DANVILLE, Ky. – The Centre men's basketball team used a strong defensive push in the final ten minutes to come from behind to defeat Spalding by a score of 69-66 inside Alumni Gym on Saturday afternoon.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Both teams shot the ball well in the opening ten minutes.
Kalib Thomas opened the scoring with a three as Centre relied on long range shooting early on.
- The lead changed hands for the fifth time as
Drake Ingram buried a three to make it 15-14 in favor of the Colonels. Over the next eight minutes, the Golden Eagles continued their hot shooting while Centre went cold, extending to their largest lead of the game at 32-24.
- Centre bounced back over the final two minutes of the half as
Ryan Shene connected on a pair of threes to cut the deficit to 34-32 at the break.
- Spalding began the second half on fire, making seven of their first eight shots to open the half and taking a 52-45 lead after a four-point play. With just over ten minutes left, Centre cranked up the defensive intensity as
Izayiah Villafuerte forced a few turnovers and keyed a Centre rally, tying the score at 54-54 on a free throw.
- The rally continued as
Riley Mastin pounded the offensive glass for a putback that gave Centre the lead for the first time in 20 minutes of game action. Thomas then made it a 59-54 Centre lead with another three-pointer.
- The two teams traded baskets over the next two minutes as Mastin and
Landen Hamilton converted tough shots in the paint to keep Centre up by two scores. The Colonels took their largest lead of the game at 67-61 on a pair of free throws by Shene, but Spalding rallied for five straight points to cut it to one with 52 seconds left.
- After a series of missed free throws and turnovers by both teams in the final minute, the Golden Eagles missed a shot at the lead and Hamilton knocked down a pair from the charity stripe to provide the final margin.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Thomas led a balanced scoring effort for Centre with 15 points, with Hamilton, Shene and Mastin all scoring in double figures.
- Shene recorded his first career double-double as he finished with 14 points and a game high ten rebounds.
- The Centre defense forced a season high 19 Spalding turnovers in the win.
NEXT UP
The Colonels will be idle for the next two weeks for the end of classes and finals. Centre men's basketball will return on Dec. 16 as they head to Nashville to take on no. 2 Randolph-Macon in tournament action.
