PORTLAND, Ore. - The Centenary men's basketball team grabbed its first win of the season as the Gents (1-1) rallied to knock off Linfield College 70-66 in the final contest of the Bon Appetit NWC Tipoff Classic. LC fell to 0-2 on the season.
Brooks Pawsat led a trio of Gents in double figures with 16 points while James Sapp added 12 points off the bench. Kendall Demouchet rounded out the double-digit scores with 10 points after posting a career-high 31 the night prior. Pawsat and Demouchet along with Dyllon Weaver each grabbed a team-high three rebounds in the outing.
After leading 36-35 at the intermission, Centenary witnessed the Wildcats open the second stanza on a 19-6 run reaching their largest lead of the contest with 11 minutes remaining at 54-42.
The Gents responded with a 17-3 run to regain the lead for the first time since the half. Demouchet led the charge during the run with 6 points. Weaver, Justin Cueto and Caden Cheramie each knocked down 3-pointers during the stretch that began with a jumper from Isaiah Whitaker.
Centenary never relinquished the lead the remainder of the contest despite LC narrowing the advantage to a one possession game on numerous occasions down the stretch. The Maroon and White received clutch free-throw shooting as it converted 8-of-8 from the line. The Gents shot 91.7 percent from the stripe.
The Maroon and White finished the night shooting 43.6 percent from the field including a 36.7 clip from behind the arc. Linfield shot 44.4 percent from the floor and from the 3-point line. The Wildcats finished with a 72 percent mark from the charity stripe.
Ryan Potter paced the Wildcats with 20 points while Connor Sende supplied 17 points. Mason Rodby added 15 points for LC.
Centenary returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 20 as they open its home slate against McMurry. Tip is slated for 6 p.m.
