Shreveport - The Centenary men's basketball team made history on Wednesday evening as the hot-shooting Gents nailed a program record 22 three-point baskets en route to a dominating 105-69 victory over the Southwestern University Pirates in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play at the Gold Dome.
The Gents improved to 7-6 overall and 3-3 in SCAC play while the Pirates fell to 4-9 overall and 1-3 in conference play. Centenary was back on its home court for the first time in almost a month and made the most of it, breaking the previous record of 20 three pointers in a game which happened on two prior occasions. Centenary also scored 100 points for the first time since a 111-109 overtime home win over Johnson and Wales on Dec. 1, 2017. Centenary is an impressive 21-7 in its last 28 conference games dating back to Jan. 25, 2020 and the Gents are a stellar 20-4 in their last 24 home games.
Individual history was also made on Wednesday as senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.) also made history as he tied the single-game record for three pointers by an individual as he drained nine treys in 14 attempts (64 %) and ended with a career-high 34 points. Hall's nine treys are also the most in a single game this season by a SCAC player and his 34 points are the most points scored in a game by a SCAC player this season. His nine three pointers are also the 11th-most in a single game by a player in the country this season. The record is 15 by John Carroll's Jackson Sartain versus Keuka on Nov. 12, 2021, two players have hit 12, four have hit 11, and three players have made 10.
Centenary previously made 20 treys in a game on Dec. 12, 2009 versus Louisiana Tech and most recently against Millsaps on Nov. 21, 2015. The 22 three pointers are also a new Gold Dome record. Hall is now tied with Trenton Smith, who hit nine versus ETBU on Jan. 13, 1992. The Gents attempted 47 three pointers on Wednesday tied the record for most attempts in a game in school history, matching the previous record set against UCF on Jan. 11, 1993. The 22 three pointers are also the seventh-most made in a game this season by a division III team and ties the single-game SCAC record set by St. Thomas versus Trinity on Jan. 31, 2020. Centenary's 22 made 3-point baskets are the fifth-most by a D3 team in a game this season in the country. Grinnell made 31 versus Spurgeon on Nov. 10, 2021 which is the single-game high so far this season.
Hall finished 11-18 overall from the floor, 9-14 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line in 23 minutes off the bench. He added a rebound, an assist, and a steal. Centenary shot 48.6 % (36-74) overall from the floor, 46.8 % from three-point range, and 11-13 (84.6 %) from the free throw line. The Gents have now shot 40 % or better from beyond the arc four times this season and nearly matched their season-best 48 % (12-25) effort in a 73-52 win at Mississippi University for Women on Nov. 23 when Hall scored a previous career-high 21 points.
Fifteen players saw action for the Gents in the game and 11 scored with junior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas), senior F Jarrell Taylor (Leesville, La.), and junior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) joining Hall in double figures. Taylor scored 19 on 6-11 shooting overall in 17 minutes off the bench and connected on 3-4 three-point attempts and went 3-4 from the free throw line. He grabbed six rebounds and had two assists and a steal. Thomas started and scored 12 in 23 minutes as he shot 4-9 overall, went 2-2 from the free throw line, and hit a pair of treys. He grabbed six rebounds with three steals, two assists, and a pair of blocked shots.
Behr also started and played 22 minutes as he scored 12 points and had four steals, three rebounds and two assists. He was 5-11 from the floor and hit two three pointers in seven tries. Junior G Drew Young (Lake Charles, La.) started and scored eight in 15 minutes, going 3-5 from the field and hit 2-4 attempts from beyond the arc with a steal. Senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas) and junior F Joseph Wiggins (Bossier City, La.) each scored six points off the bench. Mingo played 15 minutes and was 2-6 overall and 2-4 from three-point range. He had a game-high five assists with four rebounds. Wiggins was a perfect 3-3 from the floor in 14 minutes of action with two rebounds, one assist, and blocked a shot. Junior G Ralph Johnson (New Iberia, La.) was held scoreless in 21 minutes but recorded two rebounds, an assist, a steal, and blocked a shot.
Sophomore G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) scored three points and grabbed five rebounds in 24 minutes. He blocked a game-high three shots, had three assists, and one steal. Senior G Tevin Baker (Port Arthur, Texas) scored two points in five minutes off the bench, sinking a pair of free throws and collecting two steals and an assist. Freshman G Syied Dyer (Atlanta, Ga.) saw action for the first time since early December and made the most of it as he drilled the Gents' 21st record-setting three pointer of the night with 1:31 remaining for a 99-67 lead
Young made the Gents' first trey of the game at the 18:22 mark of the first half and by the time Hall hit his first of nine, it was 10-2 Centenary just over four minutes into the game, prompting Southwestern to call a timeout. A three by Mingo made it 21-6 at the 13:49 mark of the first half and a steal and ensuing thunderous breakaway slam by Thomas made it 29-9 with 11:58 left in the half and led to another timeout. In the first 10 minutes of the first half, the Gents hit eight treys by five different players, as the Maroon and White knocked down eight of their first 11 attempts and finished 11-24 (45.8 %) for the half.
Southwestern, though, weathered the storm, and cut the Gents' lead to 38-30 on a layup by Zac Black at the 4:05 mark to cap an impressive 21-9 run. The Gents however built their lead back up over the final few minutes of the half and took a 51-25 advantage to the halftime locker room.
Thomas hit Centenary's first three pointer of the second half and 12th of the game with 18:26 left in the second for a 58-37 lead. Thomas hit a pair in the second half, Taylor made three while Hall made six in the second half, on eight attempts, and made an astounding five in the final 8:39 of the second half. Six Gents hit at least two treys apiece and Hall and Taylor combined to make 13-21 and to make that even more impressive neither player started the game and both played less than 25 minutes. Hall made Centenary's 20th trey of the night, to tie the previous school record with 4:45 remaining and made his final three of the night, number 22 for the Gents, with just 23 seconds remaining in the game.
Southwestern had three players finish in double figures, led by 16 from Kyle Poerschke who entered the game as the conference's leading scorer, averaging 17.1 PPG and nearly matches his average as he went 6-12 overall in 28 minutes. He hit a pair of treys and grabbed seven rebounds. Preston Hannah added 12 points off the bench in 25 minutes and was hot from deep, hitting 4-5 three-point attempts. Brock Luechtefeld scored 10 in 21 minutes. The Pirates finished 42.6 % (26-61) overall for the game, hit 7-17 of their three-point attempts for 41.2 % but turned the ball over 23 times.
Centenary only turned the ball over six times, a season low, which is just two shy of the Gold Dome record for fewest in a game which was four versus Louisiana Tech on Feb. 3, 1986. The Gents have turned the ball over nine times or less three times this season. The Gents finished Wednesday's game with season bests in assists (21) steals (16), and blocked shots (7). Centenary has tallied 10 or more steals in a game seven times and 10 or more assists 11 times.
The Gents remain at home to face the Champion Christian College Tigers (5-9) on Saturday at 4 p.m. Centenary then returns to conference play on Saturday, Jan. 22 at Austin College (2 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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