Shreveport - The Centenary men's basketball team nearly hit the century mark again on Saturday afternoon as the Gents easily took care of the Champion Christian College Tigers, 95-64, in a non-conference contest at the Gold Dome.
The Gents (8-6) stayed hot on offense after Wednesday's record-setting 105-69 beatdown of Southwestern in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play at home. Champion Christian fell to 5-10 with Saturday's loss. Centenary improved to 21-4 in its last 25 home games.
Centenary nailed a program and Gold Dome record 22 three-point baskets in the win on Wednesday and individual history was also made as senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.) tied the single-game record for three pointers as he drained nine treys in 14 attempts (64 %) and ended with a career-high 34 points.
The Gents came out hot on offense and shot a sizzling 55.6 % (20-36) from the floor in the first half to lead 51-37 at the half. Centenary made 9-16 (56.3 %) three-point attempts before halftime and went 2-2 from the free throw line. The Gents cooled off some in the second half but still shot 41 % (16-39) overall and made five more treys to finish the game with 14, giving them a whopping 36 in the last two games. The Maroon and White have now hit 10 or more three pointers in a game eight times this season and have done so in five of their last seven games.
Junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) scored a career-high 25 points on 10-18 shooting in 19 minutes. He reached double figures for the fourth-straight game, fifth time in the last six games, and topped 20 points for the fourth time in his career. He added four rebounds, two assists, and a blocked shot. Thomas' 10 FG's made are a season high and he hit a season-high four treys in six attempts. Hall followed up his amazing performance on Wednesday with another double-digit effort on Saturday as he scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. Hall was 3-9 from the floor, went 3-4 from the free throw line and made one trey.
Senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas) scored a season-high 16 points and was on target from beyond the arc, making 4-6 attempts and shot 6-10 overall. He added three steals and two rebounds in just 13 minutes of action. Junior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) scored nine in 23 minutes on 3-6 shooting with five rebounds, and assist, and a steal. Sophomore G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) added eight points in 19 minutes as he shot 3-5 overall, was 2-2 from the free throw line, and grabbed four rebounds. He tallied two steals and had an assist.
Freshman G Syied Dyer (Atlanta, Ga.) scored a season-high eight points in a season-best 17 minutes. He shot 3-5 overall and made two of his four three-point attempts. He grabbed two rebounds and had one assist and a steal. Junior G Drew Young (Lake Charles, La.) and junior F Joseph Wiggins (Bossier City, La.) each scored six points on Saturday while senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.) added four. Young hit both of his three-point attempts, had three steals, and a rebound in 11 solid minutes. Wiggins also played 11 minutes and made 3-5 attempts from the field with three rebounds, an assist, and blocked a shot. Taylor played 16 minutes and grabbed four rebounds with a blocked shot and a steal.
Junior G Ralph Johnson (New Iberia, La.) was held scoreless for the second-straight game but had three assists, three rebounds, and a steal in 18 minutes. Sophomore G Coby Harris (Lafayette, La.) matched his season-high in playing time with 20 minutes and had an assist, a rebound, and a steal. Senior G Trent Washington (Gibson, La.) played five minutes in relief and scored one point and grabbed a pair of rebounds. Sophomore G Antonio Cormier (Rayne, La.) made the most of his four minutes as he scored two points, recorded three assists, and had a steal.
Champion Christian had three players reach double figures, led by 18 from Ariyon Williams. Braylon Hawkins scored 15 and Keyshaun Scott added 11. Williams and Hawkins each grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. The Tigers finished at 43.1 % (22-51) for the game overall and made 15-20 from the free throw line, but struggled from three-point range, making just 5-21 attempts for 23.8 %.
The Tigers finished with a slight edge (38-36) in rebounds on Saturday but hurt themselves with 24 turnovers and fell behind 29-8 just eight and a half minutes in the game and played catch up the remainder of the way as the Gents outscored the Tiger s 44-27 in the second half. Centenary finished with a decisive advantage in bench points (47-20) and had 16 second-chance points to the Tigers' eight. Centenary scored 21 points off the Tigers' 24 miscues while the Gents only turned the ball over six times, which Champion Christian turned into 13 points. Points in the paint was a close battle as the Gents finished with 34 and the Tigers 32.
Centenary only turned the ball over six times for the second game in a row, tying its season low, which is just two shy of the Gold Dome record for fewest in a game which was four versus Louisiana Tech on Feb. 3, 1986 and Wednesday versus Southwestern. The Gents have turned the ball over nine times or less four times this season. The Gents have now shot 40 % or better from beyond the arc five times this season and made 14 or more three pointers in a game three times this season. Centenary has shot 40 % or better from the floor in a game eight times this season.
The Gents return to conference play next Saturday at Austin College in a game set for 2 p.m. in Sherman, Texas. Centenary is 3-3 in SCAC play and will return home on Monday, Jan. 24 against Texas Lutheran for the first of three-consecutive conferences games in the Gold Dome where the Gents are 6-1 this season.
A link to the Gents' complete 2021-22 schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/schedule
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