Centenary trailed 39-32 at half. Demouchet recorded four rejections, grabbed three steals and poured in 17 points for a balanced night on both ends of the court.

Kirkendoll, who hit a pair of threes the easy way and an old-fashioned three for the first nine Centenary points of the game, scored 15 points in the first half alone and etched a career-best 27.

While Kirkendoll paced the Gents in the first half, junior James Sapp went off in the second half to help the Maroon and White take the lead. With only two first half rebounds and no points to his credit, Sapp scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Sapp hit all four free throws and Cueto added a fastbreak layup on a pass from freshman Treylan Matthews to cut the deficit to only one just 1:35 into the half.

Matthews led Centenary with six dimes.

Bryce Batchelor for Hendrix answered with his only triple - and one of 12 on the night for the Warriors - to put the visitors up 50-46, but Sapp cut the deficit in half of an offensive rebound. Matthews tied the game on a fastbreak layup off of junior Brandon Campbell's defensive board. A pair of Kirkendoll free throws and a Campbell jumper gave Centenary its first lead of the game with 11:11 left.

The Maroon and White pushed the lead to double-digits thanks to an 11-0 run, and four free throws by Kirkendoll after both a common and technical foul gave the home team a 77-59 lead with 2:28 left, the Gents largest lead of the game.

Despite a 7-for-8 mark from the free throw line and two press-break easy layups by Kirkendoll, the Warriors cut the lead to single digits thanks to hitting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to close the game.

Matthews ended the game with 14 points and two steals.

All five Hendrix starters reached double-digits in scoring, led by Preston Smith by 17 points and six assists.

Centenary ends a five game and one exhibition contest in just a little more than nine day streak Tuesday when it travels to Conway, Arkansas, for a return trip against Hendrix. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.