NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Gents pulled within five early when senior James Sapp was fouled on a three-point attempt with 11:06 left in the first half, but the Maroon and White went nearly seven minutes without a bucket, while the Lumberjacks scored 16 unanswered as Centenary (2-5) fell to Stephen F. Austin (3-3) 90-59 Saturday afternoon, December 3.
While the Gents managed only 17 first-half points, they scored 42 in the second. However, they could not overcome a 38-14 deficit in points in the paint and a Lumberjacks 31-for-57 (54.4) shooting percentage. Stephen F. Austin scored 52 points in the second half alone on 17-for-28 (60.7 percent) shooting.
Both teams failed to score for nearly the first two minutes of the game, until Ivan Canete made a layup for the home team. Junior Dyllon Weaver answered with a three on a pass from junior KJ Boyd, the only Centenary lead.
Stephen F. Austin staked a 15-5 lead, before a jumper by freshman Cedric Harris and three from the charity stripe by senior James Sapp cut the deficit in half.
Sapp led all scorers in the game with 17 points, while Harris added 11. Kirkendoll added 10 off the bench, and is three shy of 1,000 points for his career.
Centenary trailed by as much as 35 in the second half before a 11-0 run cut into the deficit. Trailing 63-28 with 10:42 left, Harris hit a three and grabbed a defensive board while being fouled. With the Gents in the bonus, Harris sunk both free throws. Matthews split from the line, but Sapp grabbed the offensive board. He made the layup while being fouled, completing the old-fashioned three. After a stop, sophomore Treylan Matthews and Harris split from the line to cut the deficit to 24 in a three-minute span.
Stephen F. Austin pushed the lead to double-digits for good with 16 unanswered in a seven-minute span in the first half. Up 15-10, Kevon Harris hit a pair of free throws and Canete made a layup. Samuli Nieminen made a layup to push the lead to double-digits, while Harris hit a three. TJ Holyfield made a layup, Dallas Cameron hit a three, and Aaron Augustin hit a pair from the line.
Stephen F. Austin led 31-10 with 5:17 left in the first half, the same advantage it enjoyed at halftime.
Cameron led the Lumberjacks with 15 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field. Canete and Holyfield added 14, while Harris added 13.
The Gents return to action Thursday, December 8, when they welcome Pelican State-rival Louisiana College. Right before the 7 p.m. tip, Centenary will honor the 2015-16 Athlete of the Year. Admission is free.
