Shreveport - The Centenary men's basketball team returns to the court on Tuesday evening for the first time in 10 days as the Gents are set for a battle against the University of St. Thomas Celts in a pivotal Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside the Gold Dome.
Live stats and live video are available for the game at the links below:
Stats: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/boxscores/20240130_4uxx.xml
Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/T9HWFqSwYSw?si=bvqJDFFQ7JIHA-zn
The Gents (10-9, 5-5 SCAC) dominated the University of Dallas Crusaders in their most recent outing on Jan. 20 at home. Centenary scored a season high in points and swept the season series over the Crusaders while improving to 7-1 at home. The Gents topped 90 points for the third time this season and did so for the second time against the Crusaders this season. The Gents responded well from a disappointing 70-59 loss on Jan. 19 to Austin College, their first home loss of the season.
The Celts (16-3, 8-2 SCAC) enter Tuesday's game second in the conference standings and receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. St. Thomas trails conference leader Trinity University (20-1, 11-1 SCAC) by two games in the standings. The Gents are currently fifth with Schreiner University (12-9, 7-5 SCAC) in fourth and Colorado College (12-7, 6-4 SCAC) in third place. Austin College and the University of Dallas, each 5-7 in league play, are tied for sixth place.
The top six teams in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the 2024 SCAC Tournament which will be hosted by Centenary and held at the Gold Dome Feb. 23-25. Centenary has had recent success in the event as the only SCAC program to advance to four-straight tournament semifinals.
The Gents average 75.7 PPG, shoot 41.3 % from the floor, 32.1 % from beyond the arc, 72.0 % from the free throw line, and average 34.9 rebounds/game and 12.1 assists/game. Centenary has now recorded 10+ assists in a game 14 times this season and done so in four-straight games, 10+ steals three times, and blocked four or more shots four times.
The Celts average 79.3 PPG, shoot 45.1 % from the floor, 34.0 % from beyond the arc, 75.4 % from the FT line, and average 36.4 rebounds/game and 15.7 assists/game. St. Thomas is 4-2 on the road this season with losses at LeTourneau and at Dallas. The Celts beat Austin College at home in their last outing on Jan. 21 at home (77-63) following an 86-85 loss at home to Dallas on Jan. 19.
Gents' Individual Season Statistical Leaders:
Scoring: Senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) – 17.4 PPG
Rebounding: Thomas – 8.5/game
Assists: Thomas – 3.3/game
Blocked Shots: Thomas – 0.7/game each
Steals: Thomas – 1.9/game
Thomas, having another superb season, enters Tuesday's game as the conference's fourth-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder while ranking second in assists per game, tied with the Celt's junior G Calvin Williams IV. Thomas has reached double figures 17 times and did so in 13-straight games to start the season. Thomas led the Gents with 16 points in the loss to Austin College on Jan. 19 and was held to just seven points in the romp over Dallas, but he was a perfect 5-5 from the FT line with seven rebounds, five assists, a game-high three steals, and a blocked shot.
He has five double-doubles and has been named the SCAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week twice this season. He ranks in the top 15 in the conference in assists, assist to turnover ratio, minutes played, defensive rebounds, blocked shots, field goal %, steals, free throw %, and 3-point field goals made. He is shooting 44.8 % from the field, 36.7 % from beyond the arc, and 78.5 % from the FT line.
Sophomore G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas) scored a career-high 30 points to lead all scorers in the Dallas win as he played 37 minutes and was 10-16 from the floor, 7-13 from beyond the arc, and 3-3 at the free throw line with three assists, two steals and a rebound. He reached double figures for the fifth time this season and is just the eighth player in the SCAC this season to score 30+ points in a game. His seven made treys are also the third-most in a game by a conference player this season.
The Gents were outstanding offensively against Dallas last time out, finishing an even 50.0 % (34-68) from the floor for the game after shooting a sizzling 54.3 % (19-35) in the first half. Centenary finished an impressive 41.0 % (16-39) from beyond the arc and 13-14 at the free throw line for 92.9 %. The Gents were 9-21 from 3-point range in the first half but did not attempt a free throw in the first 20 minutes, making all but one of their 14 attempts in the second half. Centenary led 47-32 at halftime and kept its foot on the pedal in the second half, outscoring Dallas 50-32.
