The Centre men's basketball team cut an 11-point lead to two, but the Colonels would get no closer, dropping its second straight game of the season 71-69 to Albion College on the opening day of the 14th Annual John R. Collier Tournament, hosted by Hanover College, Saturday, Nov. 25, in Hanover, Ind.
The Colonels, which won the Pepsi/Sodexho Invitational Tournament hosted by Berea College one week ago, fall to 2-2 overall, while Albion improves to 1-2 on the year.
The first half was close throughout featuring six ties and five lead changes. The Britons held an eight-point lead (31-23) with 2:33 left in the period, but Centre closed the half with a 7-2 run to pull within 33-30 at the break.
The second half continued to be tight in the early going. Following a dunk by senior center John Patterson (Lexington, Ky.) to cut the lead to 42-41, the Britons used and 11-2 run to take a 53-43 lead with 9:33 left to play.
Albion increased the lead to 11 points (63-52) with less than five minutes to play, only to see the Colonels chip away outscoring the Britons 17-8 to pull within 71-69. Centre ran out of time and Albion recorded its first win of the season.
The numbers for both teams were very similar. Albion shot 46.8% (29-62), while Centre shot 48.1% (26-54). Centre held a slim 33-30 advantage in rebounds, while Albion turned the ball over three less times (15-12).
Jim Cash led three Britons in double figures with 16 points. Drew Yancey added 12 points and five rebounds and Jurasek also finished with 12 points off the bench.
Junior guard Matt Nestheide (Edgewood, Ky.) paced Centre with a game-high 23 points on nine of 10 shooting. The junior also posted six assists, five rebounds and three steals in 37 minutes of action. Senior forward Matt Jacobson (Lagrange, Ky.) scored 14 points, while Patterson finished with seven points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots.
Centre will next play the University of Cincinnati-Clermont in the consolation game, Sunday, Nov. 26. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. in Hanover, Ind. |
