Box Score LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? The UALR men's basketball team (3-1) rebounded from its first loss of the season with a 72-64 win over Centenary (3-2) on Tuesday night at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans, who led by 11 points with 5:15 remaining, survived a late rally by the Gents, who cut their deficit all the way down to two points, 63-61, with 2:15 to go. With the lead down to two, senior Terrance Akins delivered a crucial three-point play on the Trojans' next possession to quell the Centenary rally.
“I'm happy for our guys. We showed a little bit tonight the type of basketball team we can be. We got back to doing what this team does well, which is sharing the basketball and playing unselfishly,” said Shields.
“For us to be in a close ballgame, face a little bit of adversity and bend but not break, was a good thing.”
Shane Edwards led the Trojans with a season-high 19 points in the win, going 4-of-5 from the field and 10-of-12 at the charity stripe. The junior forwarded added eight rebounds, and team highs of four assists and two blocks as UALR improved to 28-2 in November home games since joining the Division-I ranks in 1979.
“We came back with the right mindset after our last game,” said Edwards. “We just have little things we need to work on, like finishing the game off, but overall we feel good.”
UALR led from wire-to-wire on Tuesday, thanks in large part to a +20 rebounding margin (48-to-28). The Trojans also outshot the Gents 45.5 percent to 32.8 percent, and made 45 trips to the free-throw line ? converting 29 of their attempts (64.4 percent).
Sophomore Mike Smith recorded the first double-double of his career, posting 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in 27 minutes of work off the bench. Four Trojans scored in double figures in the win, with juniors De'Andre Eggins and Brandon Patterson adding 14 points and 10 points, respectively, while junior John Fowler chipped in nine points and eight rebounds
Tyrone Hamilton led the Gents with 19 points in the losing effort, going 5-of-10 from three-point range. Hamilton led the charge down the stretch as his fourth three pointer pulled Centenary within four points, 62-58, with 3:11 remaining. His final three pointer made it a 63-61 contest with 2:15 left to play, giving Centenary its smallest deficit since trailing 13-11 in the first half.
Edwards scored 11 first half points to help the Trojans take a nine-point lead into the break, 36-27. A three pointer by Edwards and a 5:20 scoring drought by Centenary at the onset of the game, helped the Trojans take a 9-3 lead out of the gate. Hamilton accounted for nearly all of Centenary's scoring through the early goings, scoring nine of the team's first 11 points by sinking 3-of-5 three-point attempts.
Hamilton's third three pointer pulled Centenary within two points, 13-11, with 9:52 to go. UALR responded with a quick 8-0 spurt, with six of the points coming from Eggins, to take a 10-point lead, 21-11. Eggins scored his first two points at the foul line, came up with a steal and a fastbreak layup, then got an offensive putback on a missed free throw.
The Trojans maintained a comfortable lead throughout most of the first half, until a successful three-point play by Jerrald Bonham and a three pointer from Anthony Gatlin, cut the Gents' deficit down to six points, 33-27, with 1:24 on the clock. Sophomore Steven Moore answered with a three pointer from the corner to send UALR into the half with a nine-point lead, 37-26.
Centenary trailed by just five points, 38-33, near the start of the second half, but a 14-4 Trojan run, with six points from Patterson, extended UALR's lead to 15 points, 52-37, with 10:51 left on the clock.
Trailing by 13 points after a layup by Eggins, the Gents used a three pointer from Nick Stallings and a bucket by Justin Glenn to make it an eight-point game, 58-50, with 6:40 remaining. With the lead in single digits, Fowler delivered a three pointer to extend UALR's lead back to 11 points, 61-50.
Centenary turned to Hamilton, who responded by scoring eight of the team's next 11 points, as the Gents pulled within two, 63-61. This time it was Akins who answered the call, as the Little Rock-native drove to the hole and drew contact on a made basket. He calmly sank the foul shot to put UALR ahead by five, 66-61, with 1:55 to go.
“It was great to see a guy go strong to the basket and finish a play,” added Shields. “Everybody recognizes [Terrance] as a shooter, so everybody runs at him to try and make him put it on the floor. Instead of settling for a semi-contested three, I thought he was aggressive with the ball in attacking strong with the inside shoulder.”
The Gents failed to draw any closer, committing a turnover on their next possession, then misfiring on consecutive three point attempts. UALR was shaky at the foul line down the stretch, going just 6-of-12, but got defensive stops on the other end to preserve the win.
UALR returns to action Saturday, Nov. 24 when it welcomes Louisiana Tech to the Jack Stephens Center at 7 p.m.
