SHREVEPORT, La. - The Gents recorded triples on 4 of their first five buckets and never trailed in the game against the Majors as Centenary (4-5) blew by Millsaps (2-7) 80-54 to kickoff the Shreveport-Bossier Holiday Classic tripleheader Saturday, December 17.
The Maroon and White were burying threes early while Millsaps could not find the bottom of the hoop. Centenary won the tip and freshman Jericho Gray swished a three. Freshman Cedric Harris then hit a trey to give the Gents the early 6-0 lead. Millsaps scored the next four points, but another Harris three and tip-in, with a junior Dyllon Weaver three, gave Centenary the 14-9 lead five minutes into the game.
The Gents finished the contest with season-bests in both threes for the game (11) and an opponent-low field goal percentage. The 27.1 mark (19-for-70) for the Majors is the lowest allowed by Centenary since February 4, 2014, when the Gents held Austin College to 26.7 percent on 16-for-60 shooting.
Harris secured his second double-double of the season with 20 points and a career game-high 11 boards. He shot 8-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-7 from behind the arc. Sophomore Treylan Matthews added 17, while senior James Sapp came off the bench for a season-best 17 rebounds. His 12 points completed the double-double, his fourth of the season.
Junior Travion Kirkendoll added 10 points, six boards, and six assists against only one turnover.
Up 14-9, a steal by Sapp and fastbreak hoop by Matthews, followed by a layup by Harris, quickly put Centenary up 18-9.
Centenary led 24-17 with five minutes left until break, when a 7-0 run pushed the lead to double-digits for good. A Sapp layup off an offensive board, a Gray fastbreak three, and another layup off an offensive board by Sapp increased the lead to 14.
Millsaps went nearly seven minutes without a bucket in the second half as the Gents lead ballooned to 26. Up 54-41, Sapp made a layup and Matthews drilled a triple. Harris made a layup, Matthews made a fastbreak hoop and converted the hard three, and then the easy three by Matthews capped the Centenary run. The Maroon and White led 67-41 with 6:09 left in the game.
Centenary led by as much as 30, 76-46, on a Kirkendoll free throw with 3:44 left. However, Millsaps responded with a James Turner three and a Saxton Becker jumper to break the 50-point barrier.
No Millsaps player reached double figures as Robert Gardner led the team with nine points.
The Gents wrap up non-conference play when they celebrate Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day when they host Rust on Monday afternoon, December 19, at 3 p.m.
