DANVILLE, Ky. – Centre men's basketball got the 2024-25 season off to a good start as a hot second half helped the Colonels pick up an 84-73 victory over the Asbury Eagles inside Alumni Gym.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Both teams played well in the early stages as three-pointers from
Kalib Thomas and
Jaxson Banks guided Centre to a quick 10-5 lead.
- The Colonels and Eagles went back and forth, with Asbury taking its largest lead of the half at 27-22. Centre battled back with tough defense, outscoring Asbury 13-4, capped off by a Banks three and a jumper by
Nolan Wahl.
- The teams traded the lead three more times in the half. A driving layup by Wahl was the final basket of the period as Asbury took a 40-39 lead into the locker room.
- Asbury made their best run of the night in the opening minutes of the second half, scoring nine of the first 11 points and taking their largest lead of the game at 49-41. Thomas crashed the glass for a putback, followed by a three from Wahl to quickly cut the deficit to three.
Izayiah Villafuerte got to the rack and scored, plus the foul for a tying three-point play.
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Hunter Coleman connected on a clutch three to put Centre back on top. The Colonels added another bomb as
Elijah Decker crashed the boards and kicked it out to an open Villafuerte to make it 57-53.
- Centre added to the lead some more after another driving layup by Villafuerte, a putback from
Ryan Shene, another Wahl three and a shifty layup from Thomas. Thomas kept the hot hand as he scored three straight Centre baskets, the last one putting the Colonels up double digits for the first time at 72-62. He then found an open
Landen Hamilton for a three to make it 75-64.
- After dealing with foul trouble for most of the game, Hamilton capped off the night with a steal and score, and the Colonels iced the game at the free throw line to go 1-0 on the season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Colonels shot 53 percent for game, including 60 percent of 15 of 25 shooting in a second half that saw them score 45 points.
- Thomas led a balanced Centre scoring attack with 20 points, followed by Villafuerte with 16, Banks and Wahl with 14 and Hamilton with 11.
- Behind a career high 16 points from Villafuerte, Centre enjoyed a 25-9 edge in points off the bench.
- Centre dominated the glass against Asbury, holding a 41-28 advantage in rebounds over the Eagles. Wahl led the way with a game high 11 boards, notching a double-double in his collegiate debut.
- The Colonels outscored the Eagles 18-9 in points off turnovers, 38-28 in points in the paint, 13-6 in second chance points and 20-11 in fast break points.
NEXT UP
The Colonels will hit the road for their next game as they travel to Cincinnati to face Mount St. Joseph on Nov. 11.
