For the first time since the 1988-1989 season, the Centre College men's basketball team has won 20 games in a season by defeating the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 66-61, in the first round of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, Friday, Feb. 25, in Memphis, Tenn.
Centre is now 20-6 overall, marking its first 20-win season since the 1988-1989 team went 24-7 on its way to the Final Four. Rose-Hulman ends its season with a 12-14 overall record.
The Colonels' 20th win also marks the 100th coaching victory for head coach Greg Mason. Mason has compiled a career record of 100-54 for a 64.9% winning percentage, the highest in school history.
Four Colonels scored in double figures led by junior center Reggie Magnusson's 16 points. Freshman guard Matt Nestheide scored 15 points. Senior guard Kyle Roby added 14 points and junior forward Coy Zerhusen posted his sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Only five players scored for the Engineers, led by Munchie Muskeyvalley's game-high 19 points. Philip Griffith added 17 points in the loss.
Rose-Hulman jumped out to an early 10-2 lead, only to see Centre go on a 14-4 run to take a 16-14 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining in the half. The Colonels would push the lead to as many as 10 points (32-22) before going to the locker room with a 34-27 lead at the break.
After a Roby three-pointer gave Centre a 44-34 lead at the 15:42 mark in the second half, the Engineers went on an 8-0 run to pull within 44-42. Freshman guard Thomas Britt then hit a three-pointer to put the Colonels up five.
Centre extended the lead to eight points (54-46) with 8:31 to play, but Rose-Hulman used a 7-0 run to pull within one point at 54-53 with just under four minutes left. The Colonels made nine of their 10 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Centre will meet Trinity University in the second round, Saturday, Feb. 26. The Tigers won the first meeting of the year 73-65 in San Antonio, Texas. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. in Memphis, Tenn.
Newspaper Box Score Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. vs Centre College 02/25/05 3 p.m. at Memphis Univ. School - Memphis, Tenn. At Memphis Univ. School - Memphis, Tenn. CENTRE COLLEGE 66, ROSE-HULMAN INST. OF TECH. 61 ROSE-HULMAN INST. OF TECH. (12-14) Munchie Muskeyvalley 8-12 1-2 19; Philip Griffith 7-11 3-5 17; Brian Bibb 4-8 1-2 9; Brennan Dunville 4-6 0-0 8; Jason Ludwig 3-8 2-2 8; Ron George 0-1 0-0 0; Evan Ballinger 0-1 0-0 0; Kareem Lee 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 26-51 7-11 61. CENTRE COLLEGE (20-6) Reggie Magnusson 7-12 2-3 16; Matt Nestheide 4-9 4-5 15; Kyle Roby 2-3 8-10 14; Coy Zerhusen 4-10 3-4 12; Thomas Britt 2-4 0-0 6; Matt Jacobson 1-8 0-1 3; Josh Bell 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-47 17-23 66. Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech..... 27 34 - 61 Centre College................ 34 32 - 66 3-point goals-Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. 2-10 (Munchie Muskeyvalley 2-4; Brian Bibb 0-1; Jason Ludwig 0-1; Ron George 0-1; Evan Ballinger 0-1; Kareem Lee 0-2), Centre College 9-21 (Matt Nestheide 3-7; Kyle Roby 2-2; Thomas Britt 2-3; Coy Zerhusen 1-1; Matt Jacobson 1-5; Josh Bell 0-1; Reggie Magnusson 0-2). Fouled out--Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech.-Philip Griffith; Kareem Lee, Centre College-None. Rebounds-Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. 29 (Jason Ludwig 7), Centre College 31 (Coy Zerhusen 13). Assists-Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. 10 (Munchie Muskeyvalley 5), Centre College 12 (Matt Nestheide 4). Total fouls-Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. 21, Centre College 14. A-350 Second quarterfinal of the 2005 SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament