Shreveport – The Centenary men's basketball team opened its regular season with an 87-77 victory over the Arlington Baptist University Patriots in a non-conference contest on Tuesday evening at the Gold Dome.
The Gents (1-0) won their season opener for the second season in a row and for the third time in the last four years. Centenary is also unbeaten in its last three home openers. The Patriots fell to 0-3 with Tuesday's loss.
The Gents raced out to a 57-26 halftime lead as they shot a sizzling 58.3 % from the floor (21-36) and made 9 of 18 three-point attempts. Three players were in double figures at the half, led by senior transfer F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.) who put up an impressive 17 points in his Centenary debut. Taylor made 6 of his 9 field goal attempts and went 2-2 from beyond the arc.
Junior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) was also making his Gents' debut and scored 12 first-half points, going 4 of 6 from the field and made a pair of three-point baskets. He grabbed five rebounds and dished out a pair of assists. Sophomore G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) added 10 points and went 3-3 from three-point range. Board finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Taylor finished with 17 and Behr with 12.
Junior G Ralph Johnson (New Iberia, La.), Senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas), and senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.) each scored nine points and Johnson had four assists, three steals, and two rebounds. Mingo added three rebounds, two steals, and an assist, and Hall grabbed a pair of rebounds. Junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) scored seven points in 26 minutes along with three rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal.
Junior F Joseph Wiggins (Bossier City, La.) scored four points in 10 minutes in his first game as a Gent and junior G Drew Young (Lake Charles, La.) scored three points with a rebound in 12 minutes.
The Gents shot 43.8 % (32-73) for the game and made 11 of 32 three-point attempts. Board made four treys, and Taylor and Behr each made two. Centenary shot 57.1 % (12-21) from the free-throw line and recorded 32 rebounds. The Gents, their usual aggressive selves, tallied 16 assists and 11 steals.
Arlington Baptist had four players in double figures, led by Da'vione Stafford's 20 points on 8-12 shooting and made 4-6 from three-point range in 35 minutes. He scored 19 of his 20 in the second half alone. The Patriots shot 57.4 % from the floor and 45.5 % (5-11) from beyond the arc.
Centenary remains at home to face the LSUS Pilots in the "Kings Highway Clash" on Thursday in an exhibition game set for 7 p.m.
A link to the Gents' complete 2021-22 schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests but be advised of current COVID-19 protocols for fans. Updated COVID-19 information is now available via www.GoCentenary.com.
Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.
#GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
