Irving, Texas- The Centenary men's basketball team came up short on Wednesday evening in its Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference opener to the University of Dallas Crusaders, 81-76, at the Maher Center.
The Gents (4-4, 0-1 SCAC) had won their conference opener the last four seasons. Dallas improved to 3-5 and 1-0 in SCAC play with the win. Despite the loss, Centenary is an impressive 38-21 in conference regular-season contests over the last four seasons.
Three Gents scored in double figures on Wednesday, led by 19 from senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.) while junior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) scored 12 and senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.) added 14 off the bench.
Taylor was 6-13 from the floor and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in 36 minutes. He was hot from behind the arc, hitting 5-7 attempts, made 2-4 from the free throw line, and had a blocked shot and a steal. Johnson played 26 minutes and shot 5-13 overall and pulled down six rebounds along with three assists.
Hall played just 13 minutes but was 5-8 from the floor and made all three of his three-point attempts. He also grabbed three rebounds. Senior G Tevin Baker (Port Arthur, Texas) played 10 minutes off the bench and scored eight points, dished out three assists, grabbed a pair of rebounds, and had a steal.
Sophomore G/F Dylan Hooter (Mandeville, La.) played 24 minutes and was 1-4 from the floor with two points, four rebounds, and a pair of assists. Junior G Drew Young (Lake Charles, La.) got the start and played 24 minutes as he scored four points on 2-6 shooting overall and grabbed five boards. Fellow junior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) scored two points in 15 minutes with a pair of rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.
Freshman G Syied Dyer (Atlanta, Ga.) hit a three pointer and had four assists and a blocked shot in 12 minutes of action. Sophomore G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) scored five points in an efficient five minutes off the bench, junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) played 18 minutes and scored three points. He had three steals, two blocked shots, and an assist. Junior F Joseph Wiggins (Bossier City, La.) scored four points and grabbed a pair of rebounds in 12 minutes.
Centenary shot 40.3 % (29-72) overall from the floor for the game and were successful from beyond the arc, connecting on 14-35 (40 %) attempts. Dallas shot 36.5 % (27-74) and made just 9-27 attempts from three-point range for 33.3 %. The Crusaders were 18-28 from the free throw line while the Gents were just 4-9.
Dallas won the rebounding battle, 45-35 and forced 17 Centenary turnovers while committing 12. The Gents recorded 17 assists in their 29 made baskets and added six steals and six blocked shots. The Crusaders also tallied 17 assists, had nine steals, and blocked a pair of shots.
Five Crusaders reached double figures, led by Jai Love's 18 points. Letrell Toussaint recorded an impressive double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Jack Boyle also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Dallas led 34-26 at halftime and then the Gents held the edge in a high-scoring second half, finishing with a 50-47 advantage. The teams traded baskets as the score remained closed throughout most of the first half until the Crusaders' Cameran Hyde hit a three-pointer at the 3:08 mark to give Dallas a 34-17 lead. Centenary however responded with a 9-0 lead to close the half and trim the deficit back to single digits.
Dallas led consistently throughout the second half, building multiple double-digit leads. The Crusaders led 71-61 at the 3:44 mark but stingy defense by the Gents over the final three minutes of the game allowed them to cut into the Dallas lead. A trey by Hall with just 20 second left made it 77-74 but some clutch free throws down the stretch allowed the Crusaders to seal the win.
The Gents benefited immensely from its bench, receiving 37 points while the Dallas reserves contributed 12. Centenary scored nine points off turnovers while Dallas notched 14. Dallas recorded 13 second chance points to five for Centenary. Centenary scored 19 fast break points and Dallas 13, and both teams were busy in the paint, with the Gents scoring 22 and the Crusaders 32.
The Gents will take a break for final exams and then will welcome the Crusaders to the Gold Dome for a rematch on Friday, Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m.
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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