DANVILLE, Ky. – Centre head coach Greg Mason earned win No. 400 Friday evening, leading his squad past Southern Athletic Association rival Berry by a 74-67 margin inside Alumni Gymnasium.
 
Already the program's winningest coach, Mason reached the milestone in what was dubbed the SAA "Game of the Week," which featured seven ties and 10 lead changes.
 
Centre (13-2, 3-1 SAA), winners of six in a row, shot above 50% for the seventh time this season while finishing with a +21 advantage on 3-pointers.
 
The event was designated as a "Gold Out" game for the Colonels, who, in their continued partnership with UK Healthcare, helped raised money for the Kids Cancer Alliance through merchandise sales.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
- The long ball was working early on for the Colonels, who grabbed an 18-11 lead after consecutive 3-pointers from Jacob Bates and Drew Wilson.
- Berry claimed the momentum from there, storming back to take a 26-25 advantage with under four to play in the half.
- Perry Ayers capped a late run from Centre to help the home team take a narrow 33-32 edge into the halftime break.
- The Vikings took control early in the second frame, using a 9-3 stretch to force a quick timeout from Mason.
- Bailey Rakes went on a personal 5-0 run to halt Berry's start and tie the game at 41-41.
- Rakes' effort proved to be the start of an extended 23-5 run for the Colonels, who grabbed a 59-46 lead with less than nine minutes remaining. Rakes connected on back-to-back 3-pointers at the end of the stretch to bring a near packed house of Centre fans to its feet.
- Berry was able to trim the deficit to a two-possession game with under a minute to play, but the Vikings ran out of time as the Colonels converted enough at the free throw line to ice the game.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Rakes led the Colonels with 18 points and eight rebounds, the former matching a career high with the latter setting a new one. He shot an efficient 6-for-9 from the field and hit three triples.
- Dawson Crump again led Centre's bench unit, scoring 16 to go along with a team-high five assists.
- Jacob Bates finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.
- As a team, the Colonels scorched the nets with a 24-for-45 (53%) shooting mark, hitting 11 of 24 from long range.
- Berry held a sizeable 44-24 advantage in points in the paint, but Centre knocked down seven more 3-pointers and eight more freebies.
 
INTERVIEW



UP NEXT
Centre meets Oglethorpe Sunday at 3 p.m. inside Alumni Gymnasium. The Stormy Petrels are 9-6 overall and 3-1 in the SAA.