DANVILLE, Ky. – In a highly anticipated Southern Athletic Association matchup, Centre men's basketball made relatively quick work of visiting Hendrix Friday evening, winning by a large 80-58 margin inside Alumni Gymnasium.
 
The two sides entered the weekend tied atop the SAA standings, but the Colonels (15-2, 5-1 SAA) claimed sole possession of first place in the league with the win over the Warriors (10-7, 4-2).
 
Art Walker led the team in scoring for the second game in a row, dropping 16 points, while Carter Baughman followed with 15.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
- A fast start saw the Colonels take a 10-2 lead while the Warriors went nearly four minutes without a basket.
- The defensive tone was set early by Centre, which took a 25-14 lead following a 3-pointer from Baughman with 6:30 to play in the opening period.
- Centre led 40-24 at the half, holding Hendrix to just 31% shooting overall and 1-for-7 from 3-point range.
- Walker, Baughman and Bailey Rakes each connected on 3-pointers early in the second half, boosting the Colonels' advantage to 53-30 by the under-12 media break.
- The Warriors used a 12-5 stretch out of the timeout to threaten a resurgence, but a quick 5-0 run from Walker alone made it 63-42 and squashed all Hendrix momentum.  
- The final 10 minutes were a formality as the Colonels coasted to the finish line.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Walker went 4-for-4 from long range, and has hit 10 threes in the past two games. He added three rebounds and an assist, as well.
- Baughman hit a pair of 3-pointers and matched Dawson Crump with a team-high three assists.
- Jacob Bates led the Colonels with eight rebounds, while Perry Ayers and RJ Smith had seven apiece. Centre out-rebounded Hendrix by a wide 52-35 margin.
- The Warriors' Seth Stanley entered the game as the SAA's leading scorer at nearly 22 points per game, but labored to finish with 15 Friday evening. He shot 5 of 14 overall and 1 of 5 from long range while committing two turnovers.
- Centre held Hendrix to 35% (23-66) shooting as a team, with a paltry 4 of 23 finish from 3-point land. On the other end, the Colonels hit 48% (31-65) overall and 10 of 23 from deep.
- The Colonels held major advantages in bench points (32-19) and second chance points (15-6).
 
INTERVIEW



UP NEXT
Centre takes on Rhodes Sunday at 3 p.m. in Alumni Gymnasium.