Gents Basketball Completes Sweep of SCAC Leaders, Claims Third Seed in Conference Tournament
SEGUIN, Texas – With the top four seeds of the upcoming Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament in the balance on one outcome, the Gents stepped up to complete the season sweep of the Conference Regular Season Champion Bulldogs as Centenary (13-12, 10-6 SCAC) knocked off Texas Lutheran (16-9, 11-5 SCAC) 73-65 Sunday afternoon, February 17.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Centenary (La.)
13-12 (10-6 SCAC
|
33 | 40 | 73 |
|
Texas Lutheran
16-9 (11-5 SCAC)
|
34 | 31 | 65 |
SEGUIN, Texas – With the top four seeds of the upcoming Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament in the balance on one outcome, the Gents stepped up to complete the season sweep of the Conference Regular Season Champion Bulldogs as Centenary (13-12, 10-6 SCAC) knocked off Texas Lutheran (16-9, 11-5 SCAC) 73-65 Sunday afternoon, February 17.
With the win, Centenary claimed the third seed and will play sixth-seeded Trinity in the quarterfinals. The winner will take on second-seeded and host Texas Lutheran in the Semifinals.
Neither team led by more than a possession until 6-0 run in the middle of the first half put Centenary in front by eight. Up 18-16, senior Treylan Matthews and freshman Kile Mingo hit back-to-back threes.
Mingo finished with a game high 19 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field – including a 3-for-5 mark from three.
Centenary fell behind by six in the second half, its largest deficit of the game, until a 14-4 run put the Gents back in front. Mingo hit a pair of threes to quickly tie the game at 43. Both team traded baskets before two free throws by Mingo put the Gents back on top. Both teams again traded baskets until freshman Ty Prince hit a jumper.
With less than four minutes remaining, with the Bulldogs up 59-58, a 6-1 run put Centenary in the lead for good. Prince made a layup and senior Kaharri Carter drained a pair of free throws. A tough jumper by Matthews with the shot clock running down put Centenary up five with 1:56 left.
Texas Lutheran pulled within two twice down the stretch, but the Gents hit all six free throws in the final 25 seconds for the final margin of eight points.
Matthews finished with 17 points while junior Cedric Harris and Prince chipped in 11 points.
With Texas Lutheran down 24-16 in the first, 12 unanswered put the home team back in the lead. Nathan Josephs hit a jumper and Jacob Kouremetis made a three. A Josephs three tied the game before Shawn Hamilton made a dunk. Jackson Willoughby made a dunk to punctuate the run.
Kouremetis led the Bulldogs with 17, while Josephs scored 16. Hamilton finished with 13 points and 11 boards to complete the double-double.
Centenary returns to action in the Quarterfinals of the SCAC Tournament Friday night, February 22. The Gents take on Trinity at 7 p.m. in Seguin, Texas.
Team Stats
Texas Lutheran
| Game Statistics | Centenary (La.) | Texas Lutheran |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-62) | (22-63) |
| Field Goal % | 40.3% | 34.9% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 43 |
| Assists | 11 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 9 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 15 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 18 | 5 |
