Gents Set For Pair Of Key Conference Road Games
The Centenary men's basketball team hits the road this weekend for a pair of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference games beginning with a contest versus the Trinity University Tigers set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Ron & Genie Calgaard Gymnasium.
San Antonio- The Centenary men's basketball team hits the road this weekend for a pair of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference games beginning with a contest versus the Trinity University Tigers set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Ron & Genie Calgaard Gymnasium.
Live stats and live video are available for the game at the links below:
Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=428643
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RztdwAYJuQ
The Gents (12-4, 6-2 SCAC) defeated the Colorado College Tigers 63-58 at home last Friday in their most recent game. Trinity (13-4, 5-2 SCAC) has won eight in a row entering Friday's matchup of two of the top three teams in the conference. The Gents defeated the Tigers at home, 69-65, in the first meeting between the teams back on Dec. 2. Trinity and Centenary, annually two of the top programs in the conference, were picked first and fourth respectively in the preseason poll.
Centenary and Trinity each trail league leader and #14 St. Thomas (14-2, 8-0 SCAC) by a game and a half. Texas Lutheran and Colorado College, each 5-3 in SCAC play, are the only two other teams in the league above .500. The Gents and Tigers, the two highest-scoring teams so far in conference play, are each 8-2 in their last 10 games.
The Gents, who have topped 80 points in three conference games, do their best work on the defensive end as they rank second in the conference and 36th in the country in division III in scoring defense, yielding just 64.1 PPG this season. Centenary is also third in the league in field goal percentage defense, holding the opposition to 40.8 % shooting on the season. The Gents are fourth in 3-point FG % defense (31 %) and lead the league in turnover margin (+5.19) as they force their opponents into an average of 20.9/game – seventh-best in the country in division 3.
Centenary ranks second in the conference in both free throw percentage and steals, sixth in blocked shots, fourth in 3-point FG's made, and sixth in 3-point FG %. Trinity ranks first in scoring offense, third in scoring defense, and first in both scoring margin and free throw %. The Tigers also lead the conference in FG % defense, 3-point FG % defense, and steals and are third in FG %. The Gents are also 15th nationally in turnover margin.
Senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) scored a game-high 26 points against Colorado College as he scored 20+ points for the fourth game in a row and for the fifth time this season. Thomas, who is averaging 22.7 PPG over the last four games, scored 14 points in the first half with seven rebounds and was a perfect 6-6 from the FT line. He then scored 12 points with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a blocked shot in the second half, shooting 4-4 from the floor and was 4-5 at the FT line. He has reached double figures a team-high 15 times and done so in 11-consecutive games.
Thomas, one of the top all-around players in the conference, currently ranks second in the league in scoring (16.3 PPG), third in rebounding (7.9), and fifth in FG % (51.5 %). He is also in the top 10 in minutes played, free throw %, both offensive and defensive rebounds, and steals and is in the top 15 in assists and blocked shots.
Senior G Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas) joined Thomas in double figures as he finished with 13 points. Freshman G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas) scored seven points in 18 minutes off the bench with an assist, a rebound, and a steal on 2-5 shooting. He was 2-2 from the FT line and hit his only attempt from beyond the arc. Junior G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.) and senior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) each scored five points as Board had two rebounds and hit one trey, and Behr finished 2-10 from the floor and hit one trey in 24 minutes off the bench with four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Junior G Jerrick Baines (Alexandria, La.) scored two points in 18 minutes with two steals, a blocked shot, and a rebound. Junior G/F Dylan Hooter (Mandeville, La.) played a season-high 28 minutes and scored two points with four rebounds and three steals. Junior G Coby Harris (Lafayette, La.) started his second-straight game and scored three points with two rebounds and an assist.
Senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas) averages 6.1 PPG and has four double-digit scoring performances this season. Mingo nailed his 172nd career 3-pointer on Jan. 10 against St. Thomas to tie him with former Gent Andrew Wisniewski for seventh all-time in program history.
Board ranks 20th in the league in rebounding (4.8/game) and 24th in scoring (8.8 PPG) while Singleton is 28th in scoring, averaging 8.4 PPG. Baines is averaging 8.0 PPG while Beverly is at 7.8. Board also checks in at seventh in FT %, 11th in defensive rebounds, 12th in steals, and is tied for 13th in blocked shots. Baines is 11th in the league in 3-point FGs made and Singleton is 13th in FG % and 14th in offensive rebounds.
The Gents, led by sixth-year head coach Chris Dorsey, have established themselves as one of the most successful programs in the conference under in his first five seasons, winning 51 conference games in that span and its 38 wins from 2017-21 season led the conference. The Gents are now an impressive 31-15 in their last 46 conference games dating back to Jan. 25, 2020.
Centenary will complete the weekend with another key conference game on Saturday against Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas at 4 p.m. The Gents beat the Mountaineers by a score of 84-79 at home back on Dec. 4.
See the Gents' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.
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