MARSHALL, Texas -The 2016-17 Gents and Ladies basketball teams kick off the 2016-2017 season Tuesday night against regional rival East Texas Baptist in Marshall, Texas. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. for the Ladies, with the Gents beginning approximately 30 minutes after the women's game.
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
The Gents hold a 28-6 edge in the all-time series with the Tigers, but have lost the last five. The two teams met last season in Shreveport, with East Texas Baptist racing out to a 41-20 lead early in the second half. Despite whittling the deficit all the way down to two points, the Gents could not complete the comeback in a 72-61 loss.
Travion Kirkendoll led all scorers with 20 points, while James Sapp added a game-best 14 rebounds.
Among returners, Dylan Augustine led the Tigers with 14 points. East Texas Baptist only returns 23 points of the 72 (31.9 percent) scored last season.
On the women's side, Centenary fell short against the Tigers last season in Shreveport, 70-62. In her home debut, Jasmine Morris scored 25 points, while DeiAnna Hall added 12.
While East Texas Baptist returns Lauren Lee, who scored 16 points, that is about it. Only 10 points scored by players other than Lee returns for 2016-17.
The Ladies look to even the all-time series with the Tigers, as East Texas Baptist holds a 6-5 edge.
Road to 1,000
With nine points Tuesday night, senior James Sapp will become the 32nd member of the 1,000-point club in Gents basketball history. Already 10th in career rebounds with 690, Sapp just needs 10 more to become the ninth Gent to reach the 700-rebound mark.
If Sapp plays in approximately 27 games in 2016-17, and averages 11.5 boards per game (and scores nine points), he will become the third Gent to score 1,000 and gram 1,000 rebounds.
Getting to the Line
The Ladies were adept in the 2015-16 season at getting to the line. The Ladies led the nation in both free throws attempted (787) and made (508). The Maroon and White return a pair of players who ranked in the top-100 in the country in both those categories. Sophomore Jasmine Morris attempted 216 free throws (fourth), making 148 (10th). Senior DeiAnna Hall attempted 156 (58th) from the charity stripe, making 116 (59th).
New Faces Abound
The Centenary Ladies and East Texas Baptist men both have coaches making their head coaching debut.
The Ladies' David Foley will be looking for a successful start to his coaching career. Foley joined the Centenary athletic family after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator the past four seasons at NCAA Division III Luther College, helping the Norse compile a 67-40 record (.626 percentage).
In his final two seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16, Foley helped guide the Norse to a 43-13 record (.768 percentage), two NCAA berths, two Iowa Conference Tournament Championships, and a Regular Season Iowa Conference Championship. In 2014-15, Luther finished 23-6, including 11-1 at home, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Norse followed that season with a 20-7 record and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2015-16.
In spring 2016, Foley was named to the inaugural Thirty Under 30 list by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). According to the WBCA, the list is to "recognize up and coming talent in our coaching family." Foley was one of five honorees from more than 450 NCAA Division III institution.
To read more, click here.
Making his debut for the Tigers is Brandon Curran after spending 10 seasons as the Associate Head Coach at Dallas Baptist.
Before his stint in Dallas, Texas, he spent one season as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Centenary under former coach Rob Flaska.
Next Up
After traveling west on I-20 Tuesday night, Centenary will travel east to take part in the Southern Athletic Association-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Challenge this upcoming weekend in Jackson, Mississippi. Both the Ladies and Gents battle Hendrix on Saturday, while the Maroon and White takes on Millsaps on Sunday.
