Sophomore forward Matt Jacobson and freshman guard Matt Nestheide combined to score 39 points in leading the Centre College men's basketball team to a 69-64 win over Millsaps College, Sunday, Feb. 20, in Danville, Ky.
Centre closes the regular season on an eight-game winning streak, to improve to 19-6 overall and 10-4 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Millsaps falls to 9-15 overall and 6-8 in league play.
Jacobson made eight of his 11 attempts from the floor, including four of six from the three-point line, to finish with a game-high 22 points. He also grabbed six rebounds.
Nestheide was only four of five from the floor, including three of four from the three-point line, but was six of six fromt he charity stripe, to finish with 17 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Junior forward Coy Zerhusen scored only six points, but grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds in the win. His 15 boards match a season-high and also marks the 11th time this season, he has grabbed double digit rebounds.
Three Majors scored in double figures led by Sandro Norris' 16 points. Deonte Oscar notched 12 points and Justin LeBlanc added 11 points in the loss.
The Colonels led the entire first half pushing the lead to as many as 13 points on two different occasions. With Millsaps down 31-20 at the 4:14 mark, the Majors used a 9-3 run, including a three-pointer at the buzzer by LeBlanc to close the game at 34-29 going into the half.
Centre opened the second half on an 13-4 run to extend the lead to 47-35 with just under twelve minutes to play. Millsaps responded with a 12-3 run to pull within three points at 50-47.
The Majors would get within two points (53-51) with just under six minutes to play, but Centre would push the lead back to eight points (65-57) with about a minute remaining. Millsaps finished the game on a 7-4 run to get back within five points (69-64), but would run out of time.
This was the second meeting between the two teams. Millsaps won the first game 57-54 back in January, in Jackson, Miss.
Centre's 19 wins this year are the most by a Centre men's basketball team since it finished the 1992 season under head coach Tom Bryant 19-8. The 1989 team was the last team to win more than 19 games, when they finished 24-7. They also finish the year 11-1 at home.
The Colonels will be the third seed Friday, Feb. 25, when they travel to Memphis, Tenn. to compete in the SCAC Tournament. Centre will play at 3 p.m. CST at the Memphis University School against the six seed, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Newspaper Box Score Millsaps Majors vs Centre College 2/20/05 12 pm at Danville, KY At Danville, KY CENTRE COLLEGE 69, MILLSAPS MAJORS 64 MILLSAPS MAJORS (9-15, 6-8 SCAC) Sandro Norris 6-14 4-5 16; Deonte Oscar 5-7 2-2 12; Justin LeBlanc 2-7 6-6 11; Marc Rauschuber 4-5 0-0 8; Tyler Warren 4-13 0-0 8; Lorenzo Bailey 3-7 0-0 6; Brad Greenhaw 1-1 0-0 3; Rodney Rogan 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 25-57 12-13 64. CENTRE COLLEGE (19-6, 10-4 SCAC) Matt Jacobson 8-11 2-4 22; Matt Nestheide 4-5 6-6 17; Kyle Roby 1-2 6-7 9; Reggie Magnusson 2-6 4-6 8; Coy Zerhusen 3-9 0-2 6; Thomas Britt 2-4 1-1 5; Adam Patterson 1-4 0-0 2; Josh Bell 0-2 0-0 0; Kyle Christopher 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-45 19-28 69. Millsaps Majors............... 29 35 - 64 Centre College................ 34 35 - 69 3-point goals-Millsaps Majors 2-13 (Justin LeBlanc 1-5; Brad Greenhaw 1-1; Tyler Warren 0-2; Lorenzo Bailey 0-2; Rodney Rogan 0-1; Sandro Norris 0-2), Centre College 8-18 (Matt Jacobson 4-6; Matt Nestheide 3-4; Kyle Roby 1-2; Adam Patterson 0-2; Josh Bell 0-1; Kyle Christopher 0-2; Reggie Magnusson 0-1). Fouled out--Millsaps Majors-None, Centre College-None. Rebounds-Millsaps Majors 21 (Sandro Norris 4; Lorenzo Bailey 4), Centre College 41 (Coy Zerhusen 15). Assists-Millsaps Majors 7 (Justin LeBlanc 2), Centre College 13 (Matt Nestheide 4; Kyle Roby 4). Total fouls-Millsaps Majors 21, Centre College 15. A-320