No. 3 Seed Gents Edge Schreiner 76-75 In SCAC Quarterfinal Thriller

Shreveport - The No. 3 seed Centenary men's basketball team edged the No. 6 seed Schreiner University Mountaineers by a score of 76-75 in a thriller on Friday afternoon in a quarterfinal contest on day one of the 2024 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship inside a spirited Gold Dome.

The Gents improved to 15-11 while Schreiner dropped to 13-13. Centenary advances to face the No. 2 seed University of St. Thomas Celts (20-5) on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the second semifinal. No. 4 seed Colorado College (15-11) faces No. 1 seed Trinity (23-2) in the first semifinal at Noon. Colorado College eased past No. 5 seed Dallas (12-14) in Friday's tournament opener, 87-58.

Centenary head coach Chris Dorsey notched his 100^th career with the Gents thanks to Friday's victory. Centenary has now made four appearances in the semifinals of the SCAC Championship in Dorsey's tenure. Saturday's contest will be the third tournament matchup between Centenary and St. Thomas and the first since 2022 when these teams met in the semifinals. 

Official Tournament Website | Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview | Men's Tournament Stats

Game recap courtsey of the SCAC:

In a back and forth affair that saw six ties and 12 lead changes as well as each team leading for at least 18 total minutes of game time, it was the host Centenary Gents who held on for the slim one-point victory. Schreiner shot a blistering 50.0 percent (12-of-24) from beyond the arc compared to just 28.0 percent (7-of-25) for Centenary, but the Gents forced 22 Mountaineer turnovers and turned them into 25 points to help account for the winning margin.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Schreiner took an early 16-11 lead after a Beau Cervantes 3-pointer at the 14:42-mark of the first half. 
• The lead was cut to 21-18 after Centenary's Craig Collier connected from beyond the arc with a little over six minutes to play in the half. 
• A Cervantes jumper with 28 seconds left in the half gave the Mountaineers a slim 30-29 halftime lead.
• Two free throws from Schreiner's Cristian Rodriguez tied the game at 44-44 nearing the midway point of the second half before Centenary extended its lead to seven (53-46) with 10 minutes left. 
• Cervantes connected from three-point range to cut the Centenary lead to 60-58 with five minutes left but the Gents were able to snuff out the comeback bid from the Mountaineers. 
• Schreiner held a sizeable 42-27 edge in rebounding, including a 12-7 margin in offensive rebounds. 

CENTENARY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Craig Collier: 12 points, three steals
• Seth Thomas {pictured}: 20 points, seven rebounds, four steals, 7-of-13 FG
• Tykeem Singleton: 12 points, three rebounds
• AJ Hall: 11 points, 4-of-8 FG

SCHREINER STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Beau Cervantes: 28 points, 8-of-15 FG (7-of-11 3FG) three assists
• Cristian Rodriguez: 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists
• Dylan Mackey: 17 points, 11 rebounds, 6-of-16 FG, four assists

NOTABLES

• Cervantes' seven three-pointers made ties for the fourth-most made in a single SCAC men's tournament game, and the most in a game since former Gent Cedric Harris had seven against Schreiner in a 2020 tournament game. The 12 threes by Schreiner is tied for the sixth most in a single tournament game.
• The game was the first tournament matchup between the two schools since Centenary recorded an 76-70 victory over Schreiner in the 2020 semifinals.  
• Overall, it marked the fourth all-time meeting in SCAC postseason play between Centenary and Schreiner. The Gents lead the all-time tournament series 3-1.
• The win also improved Centenary to 11-10 all-time in SCAC postseason play. The 11 wins ranks fourth in league history.
• Centenary head coach Chris Dorsey recorded his 100th career win at Centenary with today's victory.   
• Centenary has advanced to the semifinal round five straight years and nine total times in program history.
• Schreiner swept the regular season series over Centenary earlier in the year. 
• The Mountaineers end the season with a 13-13 record.

Official SCAC Championship Page: https://scacsports.prestosports.com/tournament/winter/basketball/24championships/index

See the complete Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/schedule

Admission per game for SCAC Championship: Adults: $10

Ages 12 & under, and any Centenary ID: $5

Centenary students, faculty & staff: FREE ADMISSION with a canned good. 

Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.

#GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity