Gents Eyeing Key Conference Wins This Weekend At Home
The Centenary men's basketball team aims to continue its strong play at home this weekend as the Gents are set for a pair of crucial Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contests beginning with a matchup versus the Southwestern University Pirates on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Gold Dome.
Shreveport- The Centenary men's basketball team aims to continue its strong play at home this weekend as the Gents are set for a pair of crucial Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contests beginning with a matchup versus the Southwestern University Pirates on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Gold Dome.
Live stats and live video are available for the game at the links below:
Stats: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/boxscores/20230127_jm04.xml
Video: https://collegetvticket.com/event/centenary-college-vs-southwestern-university-9/
The Gents (12-6, 6-4 SCAC) will then face the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs on Sunday at 2 p.m. Centenary will honor three seniors prior to Sunday's game. Centenary is currently fourth in the conference standings, one game ahead of Texas Lutheran. Southwestern is in seventh place. TLU is 10-9 and 5-5 in SCAC play and faces league leader St. Thomas on the road on Friday.
The Maroon and White dropped a pair of conference games on the road last weekend, falling 80-59 at Trinity in San Antonio and then lost at Schreiner 68-54 the next day. Southwestern enters Friday's game at 7-12 overall and 3-7 in SCAC play. The Pirates snapped a four-game losing streak with a pair of wins at home last weekend, 87-73 versus Austin College and 77-76 over Dallas. The Gents won the first meeting between the teams, 58-49, on Dec. 16 in Georgetown, Texas. Centenary has won five games in a row over the Pirates and leads the all-time series 15-9.
Centenary has been dominant on its home court this season, as the Gents improved to 9-2 with their 63-58 win over Colorado College on Jan. 13. Centenary is now 32-8 in its last 40 home games. The division III era (2012-present) single-season record for home wins is 10, accomplished twice and most recently in 2019-20, as the Gents can equal that mark with a win on Friday and potentially set a new record with a win on Sunday.
Centenary enters the weekend ranked sixth in the country in division III in turnovers forced per game (20.8) and 18th in turnover margin (+4.6). The Gents also rank 49th nationally in scoring defense, limiting their opponents to just 65.2 PPG. Centenary ranks in the top five as a team in the conference in blocked shots, free throw percentage, 3-point FG made, 3-point FG % defense, scoring defense, scoring margin, and turnover margin.
Senior F Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) enters the weekend as one of the top all-around players in the conference as he is second in the SCAC in scoring (16.1 PPG) and third in rebounding (7.9 RPG). Thomas has reached double figures a team-high 17 times and has now done so in 13-consecutive games. He also ranks in the top five in the conference in minutes played (second), offensive rebounds (third), and defensive rebounds, field-goal percentage (52.2 %) & free throw % (79.3 % - fifth in all three categories). Thomas is also eighth in steals, 10th in assists, and 12th in blocked shots.
Thomas is the only Gent averaging double figures this season but four players - junior G Jerrick Baines (Alexandria, La.), freshman G Quentin Beverly (Katy, Texas), junior G Braeden Board (Rayne, La.), and senior G Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas) all average 7.5 PPG or better. Board (8.3 PPG) and Baines (8.2 PPG) are 29th and 20th in the conference respectively. Singleton is 20th in rebounding (4.6 RPG) and 11th in offensive rebounds, Board is 13th in defensive rebounds and 14th in both blocked shots and steals, and Baines is tied for eighth in 3-point FG's made.
Senior G Ralph Johnson (White Castle, La.) is coming off of a big weekend as he averaged 10.5 PPG including a season-high 14 points against Trinity. He played 20+ minutes in both games and totaled four rebounds, three steals, and an assist. Senior G Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas) is currently 15th in the conference in 3-point FG made, averages 5.7 PPG and has reached double figures four times this season. Mingo now has 173 treys in his career, the seventh-most in program history. He tied former Gent Andrew Wisniewski's record of 172 at home versus St. Thomas.
Baines and Singleton have each scored in double figures seven times this season, Board six times, and Beverly four times. Johnson has scored in double figures twice, both coming in conference play, and senior G Jalen Behr (Athens, Ga.) averages 5.4 PPG, has scored eight or more points in a game seven times, and reached double figures three times.
Southwestern, 2-3 on the road this season, averages 66.9 PPG this season as a team and shoots 41.2 % from the floor, 32.9 % from beyond the arc, and 67.8 % from the FT line. The Pirates average 34.3 rebounds per game and 11.4 assists per game. Brock Luechtefeld is the Pirates' leading scorer at 9.4 PPG, Preston Hannah is next at 9.1 PPG, and Jacob Hester averages 9.0 PPG as no Southwestern player averages double figures. Luechtefeld is also the leader in rebounding at 5.4/game.
Gents' head coach Chris Dorsey is one win away from 80 in his Centenary career, as he is an impressive 79-57 overall now in his sixth season at the helm. The Gents have won 13 or more games in a season four times in Dorsey's tenure and can make that five times with a win on Friday.
Friday is also a special evening at the Gold Dome as Centenary athletics has partnered with the local Boys and Girls Club to collect spare change in recognition of the NCAA's "Change for the Better" initiative. Fans are encouraged to bring spare change and donate it at designated areas upon entry. Ralph Johnson, senior F Xavier Johnson (Baker, La.), and Seth Thomas will be honored in a pregame Senior Day ceremony on Sunday.
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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