DANVILLE, Ky. – Centre men's basketball won its first postseason game since 2020 as the no. 3 seed Colonels rode a hot start to a methodical 72-59 win over the no. 6 Millsaps Majors in the SAA Tournament Quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
-
Kalib Thomas opened the scoring with a three-pointer and Centre poured it on early as
Landen Hamilton and
Ryan Shene made it 9-0 after the first four minutes.
- The Colonels extended to as many as 12 points at 16-4 on a pair of
Jaxson Banks free throws before Millsaps began to chip away at the lead, eventually tying the score at 22-22.
- Centre regained the momentum as
Carson Wooldridge buried a three, kicking off a run where the home team outscored the Majors 14-2 over the next five minutes. The Colonels resumed their 12-point lead at 36-24 following a layup from Banks, but Millsaps scored the final five points of the half and Centre led by seven at the break.
- The two teams traded baskets during the early stages of the second half, with Millsaps cutting the lead to three. The Colonels held the Majors at bay and extended the lead back to ten after a layup by
Nolan Wahl.
- Playing in his first major minutes since injuring his knee in February 2024,
Riley Mastin came off the bench and provided a spark with a block and a putback to give Centre a 55-44 lead.
- Leading 57-47 with just over six minutes left, the Colonels put the game away as Shene and
Hunter Coleman knocked down consecutive threes and the Majors never threatened again.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Hamilton led a balanced Centre scoring effort with 14 points, with Wahl, Thomas, Banks and Shene all scoring in double figures as well.
- The Colonels outrebounded Millsaps 42-38, with Wahl's 11 boards giving the freshman his seventh double-double of the season.
- Centre held the Majors to 17 percent shooting from three-point range (4-24).
NEXT UP
The Colonels will travel to Berry for the remainder of the SAA Tournament. Centre will play no. 2 seed Sewanee in the semifinals. The teams split the regular season series with the home team holding serve.