The Gents' 16 treys are a season high and marks the sixth time this season they have hit 10 or more in a game. The 16 3-pointers are also the third-most made in a game by any SCAC team this season. Centenary also shot 50 % or better from the floor for the third time this season and nearly matched its season-high 54.5 % that it finished with in the season-opening win over Texas College on Nov. 8. The Gents' 92.9 % from the FT line was also a season best and their one miss from the line marked their fewest since missing just two (10-12) in a 66-63 loss at Belhaven on Nov. 27.
Junior G Craig Collier (North Little Rock, Ark.) added 20 points in the Dallas win as he reached double figures for the eighth time and score 20+ points for the second time. He was 7-16 from the floor in 33 minutes and 6-13 from beyond the arc with six assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Junior F Jakobi Greenleaf (Houston, Texas) was the third Gent to reach double figures as he scored 16 in 30 minutes on 7-10 shooting and was 2-2 at the FT line. He grabbed a game-high nine rebounds as he reached double figures for the ninth time.
Collier is averaging 9.6 PPG and has reached double figures eight times and done so six times in the last month. Greenleaf is averaging 8.9 PPG and 5.3 rebounds/game and shoots 52.8 % from the floor. He has reached double figures nine times with a pair of double-digit rebounding performances.
Four Gents - Senior G AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.), freshman G Gerald Murage (Irving, Texas), senior G Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas), and senior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) each scored six points. Hall also averages double figures (10.5 PPG) and has reached double figures six times this season and has done so five times in his last eight games. Singleton averages 7.4 PPG with a pair of double-digit scoring performances while shooting 45.2 % from the floor and 4.7 rebounds/game. Behr averages 6.0 PPG and has scored in double figures four times. Murage averages 3.8 PPG, has reached double figures once, and scored five+ points in a game six times.
The Celts' leading scorer this season is Williams IV (19.2 PPG) as he is second in the league, just behind Schreiner's Kamden Ross (19.3 PPG). Williams IV is joined in double figures by sophomore G Nick Anderson (15.1 PPG) and senior F Andrew Adebo (12.0 PPG). Senior Wesley Hooker is UST's leading rebounder, averaging 6.3/game.
The Gents aim to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Celts on Tuesday. Centenary lost the first matchup this season on Dec. 12 in Houston by a score of 67-59. The Celts led 34-26 at halftime and opened the second half on a 13-5 run to take a 47-31 lead at the 15:24 mark, but the Gents responded with an impressive 21-6 run over the next nine minutes to cut their deficit to just one at 53-52 with 6:24 remaining on a 3-point basket by Behr. St. Thomas, though, outscored Centenary 14-7 the rest of the way to seal the win. Centenary held Williams IV, who entered the game averaging a league-best 21.0 PPG to 11 points on 3-13 shooting in 30 minutes.
The Celts were picked to win the conference this season in the preseason coaches' poll while the Gents were predicted to finish fifth as the two teams have established themselves as annual contenders for the conference crown. Centenary's last win in the series came on Feb. 27, 2021 in the Gold Dome. Three of the last eight games between the two teams have been decided by four points or less and six have been decided by 11 or less.
The Gents are an impressive 42-9 in their last 51 home games and have won 18 of their last 21 at the Gold Dome. Centenary went 11-2 at the Gold Dome last season, setting a D3-era single-season record for home wins. The Gents have three games remaining at home in the regular season and will play three more on the road.
Gents' Remaining Regular-Season Schedule:
Tuesday, Jan. 30: vs. St. Thomas – 5:30 PM
Friday, Feb. 2: at Colorado College – 5:30 PM
Friday, Feb. 9: at Texas Lutheran – 5:30 PM
Saturday, Feb. 10: at Southwestern – 4 PM
Friday, Feb. 16: vs. Schreiner – 5:30 PM (Senior Night)
Sunday, Feb. 18: vs. Trinity – NOON
Current SCAC Standings:
1 Trinity 20-1, 11-1 SCAC
2 St. Thomas 16-3, 8-2 SCAC
3 Colorado College 12-7, 6-4 SCAC
4 Schreiner 12-9, 7-5 SCAC
5 Centenary 10-9, 5-5 SCAC
6 Austin College 9-11, 5-7 SCAC
7 Dallas 8-12, 5-7 SCAC
8 Texas Lutheran 4-16, 3-8 SCAC
9 Southwestern 1-19, 0-11 SCAC
*The top six teams in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the 2024 SCAC Tournament
See the complete Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/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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