Shreveport- The Centenary men's basketball team will face the University of Dallas Crusaders on Friday in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference set for 5:30 p.m. at the Gold Dome.
Live stats and live video are available for the game at the links below:
Stats: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/boxscores/20211217_fqcp.xml
Video: https://collegetvticket.com/event/centenary-mens-basketball-vs-university-of-dallas/
The Gents (4-4, 0-1 SCAC) and Crusaders (3-5, 1-0 SCAC) are meeting for the second time in 10 days after Dallas registered an 81-76 win over the Gents in the conference opener on Dec. 8 in Irving. Centenary had won its previous four conference openers prior to that loss on Dallas' home court. The Gents have won 13 of the 20 meetings between the two since each joined the conference beginning with the 2012-13 season.
Centenary enters Friday's game an impressive 38-21 in conference regular-season contests over the last four seasons. The Gents are 17-4 in their last 21 home games overall. The Maroon and White are currently one of the top defensive teams in the conference, ranking second in scoring defense allowing just 65.2 PPG (53rd in nation), and third in both field goal percentage defense (.411) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.314). Centenary also ranks first in blocked shots (31/3.9/game), first in turnover margin, second in steals (8.8/game), and fourth in assist/turnover ratio.
Senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.) leads the Gents and ranks seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 15.4 PPG. He has scored the fifth-most points (123) in the SCAC and scored 19 in the loss to the Crusaders earlier this month. Taylor was 6-13 from the floor and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in 36 minutes. He was hot from behind the arc, hitting 5-7 attempts, made 2-4 from the free throw line, and had a blocked shot and a steal.
Taylor enters Friday's play ranked eighth in the league in rebounding (7.0/game) as he also leads the team and is the team leader in FG % (50.0 %) which is good for 12th in the conference. He is also fourth in the conference in defensive rebounds, averaging 3.8/game. Junior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) is third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.8 PPG and is 14th in the league in assists as he averages 2.8/game. Johnson averages 3.1 rebounds/game and has posted a pair of double-digit scoring performances this season including 12 in the previous meeting with Dallas.
Senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.) added 14 points off the bench in the game against the Crusaders and ranks second on the team in scoring (9.0 PPG) and fourth in rebounding (3.4/game). Hall is seventh in the league in three-point FG % (.440) and second on the team in that category and is currently 12th in the conference in three-point FG's made.
Senior G Tevin Baker (Port Arthur, Texas) has been a versatile and dependable option in his first season with the Gents as he is averaging 4.9 PPG, shooting 50 % overall from the floor, 37.5 % from beyond the arc, and ranks seventh in the conference in assists per game at 3.1. He is also fifth in assist/turnover ratio and is tied for 12th in the SCAC in steals.
Junior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) is tied for seventh in the conference in steals, averages 7.0 PPG, and is shooting 46.7 % overall and 45.5 % from three-point range. He is also tied for 14th in blocked shots. Fellow junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) is averaging 6.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG. He is tied for fourth in the conference in steals, is 10th in free throw % (.786), and is tied for eighth in blocked shots. Centenary has benefited from a deep rotation through its first eight games this season as twelve Gents average at least 8.0 minutes per game and nine different players have started at least one game.
Dallas led 34-26 at halftime in the game earlier this month and then the Gents held the edge in a high-scoring second half, finishing with a 50-47 advantage. The teams traded baskets as the score remained closed throughout most of the first half until the Crusaders' Cameran Hyde hit a three-pointer at the 3:08 mark to give Dallas a 34-17 lead. Centenary however responded with a 9-0 lead to close the half and trim the deficit back to single digits.
Dallas led consistently throughout the second half, building multiple double-digit leads. The Crusaders led 71-61 at the 3:44 mark but stingy defense by the Gents over the final three minutes of the game allowed them to cut into the Dallas lead. A trey by Hall with just 20 second left made it 77-74 but some clutch free throws down the stretch allowed the Crusaders to seal the win.
The Gents will wrap up the home weekend on Sunday as they welcome the Trinity University Tigers (7-1, 1-0 SCAC) to town for a 1 p.m. tip. Trinity defeated Schreiner on the road in overtime on Dec. 4 and will face Austin College on Friday in Sherman, Texas.
A link to the Gents' complete 2021-22 schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests but be advised of current COVID-19 protocols for fans. Updated COVID-19 information is now available via www.GoCentenary.com.
Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.
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