BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Centre men's basketball battled NCAA Division I Western Kentucky University in an exhibition game this evening, falling by a 90-52 final inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
It was the Colonels' first exhibition since a 2017 contest against the University of Kentucky, and was the first time since Dec. 4, 1987, that Centre and WKU squared off.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Cold shooting doomed the Colonels at the start of the contest as WKU scored the first 13 points of the game.
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Dustin Gerald stopped the run with a jumper in the paint, but Centre was held to one made field goal for the first ten minutes with the Hilltoppers taking a 48-18 lead at halftime.
- The Colonels shot much better in the second half, connecting on seven three-pointers while capitalizing on more of the open looks they missed in the first half. WKU would only outscore Centre by eight points throughout the 20-minute period.
- Other Centre highlights included a huge dunk by
RJ Smith over WKU's 7-5 Jamarion Sharp in the early stages of the second half.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Eleven players for Centre entered the scoring column tonight, led by Smith and
Carter Baughman with eight each.
- The rebounding totals were almost identical, with the huge Hilltoppers squad only holding a 47-44 advantage on the glass. Smith and
Chez Moore paced Centre with eight rebounds each, and the Colonels held an 11-5 edge in offensive rebounds.
- In addition to 11 made threes and seven in the second half, Centre held WKU to 0-12 from long distance over the final 20 minutes.
NEXT UP
The Colonels will be back to the games that count over the weekend as they head to Raleigh, N.C. on Dec. 17 to face the William Peace Pacers.
