CLEVELAND – Centre men's basketball opened its 2019-20 season in style Friday evening, defeating Greenville by a 132-113 score in tournament action at Case Western Reserve's Horsburgh Gym.
 
The Colonels (1-0) set a program record* for points scored, field goals made and assists, while Jacob Bates set a career-high with 43 points. Dawson Crump finished with a double-double, setting personal bests with 22 points and 10 assists.
 
Greenville, which employs a "run-and-gun" system, surrendered 79 second half points while falling to 0-1 to start its season.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Panthers' unique style proved effective early on, as they converted 5 of 7 3-pointers to open the game while sprinting out to a 21-14 advantage.
- A 10-0 Centre run later in the period – capped by a Jalen Williams jumper in the paint – saw the Colonels grab a 43-41 lead.
- Greenville rallied for a 55-53 edge at the halftime break, although after its hot start finished just 10 of 28 from long range. Centre shot 21 of 37 (57%) overall through the first 20 minutes.
- The Colonels' attack only increased in the final 20 minutes, as Centre would convert its first seven shots while countering Greenville's high-pressure approach.
- Across the middle of the second period, the Colonels pushed a 78-74 lead into a 96-79 advantage with a 21-5 run, and the Panthers never recovered.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- *Centre's 132 points, 57 made field goals and 40 assists are the most since at least 1952 (when many of those statistics became available).
- Bates scored 25 of his 43 in the second half, and converted on a ridiculous 20 of 21 field goal attempts. He added 11 rebounds to complete a double-double, and was three assists shy of a triple-double.
- Art Walker also recorded a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, adding five assists.
- Other individuals that stuffed the stat sheet included Smith (13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists), Perry Ayers (13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals), and Bailey Rakes (10 points, 8 assists).
- Centre finished with a gaudy 106 points in the paint, and had 51 bench points and 20 points off turnovers.
- The Colonels had 15 of their 17 second-chance points in the second half, and fared much better against Greenville's pressure with 16 fast break points in the final period.
- After 16 assists and 16 turnovers in the first half, Centre had a 24-to-7 assist-to-turnover ratio in the second.
 
UP NEXT
The Colonels face Case Western Reserve Saturday at 3 p.m. to conclude the Bill Sudeck Tournament.