GEORGETOWN, Texas – All five starters scored in double figures for the Southwestern University men's basketball team in a 72-61 victory over the Centenary Gentlemen.
Jake Holmes scored the first eight points for the Pirates, using his footwork to attack from the post for the game's first basket and sense of timing to find open spots for two assisted layups and another score on an offensive rebound.
On the other end, the Pirates had few answers for Cedric Harris in the first half, leading Centenary with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting before the break. With length, shooting, and the ball on a string, Harris was able to shoot over or dance past the Pirates' defense, scoring 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
The Pirates struggled from the field overall, shooting just 13-for-31 in the first half, but managed to hit 5-for-12 from deep, finding delayed transition opportunities and catching Centenary mid-rotation, assisting on eight of their 13 made baskets in the half.
Southwestern picked up its defense in the second half, forcing Harris to play in a crowd at times, holding him to 4-for-10 shooting with two turnovers after the break. Treylan Matthews responded by driving the paint aggressively, scoring 11 of his 16 points in the second half with a series of drives and spin moves in the paint.
The Pirates' starting backcourt of Joel Martinez and Ryan Wheeler responded with a combined 23 points in the second half. Martinez was dynamic with the ball in his hands, scoring 13 of his team-high 16 points in the second half on 4-for-5 shooting while helping on the glass with nine rebounds and dishing out three assists.
Brandon Alexander struggled from deep but got to the free-throw line five times, scoring 12 points with four rebounds. Holmes finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, showing surprising agility on the defensive end. Wheeler added 10 points and Andrew Puhl filled the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Pirates made five more 3-pointers than Centenary, who shot just 3-for-21 from deep while taking several bad shots off the dribble early in the shot clock. The Gents had several offensive weapons but few things tying it together, assisting on three baskets to 13 turnovers.
With the win, the Pirates improve to 13-11 on the season and 10-5 in conference play, dropping Centenary to 12-12 and 9-6. Southwestern will celebrate senior day and close out its regular season on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.