Centenary Men Hold On For 74-71 Quarterfinal Victory Over Southwestern

Centenary Men Hold On For 74-71 Quarterfinal Victory Over Southwestern

(Photo by Josh Moczygemba)

SAN ANTONIO, Texas
- The Centenary College men battled a determined Southwestern squad and hung on for a hard-fought 74-71 victory in the third men's quarterfinal Friday evening on the campus of Trinity University. Box Score | Official Tournament Website | Jonathan Blount (CENT) Postgame Interview | Adam Walsh (COLO) Postgame Interview

In a game that featured 85 personal fouls and saw five players foul out, the second-seeded Gents outlasted the seventh-seeded Pirates to survive and advance to tomorrow's semifinal.

Senior guard Jonathan Blount had 23 points on 17-of-21 shooting from the foul line and added eight rebounds to pace four Centenary players in double-figures. Junior guard Caden Cheramie added 14 points, freshman forward Kendall Demouchet had 12 points and eight rebounds and sophomore forward Brooks Pawsat came off the bench to add 10 points.

The Pirates refused to go quietly and were within four points, 61-57, with five minutes to play. Junior guard Blake Scott's layup with 3:14 remaining tied the game 62-62 to fuel Southwestern's comeback, but Centenary's Pawsat answered with a layup on the ensuing possession and Blount nailed eight straight free throws in the game's waning minutes to close out the win for the Gents. 

Senior guard Michael Cantu posted 26 points on 8-15 shooting from the floor to lead Southwestern while first-year forward Zach Whitlock added 11 points in his first start of the season. 

Southwestern closes the year at 8-18 overall, while Centenary improves to 17-9 and will play the winner of Austin College and Schreiner University in tomorrow's second men's semifinal. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT., on the campus of Trinity University.