Playing in their opening round of the annual Papa John's/Country Hearth Inn Tournament the Centre men's basketball team was able to beat Allegheny College 70-53 on Tuesday, December 28 in Danville, Ky. The Colonels improved to 7-1 on the season with the win and they remained at 1-0 in the SCAC.

Freshman Donovan Whiteside (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored four of the Colonels first six points, while sophomore Bryon Ellis (Russell Springs, Ky.) added two points as Centre took an early 6-2 lead.

Allegheny took their first lead of the game with 16:45 to go in the first half when James Ness converted on two free throw attempts to make it a 7-6 game.

The Gators were unable to hold onto the lead for long, as junior Greg Ross (Cincinnati, Ohio) made a layup on Centre's ensuing possession.

Centre built up a 10 point lead, as Ellis hit a three point basket with 14:12 to go in the first half to make it a 19-9 game.

Allegheny got within four points at the 12:15 mark, but Centre then went back ahead by seven points as senior Alex Lloyd (Versailles, Ky.) made a layup and junior Jeff Mullaney (Louisville, Ky) went one for two from the free throw line.

The defense for both teams took over during the next 3:12 of play, as neither team was able to score. Devone McLeod broke the drought by hitting a jumper for Allegheny to make it a 22-17 game with 6:54 to go in the first half.

Allegheny tied the game up at 22 a piece at the 4:13 mark when Ryan Stanko made two free throw shots.

Centre regained the lead with 2:35 to go as junior Kyle Binder (Knoxville, Tenn.) made a layup, making it a 24-22 game.

The Colonels defense played well for the remainder of the half, as Centre took a 30-26 lead into the break.

During the first half of play Centre shot 37.9% from the floor and 57.1% from the free throw line, while the Gators made 40% of their shots from the floor and 85.7% of their free throw attempts.

Centre came out strong in the second half building up a 16 point lead with 10:01 remaining in the game. The Colonels took their largest lead of the game at the 6:16 mark when Ross made a layup to make it a 58-41 game.

The Gators were able to only get within 11 points before Centre went on to win the game by a score of 70-53.

Lloyd finished the game with a double double, posting a team high 16 points and 12 rebounds. Mullaney recorded seven assists in the win and Ellis had two steals, while Binder had a blocked shot.

Ness led the way for the Gators with 17 points and Donte Briscoe had 10 rebounds. McLeod had four steals and three assists, while Donte Briscoe also recorded three assists.

The Colonels will take on Hanover College on Wednesday, December 29, as part of the Papa John's/Country Hearth Inn Tournament. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in Alumni Gym in Danville, Ky. Hanover beat Ohio Northern in the opening game of the tournament by a score of 68-55.