WILMORE, Ky. – Centre men's basketball broke open a close season opener in the final nine minutes as they defeated the Asbury Eagles 86-71 to give interim head coach
Gavin Root his first official win at the helm of the program.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
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Ryan Shene scored the first two points of the season for the Colonels on a layup in the first minute of play. A spinning runner in the lane from
Landen Hamilton gave the Colonels their first lead.
- The Colonels began to extend their lead in the early minutes as Hamilton and
Riley Mastin buried consecutive threes. Another long ball from
Hunter Coleman gave Centre a 15-8 lead. Centre went up by double digits for the first time as
Kalib Thomas nailed a three in transition to make it a 24-14 game.
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Izayiah Villafuerte came off the bench to score eight of nine Centre points as the Colonels held off a late Asbury run in the first half. With the lead cut to three, the Colonels played well over the final three minutes as baskets from Thomas and Hamilton gave Centre a 44-33 lead at the half.
- Early in the second half, Centre extended the lead to 16 points on a three-pointer from
Nolan Wahl. Over the next five minutes, the Eagles caught fire and chipped away at the deficit, cutting it to 61-59 at the ten-minute mark.
- The Colonels responded to the threat with resolve as Shene converted a three-pointer after an offensive rebound. A layup by Villafuerte and a three from Coleman made it 69-61 in favor of the Colonels.
- With Centre leading 71-63 with five minutes left, Thomas dominated the next 80 seconds as he had seven straight points and two steals to help blow open the game and the Colonels iced it from the free throw line to provide the final margin.
"It's a great day to be a Centre Colonel," said Root. "I couldn't be prouder of their resilience on the road in a great environment at Asbury. All the credit goes to the players for continuing to trust the game plan and each other. Special times are ahead for this bunch if they continue to play for each other and play for something bigger than themselves."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Colonels hit 14 of 30 from beyond the arc as eight different players connected on three-pointers for the game.
- Thomas led all players with 18 points as five different Colonels scored in double figures.
- Centre dominated the glass to the tune of a 35-22 rebounding advantage, including 15-7 on the offensive end. Mastin finished with a game high ten boards to record a double-double with 13 points.
NEXT UP
Centre will return to action on Nov. 15 as the Colonels face Berea on the road. Centre won this matchup last season, 88-85 in overtime in Danville.
