MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Centre men's basketball team competed its first season sweep of an opponent since 2022 on Sunday as an excellent second half defensive performance and career day for a freshman led to a 72-63 victory over Rhodes.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Centre played well in the opening minutes, using a 15-2 run to take a 19-10 lead before the second media timeout of the half.
Riley Mastin scored seven points during the rally and
Kaden White capped it off with a three-pointer.
- The Colonels went cold over the next five minutes, allowing Rhodes to score ten straight and regain the lead. Centre responded with a 7-0 run of their own and held the lead for most of the rest of the first half. As Centre failed to convert on opportunities from the free throw line, the Lynx fought back and scored the last seven points of the half to take a 37-33 lead at the break.
- After a cold spell by both teams in the opening minutes, Rhodes continued the momentum at the start of the second half. They outscored Centre 9-2 in the first six minutes to take their largest lead at 47-36.
- Following a timeout, the Colonels went on the attack.
Carson Wooldridge came off the bench and buried a three-pointer. Mastin then made two treys in a row and the deficit was now two at 47-45. Mastin nailed a jump hook and drew the foul as his three-point play cut the margin to a point. After a layup and a pair of free throws, Mastin had scored 13 points in a row and Centre had taken a 52-49 lead.
- Centre never trailed after that rally.
Jaxson Banks connected from long distance to put the Colonels back on top by seven with five minutes to go. Rhodes cut the Centre lead to three twice in the final minutes, but the Colonels had an answer each time, first with another Mastin layup, and then with a three from
Landen Hamilton. The Colonels salted the game away at the free throw line in the final 90 seconds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- After scoring a career high 26 on Friday at Hendrix, Mastin surpassed that with 33 points this afternoon, the most scored by a Centre player in a game this season. He becomes the third Centre player to score 30 or more in a game this season, joining Hamilton and
Cade Stinnett. He also pulled down a game high 12 rebounds for his third straight double-double and sixth this season.
- The Colonels enjoyed a 48-40 edge on the glass today, including 16-9 on the offensive end. Every player who got into the game for Centre had at least one rebound, and in addition to Mastin's 12,
Chez Moore finished with ten boards.
- Centre held Rhodes to 26 points in the second half on 27.6 percent shooting (8-29). The Colonels held the Lynx to 19 percent from three-point range (3-16) after allowing 43 percent in the first half.
NEXT UP
The Colonels will be back at home next week for a pair of games, starting with a matchup against Birmingham-Southern on Friday.
