Georgetown, Texas - The Centenary men's basketball team extended its winning streak to eight with a 58-49 victory over the Southwestern University Pirates in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference game on Friday night at the Robertson Center.
The red-hot Gents (9-2, 3-0 SCAC) have now won five games in a row over the Pirates (3-6, 1-2 SCAC) and lead the all-time series 15-9. Centenary was back in action for the first time in 12 days and has won its first three conference games for the first time since its 2019-20 SCAC Championship season when the Maroon and White got off to a 4-0 start in league play. Centenary is on its longest winning streak since a 10-game run during that conference championship season.
The Gents, who entered Friday's action leading the conference in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, showed why that is the case as they allowed a season-low 49 points and held the Pirates to 33.3 % shooting from the floor.
Centenary has allowed an average of just 51.3 points over its last three games, held its first opponent under 50 points this season, and allowed 65 points or less for an impressive eighth time. Centenary entered Friday's action 70th in the country in division III in FG % defense and tied for 64th in scoring defense. The Gents also entered the night as the SCAC leader in turnover margin (+4.70) forcing an average of 20.7 per game and stayed true to form on Friday as they forced 23 Pirates' turnovers which they turned into 18 points. The Gents finished with a 20-18 edge in points in the paint, got 16 points from their bench, and only turned the ball over 13 times.
Centenary finished the game at just 30.4 % (17-56) themselves, but strong defense carried the Maroon and White to the road win. The Gents finished with a slight edge (32-30) in rebounding, had eight steals, and blocked five shots. Centenary was also aided by a strong effort at the free throw line, finishing 19-24 for 79.2 % while the Pirates also shot it well from the line, going 15-21 for 71.4 %. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc as the Gents were 5-22 for 22.7 % and the Pirates 4-20 for only 20 %.
Senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) led the Gents and all scorers with 16 points and just missed a double-double as he grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. He reached double digits for the 10th time, most on the team this season, and has done so in six-straight games. He was 5-11 overall from the floor and 6-9 from the free throw line with three steals and an assist in 32 minutes.
Junior G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) joined Thomas in double figures as he posted 12 in 21 minutes on 3-8 shooting and finished a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. Board added four rebounds, a blocked shot, and a steal. Freshman G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas) added nine points in 21 minutes on 3-7 shooting, hit on 3-point basket, and finished 2-2 from the free throw line with one rebound.
Freshman G Cameron Walker (Bossier City, La.) scored seven in 19 minutes off the bench as he was 2-5 overall, 1-2 at the free throw line and hit a pair of treys with one rebound. Senior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) was 4-4 from the FT line and grabbed three rebounds with two assists in 14 minutes off the bench while senior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) and junior G Jerrick Baines (Alexandria, La.) each scored three. Behr grabbed two rebounds and added an assist and a blocked shot in 18 minutes and Baines played 21 minutes and pulled down four rebounds with an assist, a blocked shot, and a steal.
Senior G Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas) scored two points in 12 minutes with three board and a steal and senior F Joseph Wiggins (Bossier City, La.) played 18 minutes and finished with two points, three rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas) did not score but grabbed a pair of rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.
Luke Hatcher was the lone Pirate in double figures as he scored 10 points in 32 minutes with four rebounds and an assist. Shobby Enakpene and Zac Black each came off the bench to score nine and eight respectively, just missing double figures. Sam Lacy and Jacob Hester combined for 11 points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists and Brock Luechtefeld grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and scored four points.
Southwestern led 27-24 at halftime after shooting 34.8 % from the floor but made 9-11 from the free throw and held the Gents to just 24.2 % (8-33) shooting overall but eight turnovers and cold outside shooting (2-10) kept it close. Centenary also struggled from beyond the arc in the first half, making just 3-16 attempts for 18.8 %. The Gents improved offensively in the second half, going 9-23 from the floor for 39.1 % and were clutch at the free throw line, sinking 14-16 attempts for 87.5 %. The Gents finished 2-6 from beyond the arc in the second half and held Southwestern to 31.8 % shooting overall from the floor, 2-10 from beyond the arc and forced 15 second-half turnovers while allowing only seven made baskets.
The Gents never led in the first half but remained within striking distance the entire time. A pair of free throws by Hatcher gave the Pirates a 19-12 lead with 7:01 lead in the first half but a 7-0 Gents' run over the next two minutes tied the game at 19-19 capped by a Walker free throw at the 5:00 mark. The Pirates, however, responded with an 8-0 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a 27-19 lead with 1:18 remaining. Centenary then closed the half on a 5-0 run to get with three points at the break.
A layup by Thomas got the Gents within a point at 27-26 at the 17:49 mark and were the first points scored of the half by either team. A trey by Beverly at the 15:15 mark gave the Gents their first lead of the game at 31-29 but the Pirates tied it 14 seconds later. Two free throws by Beverly with 6:55 remaining put the Gents up 45-39, their largest lead of the game. Centenary then turned up the heat defensively, holding the Pirates scoreless for nearly give minutes and built a double-digit lead, 51-39, until a free throw by Enakpene made it 51-40 with only 2:03 left in the game. Two free throws by Johnson made it 55-43 Gents with 1:01 remaining and Centenary sank 5-6 from the line in the final minute including two by Thomas with four seconds left to seal the win.
The Gents complete the weekend on Saturday as they face Texas Lutheran University (6-4, 2-1 SCAC) at 4 p.m. in Seguin, Texas. The Bulldogs fell at home 60-47 on Friday to St. Thomas.
See the Gents' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.
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