SHREVEPORT, La. - Junior Travion Kirkendoll likes buzzer beaters on the 19th of the month. Fortunately for the SCAC, the Maroon and White are finished with games on that day,
After a foul call against the Gents with 3.6 left that led to two free throws for the Bearcats, things looked bleak.
However, the inbounds found senior James Sapp, who fed Kirkendoll, who hit the wide open three in front of the Maroon and White bench as time expired to give Centenary (5-5) the thrilling 67-66 win against Rust (1-12) Monday afternoon, December 19.
Kirkendoll did the same thing against Hendrix in a 79-76 win on November 19.
Kirkendoll added his third double-double of the season and his ninth of his career with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He was 1-for-4 from beyond the arc, saving the best for last on the buzzer beater. Kirkendoll narrowly missed double-digit assists, adding seven against just one turnover.
Sapp, the leading scorer and rebounder in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, added 20 points and 12 boards.
Down 12-8 early, 10 unanswered gave Centenary the lead for the rest of the first half. On back-to-back possessions, Sapp made a layup and freshman Cedric Harris hit a three to quickly give the Gents the lead. Harris added the fastbreak triple and a jumper by Sapp gave the home team an 18-12 lead with 6:46 left in the first half.
Centenary used a 19-2 edge in fastbreak points for the win.
The Gents led by nine in heading into the second period, but a 12-3 run by Rust in the first six minutes of the final period tied the game. After neither team scored in more than 1:30, Dominique Brown made two free throws and Antono Jones made a layup. Kirkendoll took a defensive rebound coast-to-coast, but a layup by Jones and two free throws by Allen Potts cut the lead to three. A Jones layup cut the Centenary lead to one.
Sapp split from the line, and a Jones layup tied the game at 37 with 14:18 left in the game.
Rust went 23-25 from the charity stripe (92 percent) in the game, including making its first 19, but the Bearcats missed a pair in the final two minutes. Conversely, Rust was only successful on one of 21 shots from behind the arc.
Centenary led 58-54 with 4:54 left, when a Potts layup and two free throws from Jones tied the game with 4:10 left.
The Bearcats led 64-62 with 19 seconds left, but Sapp found Matthews for a reverse layup with 10 seconds left to tie the game. Centenary trapped in the backcourt, but junior KJ Boyd was whistled for a foul to prove to be the catalyst to the fantastic finish.
Jones went 8-for-13 from the field and made all seven free throws attempted to score 23 points and add 24 boards before fouling out for the visitors. Potts added 19, while Brown chipped in 16 - including a 9-for-10 mark from the charity stripe.
Centenary begins SCAC play when it travels to Austin College on Friday, December 30. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.
