San Antonio, Texas- The Centenary men's basketball team fell 67-54 to the Trinity University Tigers on Saturday evening in the semifinals of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship, as the No. 3 seed Gents' season came to an end at the Ron & Genie Calgaard Gymnasium inside the Bell Center.
The Gents (18-9) tied the division III era (2012-present) single-season record for wins and went 10-6 in SCAC play during the regular season. The No. 2 seed Tigers (20-6) will meet No. 5 seed Schreiner (14-13) in the championship game at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The Mountaineers stunned regular-season champion and No. 1 seed St. Thomas (23-3) in the other semifinal.
Centenary, which defeated No. 6 seed Southwestern 57-47 in a quarterfinal contest on Friday, finished 1-2 against Trinity this season. The Gents defeated the Tigers at home on Dec. 2, 69-65, and lost at Trinity on Jan. 20, 80-59.
The Gents led 13-11 at the 13:52 mark of the first half, but a quick 11-0 run in less than two minutes featuring three 3-point baskets gave the Tigers a 22-13 lead with 12:07 left before the half. Centenary would only score four more points over the next seven and a half minutes, trailing 28-17 at the 5:37 mark. Two free throws by junior G Coby Harris (Lafayette, La.) got the Gents with 10 points (33-23) at the 3:22 mark, but the Tigers closed the half on a 9-1 run to lead 42-24 at the half.
Centenary made a run early in the second half to cut into the Tigers' lead, trailing only by eight at 44-36 following a trey by senior G Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas) with 15:01 left. Trinity moved its lead back to double digits but the Gents refused to go away as a 3-pointer by senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) at the 8:02 mark got the Gents to within eight points at 52-44. The Tigers, however, finished strong to hold off the Maroon and White and win by 13 points.
Thomas, who had 15 points in Friday's win – tied for a game-high with Singleton, led the Gents with 17 points (a game high) against the Tigers. He added a game-high 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. He played 34 minutes and was 7-11 from the floor, 1-3 from beyond the arc, and 2-2 at the free-throw line. Thomas added three blocked shots, two steals, and an assist. He reached double figures for the 23rd time this season.
Singleton scored 10 points on 3-6 shooting in 36 minutes. He had six rebounds, went 3-5 from beyond the arc, and 1-2 at the FT line. Senior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) scored 14 points off the bench in 28 minutes. He was 6-12 from the floor and 2-8 from beyond the arc with four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Freshman G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas) scored eight points in 23 minutes on 2-8 shooting with an assist. He was 1-4 from beyond the arc and 3-3 at the FT line.
Junior G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) was held scoreless but grabbed seven rebounds in 25 minutes with two assists, a blocked shot, and a steal. Senior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) scored two points with one rebound in 23 minutes and Harris finished with three points off the bench in his six minutes. Senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas), junior G/F Dylan Hooter (Mandeville, La.), and junior G Chrys Jackson (North Las Vegas, Nev.) played but did not score.
Centenary finished 19-51 from the floor for 37.3 %, 7-26 from beyond the arc for 26.9 %, and 9-14 at the FT line for 64.3 %. Trinity shot 38.6 % (22-57) from the floor, 45.8 % (11-24) from 3-point range, and 12-18 from the FT line for 66.7 %. Trinity won a tight rebounding battle, 38-36, and forced 20 turnovers while only committing 11 of its own. The Tigers feasted on the Gents' miscues, scoring 26 points off of their 20 TO's while the Maroon and White only managed two point in the category.
Each team scored 20 points in the paint, Trinity finished with a 12-7 edge in fast break points, and the Tigers' bench outscored the Gents' 22-17. Centenary scored seven second-chance points and Trinity had five.
Tanner Brown, Jacob Harvey, and Kaleb Jenkins combined for 46 points of the Tigers' 67 points. Brown grabbed a team-high nine rebounds on 6-14 shooting in 26 minutes. He was 3-6 from beyond the arc and 1-1 at the FT line with an assist. Jenkins had six boards, four steals, and two assists in 25 minutes. He was 3-7 from the floor, 3-3 from beyond the arc, and 6-9 at the FT line.
Centenary held 23 of its 27 opponents this season to 70 points or less this season, 60 or less 11 times, and to 55 or less 10 times.
For more information on the 2023 SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament, click here for the official website.
See the Gents' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/schedule
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