MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - Centre men's basketball gained a measure of revenge in the quarterfinals of the 2026 SAA Tournament as they avenged two regular season losses, advancing to Friday's semifinal round with an 87-79 victory over the Tigers.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- The Tigers made a three-pointer on the first possession of the game, but Centre quickly grabbed the lead as
Kalib Thomas and
Drake Ingram connected from long range for the Colonels.
- Both teams traded the lead back and forth for a large portion of the first half. Consecutive threes from Thomas put the Colonels on top 21-18 at the halfway point of the half.
- With neither team able to create a cushion and the score tied at 25-25, the Colonels went on a run. Easy baskets by Ingram and
Johnny Djema and a three-pointer from
Nolan Wahl gave Centre a seven-point lead.
- Centre held onto a five-point lead with Sewanee holding for a last shot when Djema got a steal. Ingram was fouled and the conference's top free throw shooter made both attempts from the line to give Centre a 40-33 lead at the break.
- The Colonels blitzed the Tigers at the start of the second half. A jumper from
Landen Hamilton and two straight bombs from Thomas and Ingram gave Centre the first eight points of the half and a 15-point lead.
- The Tigers made their run over the next five minutes and cut the deficit to four points at 55-51 before Wahl got inside for a three-point play to stem the tide. A layup from
Garrison Hildebrant and another three from Wahl put Centre back on top by double digits and momentum stayed with the Colonels as Centre built its biggest lead at 77-60 on a runout layup by Hamilton.
- While Centre did not shoot an exceptional clip from the free throw line, they withstood a late rain of threes from Sewanee by hitting enough of them from the stripe, as Sewanee could only pull to within seven over the last four minutes.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Thomas led a balanced scoring effort with 19 points, with Hamilton, Ingram and Wahl all finishing in double figures.
- Centre only shot 39 percent from the field and 64 percent from the free throw line, but the Colonels were excellent from long range, converting 53 percent of their three-point tries, including 58 percent in the half.
- Centre enjoyed a 49-41 advantage on the glass, with Wahl turning in a monster double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
NEXT UP
Centre will move on to face no. 2 seed Trinity in the semifinals on Friday.
