Oglethorpe

The Centre College men let a 14-point lead slip away in the second half Friday and saw their six-game winning streak end with a 77-64 loss to Oglethorpe at Atlanta. Centre (14-4, 7-2 Southern Athletic Association) was outscored 33-7 over the final 14 minutes by Oglethorpe (14-6, 6-3), which avenged a 67-57 loss to the Colonels in Danville two weeks earlier. The Colonels, who had shot 61 percent (17 for 28) from the field in the first half, went just 7 for 25 in the second half to fall to 45 percent, while the Stormy Petrels went 19 for 31 in the second half to finish at 56 percent.

The No. 8¿Centre College women's soccer team moved to 13-0 Saturday with a 3-0 win over visiting Oglethorpe in Southern Athletic Association action. Rachel Brannen, Mary Taylor Kersey and Claiborne Willis all had first half goals for Centre, which moved to 4-0 in the SAA. Maddie Slattery had an assist for the Colonels, who outshot Oglethorpe (4-7, 1-3 SAA), 13-6 and held a 6-0 edge in corner kicks. Megan Foley had one save for the Colonels.

The opponent the Centre College women faced in the first half Friday didn't look much like the team they had scouted, but the Colonels figured out what they were up against soon enough. Halftime adjustments on both ends of the floor allowed Centre to flip the script on an upset bid by Oglethorpe early in the second half and go on to a 68-51 victory at Alumni Gymnasium. Centre's second-half field-goal percentage matched Oglethorpe's mark in the first half, and the Colonels held the Stormy Petrels to a lower percentage in the second half than they had shot in the first to win their third straight game.

They have made a habit of making the finals of their conference tournament, and the Centre College men weren't about to miss their chance to play a title game on their home floor. The Colonels advanced to their eighth consecutive final - and their first in their own gym - by fighting off Oglethorpe for an 89-80 victory in a Southern Athletic Association tournament semifinal Saturday night at Alumni Gymnasium. They needed their highest-scoring game of the season and their second-best shooting night to outlast Oglethorpe and earn a berth in today's championship game.

Behind a game-high 26 points from junior Matt Nestheide, the Centre College men won their fifth straight game Friday, beating host Oglethorpe 76-57 in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Atlanta. "This was the best game we've played all year," Centre coach Greg Mason said. "We only had 11 turnovers. They pressed us the whole game, and the guys did a good job of handling the ball. " Nestheide was 10-for-16 from the field, getting 18 in the first half for the Colonels (9-3, 1-1 SCAC)

The Centre College Colonels are so close to their goal. Centre stands one win away from claiming a share of a conference championship, its first in 14 years after three straight third-place finishes. And it's the reason they're so fired up about today's regular-season finale. "That's really important to us," Centre forward Matt Jacobson said. "It's something we've been building for but we haven't quite gotten to. " Centre began this critical weekend by dismantling Oglethorpe 96-68 Friday night.

The Centre College women came up just short in their bid to knock off one of the nation's best teams Sunday. No. 4 Oglethorpe shot 67 percent in the second half to take control of the game and hand the Colonels a 79-75 defeat at Alumni Gymnasium. The loss snapped a five-game home winning streak for Centre, which is enjoying its winningest season in seven years but finished third in the demanding Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference East Division. Oglethorpe guard Katie Kulavic scored 19 of her 33 points in the second half, becoming the SCAC's all-time leading scorer.

It wasn't their best, but it was more than sufficient. The Centre College women were careless with the basketball and inconsistent with their shots, yet they were still too much for Sewanee in a 62-43 victory Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium. The Colonels were never threatened after opening a double-digit lead less than six minutes into the game as they coasted to their 10th Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference victory, one more than their combined total over the previous three seasons.

CONWAY, Ark. - Chris Gowers hit two free throws with 6 seconds to play Saturday, and the Centre College men escaped with a 78-77 win over Hendrix to advance to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament finals. The Colonels (22-4) will play Southwestern, which beat Trinity 68-63, at 3:30 p.m. today for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Ryan Crowdis scored 18 points and had five assists, Danny Noll had 15 points and Gowers scored nine points for the Colonels.

They have made a habit of making the finals of their conference tournament, and the Centre College men weren't about to miss their chance to play a title game on their home floor. The Colonels advanced to their eighth consecutive final - and their first in their own gym - by fighting off Oglethorpe for an 89-80 victory in a Southern Athletic Association tournament semifinal Saturday night at Alumni Gymnasium. They needed their highest-scoring game of the season and their second-best shooting night to outlast Oglethorpe and earn a berth in today's championship game.

