LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Centre men's basketball team won its fourth straight game as the Colonels survived an overtime battle against the Spalding Golden Eagles by a score of 89-84.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- The Colonels shot the ball well in the early minutes, jumping out to a 20-9 lead as
Kalib Thomas,
Landen Hamilton and
Nolan Wahl each scored five points in the first seven minutes.
- Over the next four minutes, Spalding outscored Centre 15-1 to take the lead for the first time. The Colonels weathered the storm and regained the lead as Thomas nailed a pair of three-pointers.
- The two teams traded the lead over the final five minutes of the half before Thomas knocked down a jumper in the final seconds to put the Colonels on top 37-34 at the half.
- To start the second half, three-pointers by Wahl and Thomas bookended a Centre run to give the Colonels a 47-38 lead. Spalding responded with a big run of their own, scoring 11 straight points to go up by two.
- The lead changed hands back and forth as Centre eventually went up 66-62 on a three from
Jaxson Banks. Spalding rallied to tie the score at 66-66, but Centre went back up by three after a Thomas free throw and a layup from Wahl.
- A frantic final 30 seconds of regulation started with a pair of Hamilton free throws to give Centre a 71-68 advantage. Spalding's Caden Bradford banked in a three to tie the score with 12 seconds to go. With neither team calling timeout, Thomas created some space to bury another three with four seconds to go. Bradford had the answer, beating the buzzer with a long three that sent the game into overtime tied at 74.
- As overtime began, the momentum continued to fluctuate. Hamilton gave the Colonels an 82-79 lead with his second three-pointer of the overtime period. Centre extended the lead to seven points after free throws from Hamilton and Wahl. Spalding cut the lead to three at 87-84, but Banks iced the game from the line to provide the final margin.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Thomas hit a new career high as he paced the Colonels with 24 points.
- Hamilton did most of his damage in the second half, finishing with a season high 22 that included 10-11 from the line. Banks and Wahl also hit double figures with respective totals of 17 and 16 points.
- The free throw line was a huge factor in the outcome, with the Colonels hitting on 27 of 34 (79 percent) compared to 16-29 (55 percent) for the Golden Eagles.
- The game featured 12 lead changes and 12 ties.
NEXT UP
Centre men's basketball will travel to Rhodes next week for the SAA Non-Conference Classic. The Colonels will play Hendrix and Rhodes, with the games not counting on any of the teams' conference schedules.
