SHREVEPORT�-In the final game of the first round of Summit League play, the Centenary men's basketball team handed UMKC an 83-75 loss in the Gold Dome on Saturday afternoon. The win was the fourth straight for the Gents in league play, breaking the previous three-game streak back in 2003-04, when they joined the league.
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Centenary (7-14, 5-4 Summit), in its second consecutive game, had four Gents in double figure scoring. With this victory, the Maroon and White improved to 5-4 in the Summit League.�
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Maxx Nakwaasah nailed a three to open the game at 18:34 and Centenary never looked back. In a 10-4 early run, Nick Stallings nailed a jumper, while Jerrald Bonham sunk two free throws, and Chase Adams drained his first three of the afternoon.�
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UMKC (6-16, 2-7 Summit) took one lead during the opening 20 minutes on a lay-up by Latreze Mushatt at the 13:17 mark, but a deep three by Stallings quickly put the Gents back on top, 13-11. Another Centenary run followed, as the Gents managed to pour in 13 points to UMKC's two to make it 23-13 with 9:39 to play.
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The Kangaroos didn't let up, as they found a way to go on a late 8-0 run in the first half, to bring them within one, 32-31 with 29 seconds left. Though, a missed lay-up by Stallings was finished off with a Lance Hill tip-in at the buzzer, to send Centenary into halftime with a 34-31 lead.
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The Gents shot 52.2 percent (12-of-23) in the opening half, sinking five three-pointers, while UMKC shot 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from the floor.
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As they have done the last two games, shooting guards Nakwaasah and Adams came out draining two consecutive threes to extend the lead to nine, 40-31 in under a minute of play.
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Centenary took a 10-point lead on a David Perez three at 16:48 and UMKC never got within seven points until a lay-up by Reggie Hamilton nearly six minutes later. 12 points was the largest lead of the half and it came on a Gary Redus II free throw within the six minutes, at 13:20.
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A Kangaroo 9-0 run began and ended with dunks by James Humphrey, tying the game at 60 apiece with 7:05 to play. Redus sunk one-of-two from the charity stripe to end the run, but a free throw by Humphrey, again, allowed UMKC to tie it at 61.
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The game remained close for the next three minutes, but two huge threes by Nakwaasah, with under three minutes to play proved to be enough, as Centenary went up 77-69. Four straight points by Adams followed to make it an 11-point game with 1:32 to play. The junior guard sunk two more free throws in the final minute of the game.
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Centenary remained consistently strong offensively, shooting 57.4 percent (27-of-47) on the game and sinking 12 three-pointers, for an astounding 57.1 percent (12-of-21). Even though UMKC knocked down 44 points in the paint, they shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the floor. The Kangaroos out rebounded the Gents, 37-24.
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Adams led Centenary with 19 points, Hill had 18, Stallings chipped in with 16 and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Nakwaasah finished with a career-high 14 points and six rebounds. For UMKC, Humphrey had 16, while Spencer Johnson added 14.
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The Maroon and White will be back in action next Saturday when they host Oral Roberts at 2:30 p.m. in Summit League play.
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