Men's Basketball News
Centre men hold on for 68-62 win over Austin
A 12-point lead with 3:13 left in the game was cut to only two points (64-62) with just over a minute to play, but the Centre College men's basketball team scored the final four points of the game to hold on for a 68-62 win over Austin College in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) game, Friday, Jan. 18 in Sherman, Texas.
The win is the 13th straight for the Colonels as they improve to 13-1 overall and remain unbeaten in SCAC play at 5-0. Austin falls to 4-11 overall this season and 1-5 in league action.
In a low scoring first half, the Kangaroos led for all but 0:39. The Colonels scored the first two points of the game to lead 2-0 and the last two points of the half to take a 22-21 lead into halftime. Both teams struggled to shoot the fall in the opening period, combining to make only 17 of 49 (34.6%) attempts from the floor.
An Austin three-pointer to begin the second half put the Kangaroos back in front 24-22, but the lead was short-lived as sophomore forward Danny Noll (Ft. Mitchell, Ky.) answered with a three-pointer of his own to give Centre a 25-24 lead.
The Colonels would not look back as they build the lead to six points (40-34) with just under 13 minutes to play. Austin cut the lead to two points (43-41), only to see Centre use an 11-3 run to lead 54-44 with 5:30 on the clock.
The lead grew to 12 points (62-50) with 3:13 remaining, but the Kangaroos made one last run out scoring the Colonels 12-2 over the next 2:11 to cut the lad to two points. Austin missed three shots in the closing minute while Centre made four free throws to seal the win.
The shooting by both teams was better in the second half. The Colonels shot 65.2% (24-48) to finish the game at 50.0% (24-48), marking the fifth straight game they have shot 50.0% or better. Austin made 12 of its 28 shots (42.9%) in the second half to finish at 38.5% (20-52).
Junior guard T.C. Thomason (Russellville, Ky.) scored a team-high 20 points with five rebounds to lead Centre. Noll and senior guard Thomas Britt (Louisville, Ky.) added 13 points apiece in the win.
Chris Sturtevant posted game-highs in both points (22) and rebounds (7) to pace the Kangaroos. Kola Alade added 17 points, four steals, three rebounds and three assists.
Centre will be back in action Sunday, Jan. 20 against Colorado College. The SCAC game will be played as part of a men's/women's doubleheader and is set to begin at 2 p.m. MST in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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