Houston - The Centenary men's basketball team fell 70-59 on Sunday afternoon to the St. Thomas Celts in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest at the Jerabeck Center.
The Gents, who lost 93-74 at Colorado College on Friday, dropped to 6-6 overall on the season and 2-3 in conference play. St. Thomas improved to 10-4 and 4-1 in SCAC play.
Junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) scored a game-high and season-high 19 points to lead the Gents. He grabbed eight rebounds, went 3-6 from beyond the arc, and went 2-4 from the free throw line in 34 minutes of action.
Thomas was 7-11 overall from the floor and had two assists, blocked a shot, and had a steal. He reached double figures for the third time this season and all three have come in conference play. Thomas has been especially hot over the last four games, as he has scored 54 points (13.5 PPG), grabbed 25 rebounds, with 11 steals, nine assists, and gone 7-16 (44 %) from beyond the arc. Thomas also played a season-high 34 minutes on Sunday.
Senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.) scored 14 in 24 minutes off the bench, shooting 5-14 from the floor with six rebounds. Taylor made a pair of three pointers and was 2-3 from the free throw line. Senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.) added 11 points in 24 minutes with three rebounds and an assist. He was 3-3 from the free throw line and was 4-9 overall from the floor.
Junior F Joseph Wiggins (Bossier City, La.) came off the bench to score six points in 13 minutes with a pair of rebounds, a blocked shot, and made 3 of 6 shots from the floor. Junior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) scored four points in 25 minutes with two rebounds. Sophomore G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) scored three points in 21 minutes with four rebounds, and a blocked shot.
Centenary struggled offensively, shooting just 31.9 % (22-69) from the floor and connected on just six of 26 attempts from beyond the arc. The Celts, on the other hand, shot 46.3 % (25-54) but also struggled from three-point range, going 5-21 for 23.8 %. St. Thomas outrebounded Centenary 49-33, grabbing 39 on the defensive end.
St. Thomas turned the ball over 18 times while Centenary took care of the ball, giving it away just nine times. The Celts finished with 12 assists, five blocks and four steals. The Gents had five assists, three blocked shots, and a pair of steals.
Three Celts scored in double figures, led by 19 from Christian Alaekwe in 34 minutes. He was 8-16 from the floor with three assists, three blocked shots, and a pair of rebounds. Freddie Ricks III recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes. Ricks III had four assists and a steal and made both of his free throw attempts. Andrew Nguyen scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds in 34 minutes and Joshua Sanchez added eight points and seven rebounds off the bench.
The Celts took a 33-30 halftime lead and then outscored the Gents in the second half, 37-29. St. Thomas led 15-7 with 11:59 remaining in the first half but the Gents went on a 10-0 run to take a 17-15 lead at the 8:37 mark. The teams traded baskets over the next several minutes until a three pointer by Taylor gave Centenary a 30-25 lead with 2:54 left before the break but St. Thomas ended the half on an 8-0 run. The Celts maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half to secure the victory.
Centenary will now play five of its next six games at home, beginning with another conference game versus the Southwestern University Pirates on Wednesday, Jan. 12 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
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
