Kerrville, Texas - The Centenary men's basketball team dropped a 68-54 decision to the Schreiner University Mountaineers on Saturday afternoon in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest at Stephens Family Arena.
The Gents (12-6, 6-4 SCAC) lost 80-59 at Trinity on Friday night and are now 1-4 on the road this season. The Mountaineers improved to 10-9 and 4-6 in SCAC play and earned a split of the season series after falling to the Gents 84-79 on Dec. 4 in Shreveport.
Centenary shot 36.4 % (16-44) from the floor while Schreiner finished 48.1 % (26-54). The Gents went 9-31 from beyond the arc for 29 % and the Mountaineers were just 4-19 for 21.1 %. The Gents were solid at the free throw line, finishing 13-16 for 81.3 % while the Mountaineers struggled mightily, making just 12-22 for 54.5 %. Schreiner finished with a decisive advantage on the glass (40-23) and forced Centenary into 21 turnovers while giving it away 19 times itself.
Senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) scored 12 points to lead the Gents as he reached double figures for a team-high 17th time and has now done so in 13-consecutive games. He also grabbed a team-best six rebounds and added three assists and a steal. He played 29 minutes and was 3-5 from the floor, 1-1 from beyond the arc, and 5-6 from the free throw line.
Junior G Jerrick Baines (Alexandria, La.) was the only other player to reach double figures for the Gents as he added 10 points in 27 minutes as he was 3-8 from the floor with a rebound, two assists, and a steal. All three of his made baskets were from 3-point range. Baines has scored double figures seven times this season. Junior G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) scored nine points in 24 minutes as he hit three treys in six attempts and grabbed three rebounds with an assist and a steal.
Senior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) had his second-straight solid performance with seven points in 27 minutes off the bench on 3-5 shooting. He was 1-2 from the FT line with two rebounds and an assist. Freshman G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas) scored six points in 21 minutes as he was a perfect 6-6 from the FT line where he scored all of his points. He added an assist and blocked two shots. Freshman G Cameron Walker (Bossier City, La.) also scored six points in 15 minutes as he hit a pair of treys in six attempts with one rebound.
Senior G Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas) was held scoreless but had three rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 15 minutes. Senior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) had four points and a pair of steals in 13 minutes. Junior G/F Dylan Hooter (Mandeville, La.), senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas), junior G Chrys Jackson (North Las Vegas, Nev.), and senior F Xavier Johnson (Baker, La.) all played but did not score.
Three Schreiner players scored in double figures, led by a game-high 15 points apiece from Dylan Mackey and Cristian Rodriguez. Kamden Ross added 12 with five rebounds and three assists. Rodriguez added 15 rebounds for an impressive double-double as he was 7-12 from the floor in 34 minutes. He added five assists, a blocked shot, and a steal. Bronson Evans and Darian Gibson each scored seven points as 10 of the 11 Mountaineers that played scored at least two points.
Schreiner held a slight lead (27-24) at halftime but was red hot in the second half, making 15-20 shots for 75 % to outscore Centenary 41-30 and secure the double-digit win. The Gents shot 37.5 % (9-24) in the second half after finishing at 35 % (7-20 in the first half. The Mountaineers went just 11-34 (32.4 %) in the first half but found their groove after the locker room break.
The Mountaineers finished with 18 assists, eight steals, and a blocked shot and the Gents had nine assists, six steals, and a pair of blocks. Each team scored 21 points off of turnovers and both the Gents and Mountaineers benefited from strong bench play as Centenary's reserves scored 26 points and Schreiner's 31. Schreiner finished with a 16-9 advantage in second-chance points and 8-0 in fast break points. The Mountaineers made a living in the paint as they scored 44 points there to the Gents' 14.
Schreiner extended its three-point halftime lead to 11 just four minutes into the second half but a 3-pointer by Board brought the Gents to within three again (40-37) at the 12:17 mark. Two minutes later, Board nailed another trey to give Centenary its first lead since early in the first half at 43-42. The hot outside shooting continued for the Gents as Baines nailed a trey to give Centenary a 46-45 lead with 9:01 left but the Gents would not score again until the 6:37 mark when a Thomas layup cut their deficit to 55-48. A free throw by Baines at the 4:07 mark got the Gents within seven points again at 59-52 but Schreiners defense held the Maroon and White to just two points the rest of the way, finishing on a 9-2 run to secure the win.
Centenary returns home next weekend for its final two SCAC home games – on Friday, Jan. 27 versus Southwestern (7:30 p.m.) and on Sunday, Jan. 29 versus Texas Lutheran at 2 p.m. for the annual Senior Day contest. The Gents are 9-2 on their home court this season and have won 32 of their last 40 home games overall.
See the Gents' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.
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