The Centre College men's basketball team extended its winning streak to five games and earned its first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) win of the season with a 76-57 win over Oglethorpe University, Friday, Jan. 5, in Atlanta, Ga.
With the win, the Colonels improve to 9-3 overall and 1-1 in the SCAC, while Oglethorpe falls to 6-4 overall and 0-2 in league action.
Oglethorpe's Arthur Pilkevich scored the first points of the game, a three-pointer to give the Stormy Petrels an early lead, but that would be the last time Oglethorpe would lead. Senior forward Matt Jacobson (Lagrange, Ky.) hit a three-pointer of his own and a lay-up to give Centre a 5-3 lead in the early going.
Pilkevich hit a jumper to tie the game at five apiece, but that would be as close as the Stormy Petrals would get the remainder of the night. The Colonels controlled much of the first half, pushing the lead to 12 points (34-22) with just under five minutes to play before taking a 43-29 halftime lead into the locker room.
The second half was all Centre as the Colonels lead by as many as 23 points before finishing with the 21-point league win. Centre committed five less turnovers for the game, but outscored Oglethorpe 27-8 in points off turnovers.
Junior guard Matt Nestheide (Edgewood, Ky.) led all scorers with a game-high 26 points on 10 of 16 shooting, with 18 of those points coming in the first half. His 26 points match his season-best, which he also had against Berea earlier in the season.
Senior center John Patterson (Lexington, Ky.) was the only other Colonel in double figures. Patterson scored 12 points, while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds to go along with four blocked shots. Jacobson finished with nine points, five rebounds and three assists in the win.
Ahmad Kareem Shaheed led three Oglethorpe players in double figures with 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Pilkevich and Andrew Tulowitsky added 12 points each in the defeat. Centre will look to extend its winning streak Sunday, Jan. 7, when they travel to Monteagle, Tenn. to play Sewanee-the University of the South. Game time is set for 1 p.m. |
