BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Centre men's basketball earned its first Southern Athletic Association victory Friday evening, defeating Birmingham-Southern by a 77-68 final inside Bill Battle Coliseum.
 
Nine individuals scored for the Colonels (11-2, 1-1), who defeated the Panthers (4-9, 0-2) on their home court for the third straight season.
 
Art Walker led Centre with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Bailey Rakes (13 points) and Dawson Crump (10) also reached double digits.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
- Five early points from Rakes helped Centre take a 10-7 advantage by the first media break.
- The Panthers and Colonels remained close, and were all square at 18 apiece near the midway point.
- Centre went on a 15-5 stretch to take its biggest lead of the contest to that point, 33-23, getting five points from Crump and four points apiece from Jalen Williams and KC Purvis during the run.  
- BSC closed the period on a 9-0 run, including a wild ending sequence that helped the home side trim the deficit to 41-36 at the halftime break.
- The Colonels hit six of their first 10 shots to open the second frame, building their lead back up to 10 at one point in the early stages.
- The host Panthers answered, going on an 8-0 run to force a Centre timeout with under 12 minutes to play.
- A pair of baskets from Jakob Spitzer helped stop the BSC momentum, and Perry Ayers tacked on six straight to boost the lead back up to double figures.
- Centre ultimately went on a 12-0 run, keeping the Panthers off the board for more than six minutes to take a commanding 68-54 lead at the final media timeout.
- The Panthers again had a response, and pulled within 70-65 after Ben Spence hit a triple with just under a minute left.
- The Colonels did enough at the charity stripe in the final seconds to secure the victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Centre shot a lofty 47% (27-55) overall, compared to BSC's 38% (23-61). The Colonels were especially efficient inside the arc, going 20-for-33 with 36 points in the paint.
- The Colonels' depth was evident in a sizeable 27 to 13 advantage in bench points.
- Walker and Purvis each hauled in nine rebounds – the latter marking a career high – as Centre finished with a 40-38 edge on the glass.
- Ayers, Crump and Jacob Bates each finished with three assists.
 
UP NEXT
Centre travels to Jackson, Miss., to take on Millsaps Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. The Majors defeated the Sewanee Tigers Friday, 80-72, and have won seven games in a row.