Centenary will look to get off to a fast start Wednesday, November 15, when the Ladies and Gents host East Texas Baptist for the first contests of the 2017-28 season for both teams.
Live Stats: Gents vs Tigers | Ladies vs Tigers
The Opening Tip for the Ladies
• Centenary will begin its 22nd season November 15 vs East Texas Baptist.
• The Ladies are 8-13 in both season
and home-opening games.
• Head Coach David Foley won his first game as a head coach, winning at East
Texas Baptist on November 15, 2016, 70-64.
• Last year, sophomore Deunya Small grabbed 20 rebounds against the Tigers, the most by a freshman and in a season- opening game in Ladies history.
• Centenary returns 70 percent of its offense from last season.
• Junior Jasmine Morris (808 points) looks to become the 6th Ladies player with 1,000 points.
Last Year against East Texas Baptist
Centenary outscored East Texas Baptist in each of the last three quarters to overcome a seven-point first quarter deficit to knock off the Tigers 70-64 in the season-opener for both teams November, 15, 2016, in Marshall, Texas.
Junior Jasmine Morris led a trio of Ladies in double figures with 19 points. Sophomore Deunya Small, in her first collegiate game, narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 20 rebounds, the most ever in a game by a Centenary freshman and the most in a season opener.
The Tigers last lead came just under five minutes left in the third quarter, but Essa Badon hit a fastbreak three as Centenary led for the rest of the game. The Ladies built the lead to as much as nine in the win.
The Series with the Tigers
Wednesday's game will mark the 11th meeting all-time between Centenary and East Texas Baptist. Centenary and East Texas Baptist first met in the 1981-82 season, with the Ladies winning both games that season. The Maroon and White have won 3-of-4 since the 2011-12 season.
Centenary holds a 7-3 overall lead in the series, with a 3-2 advantage in
Shreveport. However, the Tigers have won 2-of-3 in the Gold Dome, including a 70-62 win in the Ladies home opener of 2015 on November 17.
History Watch
Ladies junior Jasmine Morris enters the season with 808 points through 51 career games, already having become the fastest player in Centenary history to reach 500 points. If she scores her career average all season (15.843), she is on pace to break 1,000 points in the 13th game of the season at home against Southwestern, her 64th contest of her career, to become the fastest Centenary player to 1,000 points.
Five other players have scored 1,000 career points in Ladies basketball: Alexis Pettway (1,416 points, 2000-04) did it in 82 games (only player to do this before her senior season), Ashley Jackson in 100 games (1,136 points, 2007-11), and Julie Danieles in 105 games (1,038 points, 2000-04). Both Holli Wilkins (1,005 points, 2003-07) and Anne Farrell (1,004 points, 2007-11) did it in their last games played hitting the mark in 101 and 104 games, respectively.
The Opening Tip - Gents
• Centenary will begin its 93rd season with a
a new head coach for the first time since the 2010-11 season Wednesday,
November 15, against East Texas Baptist.
• This is the first time Centenary begins the season at home since the 2013-14 season.
• The Gents were picked to finish sixth in the Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference this season.
• Senior Travion Kirkendoll enters the game with 1,343 career points, which is 16th in the Gents career annals. If he averages 16.8 - his career average - in the regular season, he will move up to sixth in the record book with 1,746 points.
Last Year against East Texas Baptist
Recent graduate James Sapp hit the 1,000-point mark for his career last year against the Tigers, but the Gents could not overcome an early deficit in a 90-77 loss to East Texas Baptist in the season opener for both teams on November 15, 2016.
Senior Travion Kirkendoll poured in 25, including hitting all 10 free throws. Junior
Treylan Matthews added 21.
The Tigers used a decisive 57-30 edge on the boards and a 22-10 edge in second-chance points. Jordan Gosey had the double-double with 16 points and 15 boards, while Will Thomas came off the bench for eight points and 17 boards in only 23 minutes of
action.
The Series with the Tigers
This will be the 36th meeting all-time between the Tigers and Gents in a series that dates back to 1946. Centenary leads the series 29-6 and won the first 28 meetings; however, the Gents are looking for that elusive 30th win as the Gents have lost five in a row and 6-of-7.
The Votes Are In
Centenary basketball, which finished sixth in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference last season and advanced to the postseason conference tournament for the fifth-straight time, is picked to finish sixth again.
Colorado College, who hosts the SCAC Tournament this season, is picked to win the conference. Schreiner, last year's regular season champion, is tabbed second, while Trinity is picked third. Texas Lutheran, the three-time defending Tournament champion, is picked fourth. Southwestern is slated fifth, and Austin College and Dallas are picked seventh and eighth, respectively, behind the Gents.
Next Up
Both teams will take part in the third annual SCAC/Southern Athletic Association Classic at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, November 18-19. Both teams take on Millsaps on Saturday and finish the weekend against Hendrix on Sunday.