Irving, Texas - The Centenary men's basketball team completed a season series sweep of the University of Dallas Crusaders with a 72-51 victory in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play on Friday night at the Maher Center.
The Gents (15-6, 9-4 SCAC) won the previous meeting between the two, 90-70 on Dec. 30 at home. The Crusaders fell to 9-12 and 3-9 in the SCAC with the loss. Centenary is in third place in the conference standings, trailing only St. Thomas (20-2, 13-0 SCAC) and Trinity (15-5, 8-3 SCAC). The Gents, winners of three-straight games, reached 15 wins in a season for the fifth time in the division III era (2012-present) and third time under head coach Chris Dorsey.
Centenary was red-hot offensively in the first half, finishing 53.1 % (17-32) from the floor and 6-12 from beyond the arc. The Gents finished an impressive 44.8 % (26-58) for the game from the field and 9-23 from 3-point range for 39.1 %. Dallas finished 36.5 % (19-52) from the floor for the game but struggled from beyond the arc (3-22 for 13.6 %). The Gents were 11-15 at the free throw line for 73.3 % and the Crusaders went 10-15 for 66.7 %.
The Gents were 9-26 in the second half for 34.6 % and the Crusaders were 11-28 for 39.3 % after going just 33.3 % (8-24) in the first half. Dallas edged Centenary 36-33 on the board but turned the ball over 20 times which led to 24 points for the Gents. Centenary only turned it over 13 times which led to just seven points for Dallas.
Centenary finished with nine assists, eight steals, and two blocked shots while Dallas tallied 12 assists, three steals, and three blocks. The Gents won the battle in the paint, 20-16, had seven second-chance points to four for the Crusaders, and each team scored five second-chance points. Centenary's bench scored 10 points and Dallas' contributed five.
The Gents used their hot shooting to take a 42-27 halftime lead and then outscored the Crusaders 30-24 after the break to record their third-straight double-digit win, all by at least 19 points and won by the same score (72-51) for the second game in a row after doing so on Senior Day versus Texas Lutheran last Sunday.
Senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) led all scorers with 20 points as he finished 6-9 from the floor and 6-9 at the FT line with three assists, two rebounds, a blocked shot, and a steal in 24 minutes. Thomas, who was named the SCAC Player of the Week on Monday for the third time this season, has scored in double figures in 16 straight games and 20 times this season. He has scored 20+ points seven times this season and has done so six times in his last nine games.
Senior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) scored a season-high 15 points as he started and played 36 minutes. Johnson, who has scored in double figures three times this season, was 6-11 from the floor, 2-2 at the FT line and 1-2 from beyond the arc. He grabbed five rebounds and dished out a pair of assists. Senior G Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas) joined Thomas and Johnson in double figures with 11 points, reaching double figures for the 10th time. Singleton grabbed seven boards and added a pair of assists and a pair of steals on 4-9 shooting in 36 minutes. He was also 2-2 at the FT line and 1-4 from beyond the arc.
Junior G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.), senior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.), and freshman G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas) each scored eight points and junior G Coby Harris (Lafayette, La.) chipped in two points. Board was 2-6 from 3-point range in 34 minutes and added seven boards and two steals with one assist. Behr played 22 minutes and hit a pair of treys in four attempts with a blocked shot and a rebound. Beverly was 1-2 at the FT line and 1-3 from beyond the arc in 20 minutes with four rebounds and three steals.
Dallas had two players reach double figures, led by Marcus Juarez's 17. Letrell Toussaint was next with 14 and each grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Jack Boyle scored nine points with seven rebounds, two assists, and a blocked shot in 24 minutes. He finished 4-4 from the field and 1-4 at the FT line. Louis Christifano Jr. scored six points and Jamal Leftwhich and Johny Olmstead combined for five.
The teams traded baskets for the first eight minutes of the game until the Gents began to assert themselves and build a lead. The score was tied at 14-14 at the 12:39 mark but a Thomas layup capped a 9-0 Gents' run for a 23-14 lead with 8:12 left until halftime. A trey by Board gave the Gents a 31-17 lead at the 5:20 mark and the lead grew to 38-1 two minutes later on a 3-pointer by Singleton. The Gents' stingy defense held the Crusaders to just 10 points over the final 7:15 of the first half.
The closest Dallas was able to get was eight points (56-48) with 5:41 left in the game following a basket by Jaurez. The Gents actually went scoreless for just over five minutes between baskets by Johnson at the 10:54 and 5:15 marks. But in the final minutes of the half the Gents maintained their double-digit advantage to seal the victory.
The Gents finish off the weekend on Saturday at Austin College in Sherman, Texas in a conference contest set for 6 p.m.
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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