DANVILLE, Ky. – Centre men's basketball handled Boyce Tuesday evening, winning by an 87-67 margin at home in Alumni Gymnasium.
 
The Colonels improved to 7-1 overall with the victory, dropping the Bulldogs to 0-8.
 
Bailey Rakes led the team with 17 points – one off his career high – adding four assists and a pair of steals.
 
Other standouts included Art Walker, who followed with 16 points, five rebounds and a career-best six assists, and RJ Smith, who finished with 13 points and seven boards.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
- Centre raced out to a 14-5 lead in a hurry, going 4-for-4 from long range to start the game.
- A dunk from Smith lifted the lead up to 21-13 by the under-12 media timeout, and would be the first of several highlight-reel slams from the sophomore.
- Boyce hung around for much of the first half, but a 15-0 run from the Colonels saw the home side take a 44-22 by the three-minute mark.
- The Colonels, who shot above 63% for the opening 20 minutes, carried a sizeable 54-32 lead into the halftime break.
- The two sides played it much closer in the second half, as Centre's hot shooting touch cooled and the Bulldogs continued to pressure on defense.
- After scoring 26 points in the paint in the first 20 minutes, the Colonels managed only six in the second frame. Still, Centre hit five triples and knocked down 12 of 13 free throws to keep Boyce well away from threatening the lead.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Centre finished with a 38-34 advantage on the glass, and finished with 19 second-chance points off 11 offensive rebounds.
- The Colonels turned the Bulldogs over 20 times, resulting in a 23-11 edge in points off turnovers.
- Centre led for 39:39 of game time, and never trailed or fell into a tie.
- Rakes and Walker each drained three 3-pointers for the Colonels, while Williams and Carter Baughman hit two apiece. Baughman would finish with 12 points and four assists.
- Rakes' 17 points were the most he's scored since dropping 18 at Transy as a sophomore.
- Walker truly filled the stat sheet, adding two steals and a block to his 16 points, six assists and five rebounds. He shot 50% from the floor and recorded no turnovers in 24 minutes of action.
- Centre was without the services of Perry Ayers, Dawson Crump or Drew Wilson. 
 
INTERVIEW


UP NEXT
Centre steps into Southern Athletic Association action against Sewanee on the road this Saturday. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET in Juhan Gymnasium.