Jackson, Miss. – The Centenary men's basketball team fell 75-60 to the East Texas Baptist University Tigers in a non-conference contest on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of the Millsaps College Tournament at the Hangar Dome.
The Gents (1-2) will face host Millsaps College on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the consolation game while ETBU (1-1) will play Huntingdon College (4-1) in the championship game at 6 p.m. Millsaps lost to Huntingdon, 68-67, on Saturday night.
Live stats and live video will be available for the Gents' game against the Majors on Sunday at the links below:
Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/millsaps/stats.htm?eventId=671914&streamType=video
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/millsaps/portal.htm?eventId=671914&streamType=video
Centenary fell behind 43-30 at halftime and cut the Tigers lead to 63-58 with 3:19 remaining, but ETBU ended the game on a 12-2 run to secure the win. The teams were meeting for the first time since the 2019 season when the Tigers defeated the Gents 85-69 in Marshall, Texas.
The Gents, despite being down double digits at the half, started fast as they held a 5-0 lead three and a half minutes in the game, but ETBU got going on offense and held a 20-11 lead at the 9:59 mark of the first period. The Tigers would stretch their lead to double digits for the first time after a basket at the 8:47 mark for a 24-13 lead and the Gents were able to get it into single digits on multiple occasions but ETBU was able to hold a double-digit lead after the first 20 minutes of action.
Both teams shot over 40 % from the floor for the game, with the Gents making 22-53 shots for 41.5 % and the Tigers shooting 40.8 % (29-71). The Gents, though, struggled from beyond the arc as they made just 3-12 attempts and ETBU only managed to make 6-20. Centenary and ETBU were both solid from the free throw line as the Maroon and White were 13-18 and the Tigers 11-14, each shooting above 70 %.
Junior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) led the Gents in scoring with a season-best 14 points. He made 5-8 shots from the field in 30 minutes and added three rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. Behr reached double figures for the second time this season after scoring 12 in the Gents' season-opening 87-77 win over Arlington Baptist on Nov. 9. Senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.) scored 12 points as he reached double figures for the third time this season and grabbed five rebounds in 31 minutes of action with a pair of blocks and an assist. He made 4-6 shots from the field and sank 3-4 free throws.
Junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) scored nine points and had three rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench. He added three steals and was 5-7 from the free throw line. Sophomore G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) and senior G Tevin Baker (Port Arthur, Texas) each scored seven points and Board grabbed four rebounds and blocked three shots. He also had one assist and one steal in 17 minutes. Baker was 3-5 from the floor in 26 minutes with three rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals.
Junior G Ralph Johnson (New Iberia, La.) scored six points in 34 minutes with three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Joseph Junior F Joseph Wiggins (Bossier City, La.) added five points in 18 minutes off the bench as he made 2-5 shots from the floor with three rebounds and a steal.
All five starters scored in double figures for ETBU, led by Jayden Williams' 19. Six Tigers grabbed at least five rebounds as they outrebounded the Gents, 45-24. Chris Haynes had a team-high nine rebounds and Charlie Cochran added eight with 11 points.
Centenary finished with 11 assists, 10 steals, and seven blocks and turned the ball over 19 times. ETBU turned it over 18 times and finished with 18 assists, 11 steals, and a pair of blocks. The Tigers scored 24 points off turnovers to 10 for the Gents and ETBU finished with a decisive advantage in second chance points, 18-3 and had 40 points in the paint while the Gents finished with 30.
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.
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