In the next to last home game of the season, the Centre College men's basketball team provided the crowd with one of the most exciting games of the season as they defeated DePauw University 76-69 in overtime, Friday, Feb. 10, in Alumni Gymnasium in Danville, Ky.
With the win, the Colonels improved to 7-4 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play and 15-6 overall this season, while the loss dropped DePauw to an even 6-6 in league play and a 10-12 mark overall.
The Colonels got off to a nice start as senior big man Reggie Magnusson scored the team's first four points, and took a charge, within the first minute and a half of the game. With a three-pointer by sophomore Matt Nestheide, the Colonels took a 12-7 lead. DePauw immediately took a timeout, which gave way to a 9-2 Tiger run. A lay-up by Magnusson gave the Colonels an 18-16 advantage. With only 0:10 remaining, sophomore Thomas Britt hit a three to put Centre up 27-24 going into halftime.
At the start of the second half Centre went up 32-26 on another three by Britt. Centre continued to lead until a Matt McDonald jumper put the Tigers up 45-44 with 10:13 remaining. McDonald hit the Tigers' next two field goals to go up 49-44; a lead they would hold for the next four minutes. With 4:48 remaining, junior Matt Jacobson went to the line and hit two of three free throws, tying the game at 51 apiece. A lay-up by Nestheide would put the Colonels up 53-51 with 3:53 left.
Up 57-54 with 0:09 left, the Colonels appeared to have the game wrapped up when the defense forced a shot clock violation by the Tigers. Alex Stewart went to the line for DePauw with 0:03 left on the clock and his team down by four. After making the first free throw, the senior guard intentionally missed the second shot, hoping to give his team a chance at a rebound and a three to tie. Centre's Jacobson tipped the ball out of bounds, giving the Tigers a last chance shot with 0:03 left. On the inbounds pass, Stewart let one fly behind the arc and into the basket, tying the game at 57 apiece as the clock expired.
In overtime, however, the Colonels took over. Magnusson gave Centre the lead with a lay-up with 3:48 left. The Colonels never looked back from there, ending up with a 76-69 conference victory. Centre was led by Magnusson's 31 points on 10 of 24 shooting, while fellow senior Coy Zerhusen provided a game-high 10 rebounds. Jacobson and Nestheide also scored in double figures with Jacobson scoring 15 points and Nestheide 12. Stewart led DePauw with 20 points, while Stephen Schott provided 13 in the loss.
The Centre men will be in action again on Sunday, Feb. 12, when they take on the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Engineers as part of an SCAC men's/women's doubleheader. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at Alumni Gymnasium in Danville , Ky.
Newspaper Box Score DePauw University vs Centre College 2/10/06 8:00 pm at Danville, KY At Danville, KY CENTRE COLLEGE 76, DEPAUW UNIVERSITY 69 DEPAUW UNIVERSITY (10-12, 6-6 SCAC) Alex Stewart 7-14 4-5 20; Matt McDonald 7-12 1-2 15; Stephen Schott 4-10 4-4 13; Reid Sakel 3-5 0-0 8; Austin Brown 4-7 0-0 8; Ryan Werntz 1-4 0-0 3; Mike Moore 1-6 0-0 2; Dan Gifford 0-1 0-0 0; Brian Oilar 0-0 0-0 0; Todd Capes 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-61 9-11 69. CENTRE COLLEGE (15-6, 7-4 SCAC) Reggie Magnusson 10-24 10-12 31; Matt Jacobson 4-10 6-11 15; Matt Nestheide 4-9 2-3 12; Thomas Britt 2-3 0-0 6; Coy Zerhusen 2-5 1-2 5; John Patterson 2-2 0-0 4; Adam Patterson 1-3 0-0 3; T.C. Thomason 0-2 0-0 0; Rob Matthews 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-58 19-28 76. DePauw University............. 24 33 12 - 69 Centre College................ 27 30 19 - 76 3-point goals-DePauw University 6-21 (Reid Sakel 2-4; Alex Stewart 2-7; Ryan Werntz 1-4; Stephen Schott 1-1; Todd Capes 0-2; Mike Moore 0-2; Matt McDonald 0-1), Centre College 7-19 (Matt Nestheide 2-6; Thomas Britt 2-2; Reggie Magnusson 1-3; Matt Jacobson 1-4; Adam Patterson 1-3; T.C. Thomason 0-1). Fouled out--DePauw University-Todd Capes, Centre College-None. Rebounds-DePauw University 32 (Matt McDonald 6), Centre College 40 (Coy Zerhusen 10). Assists-DePauw University 9 (Todd Capes 3), Centre College 13 (Coy Zerhusen 4; Thomas Britt 4). Total fouls-DePauw University 23, Centre College 14. A-708