Shreveport- The Centenary men's basketball team fell 63-54 to the Texas College Steers in a non-conference contest on Saturday afternoon at the Gold Dome.
The Gents (4-3) had their three-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time at home this season. The Steers improved to 4-3 with the win. Centenary lost at home for just the eighth time in its last 33 games.
Both teams struggled offensively as the Gents shot just 33.3 % (19-57) and the Steers 35.3 % (18-51). Centenary made just one three-pointer in the game, going 1-16 while Texas College hit 7-21 for 33.3 %. The Steers were 20-26 from the free throw line while Centenary went 15-23. The Gents won the rebounding battle, 42-39.
Senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.) and sophomore G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) each scored 13 points to lead the Gents. Taylor played 31 minutes and shot 5-13 overall with a team-high nine rebounds. He just missed recording his second double-double and scored in double digits for the sixth time this season. He also added an assist and a steal. Board was 4-7 overall from the floor in 22 minutes, grabbed six rebounds and blocked a shot.
Senior G Tevin Baker (Port Arthur, Texas) added seven points in 17 minutes as he made 3-4 shots from the field and was 1-1 from the free throw line. Junior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) scored six in 29 minutes with two assists and two rebounds. Johnson struggled from the field, going just 1-9, but went 4-4 from the free throw line.
Senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.) scored four points and grabbed five rebounds in 14 minutes with a pair of assists. Junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) added three points in 21 minutes and dished out a game-high four assists, grabbed three rebounds, blocked one shots and added a steal.
Junior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.), sophomore G/F Dylan Hooter (Mandeville, La.), and junior F Joseph Wiggins (Bossier City, La.) each scored two points. Behr played 17 minutes and grabbed four rebounds. He also had four steals and one assist. Hooter added one blocked shot and grabbed one rebound in 20 minutes. Wiggins also blocked a shot and had one rebound in 10 minutes. Freshman G Syied Dyer (Atlanta, Ga.) made his Centenary debut and scored two points in six minutes.
Three Texas College players scored in double figures, led by 20 from Montrell Horsey. He made 6-12 shots overall, 4-6 from three-point range, and 4-5 from the free throw line. Kovon Freeman added 13 points and six rebounds, and Ryan Sanders scored 10.
The Gents held a 27-23 halftime lead but Texas College outscored the Maroon and White, 40-27 in the second half to secure the win. The Steers took an early 7-2 lead, then led 17-11 with 9:37 remaining, but a free throw by Taylor at the 5:58 mark gave the Gents an 18-17 lead.
A trey by Board, Centenary's lone three pointer of the day, gave the Gents a 23-17 lead with 4:05 remaining in the first half. A pair of free throws by Johnson made it 25-17 at the 3:27 mark, and the Gents held the Steers scoreless for nearly seven minutes until a three pointer by Mike Houston made it 25-20 with 2:48 left in the first half. Board made two free throws and Horsey hit a three in the final 2:30 as the Gents took the four-point lead into the locker room.
The teams traded baskets in the first few minutes of the second half until a layup by Horsey gave the Steers a 34-33 lead at the 15:07 mark. Two free throws by Horsey extended the Texas College lead to double digits (49-39) with 10:01 remaining. A layup by Taylor cut the Steers' lead to 54-49 with 2:56 left clutch free throws down the stretch sealed the win.
The Gents must regroup quickly as they will open Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday at Dallas (2-5) on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. Centenary was picked to finish third in the conference in the preseason poll.
A link to the Gents' complete 2021-22 schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/schedule
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