The time for caring about how you win has passed. For the Centre College men, all that matters is whether you win. That's why Centre coach Greg Mason wasn't sweating the small stuff today after the Colonels fought off Berry for a 74-58 victory in the first round of the Southern Athletic Association tournament at Alumni Gymnasium. Centre didn't do some things as well as it usually does, but the Colonels responded well when Berry brought the fight to them, and that was enough for Mason, whose team is clinging to the hope of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament but must win this tourney to do so. “Berry's been playing pretty well recently ... so I knew we were in for a battle today, and we got it. Any time you're in a tournament, you're going to have teams playing with everything on the line,” Mason said.

A team-by-team look at the field for the inaugural Southern Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament (teams listed in order of seeding): CENTRE (18-5, 11-3 SAA) Leading scorer: Josh Karsner, 6-4 So. F, 12.0. Leading rebounder: Tyler Wesley, 6-6 Fr. F, 8.5 (SAA leader). Key stat: Centre ranks sixth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 57.2 points per game, and leads the SAA in 3-point shooting at 38 percent. Note: The Colonels have played in seven consecutive conference tournament championships and have reached eight finals in the last 10 years.

The Centre College men let a 14-point lead slip away in the second half Friday and saw their six-game winning streak end with a 77-64 loss to Oglethorpe at Atlanta. Centre (14-4, 7-2 Southern Athletic Association) was outscored 33-7 over the final 14 minutes by Oglethorpe (14-6, 6-3), which avenged a 67-57 loss to the Colonels in Danville two weeks earlier. The Colonels, who had shot 61 percent (17 for 28) from the field in the first half, went just 7 for 25 in the second half to fall to 45 percent, while the Stormy Petrels went 19 for 31 in the second half to finish at 56 percent.

The opponent the Centre College women faced in the first half Friday didn't look much like the team they had scouted, but the Colonels figured out what they were up against soon enough. Halftime adjustments on both ends of the floor allowed Centre to flip the script on an upset bid by Oglethorpe early in the second half and go on to a 68-51 victory at Alumni Gymnasium. Centre's second-half field-goal percentage matched Oglethorpe's mark in the first half, and the Colonels held the Stormy Petrels to a lower percentage in the second half than they had shot in the first to win their third straight game.

The No. 8¿Centre College women's soccer team moved to 13-0 Saturday with a 3-0 win over visiting Oglethorpe in Southern Athletic Association action. Rachel Brannen, Mary Taylor Kersey and Claiborne Willis all had first half goals for Centre, which moved to 4-0 in the SAA. Maddie Slattery had an assist for the Colonels, who outshot Oglethorpe (4-7, 1-3 SAA), 13-6 and held a 6-0 edge in corner kicks. Megan Foley had one save for the Colonels.

ATLANTA - Centre College had to go to overtime to remain in first place in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play but pulled out a 74-71 win Sunday. “We got a great win today. We found a way again at the end to win and that's what matters,” said Centre coach Wendie Austin-Robinson. “We were down seven points with two minutes to go, got it to overtime and made big plays in the overtime. Credit Oglethorpe for dictating tempo, but I¿am proud of our girls for the way they fought back.

Centre College overcame a 12-point deficit with 11 minutes, 22 seconds to play behind a season-high 33 points from Maggie Prewitt and a defensive lift from Jane Goatley to beat Oglethorpe University 77-71 Sunday in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference game here. “We got a big win today,” said Centre coach Wendie-Austin Robinson. “Oglethorpe jumped on us and was really aggressive early. They attacked us and they are very athletic. They shot well from the 3-point line and we did not execute our defense very well until late in the game.

Centre College closed its home portion of the basketball season Sunday by sweeping a doubleheader from Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Oglethorpe on Senior Day for both the men and women. Senior Alex Lloyd had 16 rebounds, seven points and two blocked shots to help the men beat Oglethorpe 67-52 while freshman Paige Baechle had 16 points and two steals and junior Maggie Prewitt had 14 points and three assists to lead the women to an easier 74-46 triumph. The Centre men improved to 17-4 overall and 12-2 in conference play by winning what coach Greg Mason called a “hard-fought game.