DANVILLE, Ky. – The visiting Berry Vikings put together a dominant second half inside Alumni Gymnasium Friday evening, defeating Centre men's basketball by an 83-61 final.
 
The Colonels fall to 11-10 overall and 5-6 in the Southern Athletic Association, while the Vikings leave with an 18-2 (9-1 SAA) record.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
- It was a quick, back-and-forth start to the contest that saw the visitors cling to an early 12-10 lead by the opening media break.
- Berry led by as many as eight points during the half, but the Colonels soon found their way back, pulling within two points following a driving layup from RJ Smith that made it 27-25.
- Moments later, Carter Baughman stole possession and took the ball the length of the court before being fouled. His two free throws put Centre back on top, 30-29.
- An exciting 40 minutes came to a close with the Vikings ahead, 43-36. Drew Wilson provided a spark with nine points off the bench, and the two teams combined to shoot above 50% from the field.
- Dustin Gerald opened the second half connecting on three consecutive baskets, but the Vikings countered with an 8-0 run and took their largest advantage of the game at 53-42 by the first media timeout.
- Berry kept the pressure on with a prolific scoring effort, eventually boosting the lead up to 67-47 midway through the period.
- When the final horn sounded, the Vikings had out-scored the Colonels by a 15-point margin in the second half, shooting 53% from the floor.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Gerald totaled 16 points and seven rebounds, while Smith had 13 points and a team-high nine boards and three assists.
- After turning in a 15 of 26 (58%) performance from the field in the opening half, the Colonels went 11 of 29 (38%) in the second. Centre struggled from long range, going 3-for-18 (17%) for the game.
- Berry out-rebounded Centre 39-27. It was the Colonels' second-worst rebounding margin against SAA competition this season. The Vikings held an 18-5 advantage in second chance points after bringing in 13 offensive boards.
 
UP NEXT
Centre closes the regular season Sunday at 3 p.m. against Oglethorpe.