Gents Begin Important Four-Game Road Trip On Friday

Colorado Springs, Colo. – The Centenary men's basketball team begins a four-game road trip on Friday as the Gents will face the Colorado College Tigers in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest set for 7:30 PM (8:30 PM central time) inside Reid Arena.

Live stats and live video are available for the game at the links below:

STATS: https://cctigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

VIDEO: https://www.flocollege.com/signup?redirect=%2Flive%2F142552

The Gents (6-9, 4-2 SCAC) had their three-game winning streak snapped on Sunday afternoon at home as they fell 80-66 to the Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs. Centenary led 39-38 at halftime but TLU outscored the Maroon and White 43-28 in the second half to seal the upset. The Tigers (7-8, 3-3 SCAC) defeated McMurry University at home on Sunday, 92-75, to improve to 5-4 at Reid Arena this season.

The all-time series between the Gents and Tigers is tied 13-13 but Centenary has won seven of the last 10 and three in a row, including an 83-76 victory in the SCAC Tournament title game last February in Shreveport. The Gents, 1-2 on the road this season, picked up a 61-58 win over the Tigers in Colorado Springs last season.

The Gents are averaging 72.6 PPG, shooting 40.5 % from the floor, 31.4 % from beyond the arc, 74.1 % from the free-throw line, and average 30.4 rebounds/game. Centenary also averages 10.5 assists per game, 6.5 steals/game and 2.4 blocks/game. The Gents have tallied 10+ assists in a game 10 times, double-digit steals six times, and three or more blocks nine times. The Gents tallied a season-best 20 assists in their win over Southwestern last Friday.

Centenary is the second-best free-throw shooting team in the conference, behind Colorado College (74.4), and ranks 56^th nationally in division III. The Gents and Tigers each rank in the top six in the league in FG % defense, scoring defense, and blocked shots. The Gents are also 22^nd nationally in turnover margin (4.7/game) as they have forced 260 TO's this season.

Gents' Season Individual Statistical Leaders:

Scoring: Senior G Craig Collier (North Little Rock, Ark.) – 16.5/game

Rebounding: Senior F Jakobi Greenleaf (Houston, Texas) – 7.3 RPG

Assists: Collier – 2.5/game

Blocks: Greenleaf – 1.2/game

Steals: Freshman G Nicholas Addison (Cedar Hill, Texas) – 1.9/game

Collier and Greenleaf have been red-hot for the Gents lately as Collier, who scored a team-high 14 points on Sunday against TLU, has now reached double figures a team-high 11 times this season and has done so in seven-straight games. Collier has scored 20+ points seven times this season highlighted by a career-best 31 at Ozarks on Jan. 4 and currently ranks sixth in the league in scoring.

Greenleaf, who scored 11 points against the Bulldogs, now has 10 double-digit scoring performances this season, and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for his second-straight double-double. Greenleaf has scored 20+ four times with a career-high 26 points last Friday against Southwestern. Greenleaf (12.5) ranks 22^nd and is tied for sixth in rebounding and FG % (55.0), fourth in blocked shots (1.2/game), and fifth in steals (1.7/game).

Collier is the second-best free-throw shooter in the conference (92.2 %) and ranks ninth nationally in division III as he is an impressive 47-51 at the line and has a chance to set a new season record for best FT % in a single season in program history currently held by Wayne Waggoner (.918, 56-61) in the 1978-79 season. Collier is also tied for 15^th in the SCAC in assists (2.5/game) and ranks seventh in the league in both 3-point FG % (41.7) and 3-point FG's made (2.7/game and 40 total).

Junior G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas) is averaging a whopping 20.6 PPG in limited action as he has played in just eight games following an early-season injury. He scored 16 last Friday against Southwestern as he finished 5-11 from the floor and an impressive 5-10 from beyond the arc. Beverly has scored in double figures seven times this season and hit five treys in a game for the third time this season. Addison scored 10 points in both games last weekend and owns five double-digit scoring performances this season. His team-leading 1.9 steals per game rank fourth in the league and his 0.9 blocks per game are tied for fifth.

Senior G Jalen Ned (New Orleans, La.) is fourth on the team in scoring (10.1 PPG) and has seven double-digit scoring performances and has scored 20 points twice. Ned, who also averages 4.0 rebounds per game, shoots 42.1 % from the floor, 31.5 % from beyond the arc, and 71.7 % from the FT line. Freshman G Trenton Thomas (Cedar Hill, Texas) scored 12 points last Sunday against the Bulldogs as he reached double figures for the second time this season and is averaging 4.7 PPG. Freshman G Allen Paul (Katy, Texas) scored a season-high 12 points against Southwestern last Friday and averages 3.6 PPG, 2.2 rebounds/game, and 1.2 assists/game. Senior G Kyron Powell (Fort Worth, Texas) has played in just six games so far this season but has been productive as he is averaging 4.3 PPG, 1.5 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists/game while shooting 71.4 % from the FT line. He has scored six+ points in three of his six games this season.

The Gents were picked to finish fourth in the conference preseason poll while the Tigers were picked third. The conference is separated into two divisions this season – the Blue and the Gold. Centenary is currently tied for second in the Blue Division with Ozarks, behind only St. Thomas, while Colorado College is fourth in the Blue division.

The top six teams in the conference (top three from each division) will qualify for the SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament, which will be held February 28 through March 2 and hosted by the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. The winner of that event will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

A Glance at the Tigers:

Colorado College is led by head coach Jeff Conarroe.

The Tigers are led in scoring this season by Asher Nofziger (18.3 PPG), which is good for fourth in the conference. Three other Tigers average double figures – Scott Ruegg (13.7 PPG), Devin Philio (13.0 PPG), and Ty Hendler (10.1 PPG).

Nofziger is also the Tigers' leading rebounder (8.6/game) and ranks third in the conference. Gavin Carter ranks eighth in the SCAC in assists/game (2.9) and Ruegg has been superb at the FT line, shooting 97.1 %, as he has made 34-35 this season.

The Gents' four-game road trip continues on Sunday with another key league contest versus the of St. Thomas Celts in Houston at 2 p.m. Next weekend's travels take the Gents to Kerrville, Texas on Jan. 31 to face Schreiner University and to San Antonio on Feb. 1 to face Trinity University.

See the complete Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/schedule

Admission is FREE to all Centenary men's basketball home contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.

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