Gents Rally Late But Come Up Short At Austin College On Saturday, 81-78

Sherman, Texas - The Centenary men's basketball team fell 81-78 to the Austin College 'Roos on Saturday afternoon in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest at Hughey Gym.

The Gents fell to 8-7 overall and 3-4 in SCAC play while the 'Roos improved to 5-9 and 2-3 in conference play. Centenary dropped to 2-5 on the road this season and Austin College moved to 4-5 at home. 

Sophomore G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Gents. He was 9-13 overall from the floor in 23 minutes with a pair of rebounds and a steal. Board hit both of his three-point attempts and went 3-5 from the free throw line as he reached double figures for the fifth time this season.

Senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.) added 19 points in 22 minutes off the bench as he was 6-12 overall, 5-6 from the free throw line and hit a pair of treys. He grabbed a pair of rebounds and had one assist. Hall has scored in double figures in five-straight games and for the eighth time this season.

Junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) joined Board and Hall in double figures as he scored 10 points in 25 minutes and added seven rebounds on 3-8 shooting. He was 4-4 from the free throw line and had three assists, three blocked shots, and two steals. Senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.) scored seven with six board in 14 minutes off the bench. He hit a pair of three pointers in five attempts and had two blocks and an assist.

Junior F Joseph Wiggins (Bossier City, La.) chipped in six points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. Wiggins made 3-7 shots from the field and blocked a game-high four shots. Junior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) scored five with five rebounds in 13 minutes and senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas) played 27 minutes and scored three points and grabbed eight rebounds. He added three steals and two assists.

Sophomore G Coby Harris (Lafayette, La.) played 19 minutes and scored two points, grabbed two rebounds, and had three assists. Freshman G Syied Dyer (Atlanta, Ga.) came off the bench and added a clutch three pointer late in the game and junior G Drew Young (Lake Charles, La.) was held scoreless in 16 minutes but recorded a rebound and a steal. Junior G Ralph Johnson (New Iberia, La.) played 21 minutes and did not score but he grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists and had a steal.

All five Austin College starters scored in double figures, led by 21 points from Jackson Rennie. The 'Roos only used eight players in the game and only received five bench points. Jason Jones Jr. and Jaylyn Cleamons each recorded double-doubles as Jones Jr. grabbed 11 rebounds to go with his 12 points and Cleamons posted 15 points and 11 boards.

Austin College shot 46.4 % (32-69) for the game overall and the Gents shot 38.9 % (28-72). Both teams struggled from beyond the arc as the Gents were 8-26 from deep for just 30.8 % and the 'Roos were 7-23 for 30.4 %. Centenary went 14-21 from the free throw line and Austin College was just 10-19 for 52.6 %. The 'Roos edged the Gents 45-44 in a close rebounding battle and forced 22 Centenary turnovers and turned it over 20 times themselves. The Gents recorded 15 assists, nine steals, and nine blocked shots and the 'Roos had 19 assists, 15 steals, and six blocks.

Centenary shot 40 % from the floor in the first half to take a 42-32 halftime lead, but the 'Roos outscored the Gents 49-36 in the second half to secure the win. The Gents held a commanding 22-9 lead at the 13:44 mark of the first half and although the 'Roos cut it to single digits multiple times after that, Centenary was able to build the lead back to double digits and take the 10-point advantage into the halftime locker room.

Austin College went on a 13-3 run and tied the game at 45-45 at the 15:55 mark of the second half and then took the lead and went on a run over the next several minutes, building a double-digit advantage (65-54) with 9:07 remaining. Centenary then responded with a 9-2 run to cut the Austin lead to just four (67-73) with 5:49 left. A pair of free throws made it a 77-65 game with just 2:15 remaining but the Gents refused to go away as a furious 13-1 run over the next minute and a half made it a 79-78 game capped by a three pointer from Hall. Rennie, though, sank a pair of free throws to make it 81-78 and Hall missed a tying three-point attempt with seven seconds remaining. Jones Jr. was fouled but missed both free throws and Taylor grabbed the rebound but a last-second three-point attempt by Harris was off target and the 'Roos survived.

The Gents now 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 and 21-4 in their last 25 home games.

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.

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