Box Score

The Louisiana College Wildcats took played their first of two non-conference games this week on Thursday night in Shreveport against the Centenary Gents. The Wildcats nearly completed a 21-point comeback in the second half but fell just short on a shot at the buzzer 80-77. LC will host Rust College on Saturday at LSU-Alexandria.

For the first five minutes of the game, it seemed like the teams would go back and forth through the game, as LC and Centenary traded baskets early. The Gents though would make two big runs in the first half behind stellar outside shooting.  The first run gave Centenary a 20-13 lead at the 10:38 mark of the first half. Then another 12-3 run later in the half gave the Gents a 36-23 lead at the 3:57 mark.

On their final two possessions of the first half Centenary knocked down two shots from long range to give them a 48-29 lead over the Wildcats. The Gents were 6 of 11 from three-point range in the first half and the Wildcats converted only two of their 10 shots from behind the arc.

Down by 19 to start the second half, the Wildcats started to make their comeback inch by inch.  The hot shooting Gents cooled off slightly in the second half thanks to tough LC defense. The Gents seventh three pointer of the game extended their lead to 53-32 with 17:40 left in the game. That is when the comeback started for the Wildcats, they would put together a 16-1 stretch to pull within seven on a layup by Raheem Regis.

Centenary would hit three shots from long range over the next four minutes of play and extend their lead back to double figures at 69-52, but LC would not go away quietly. A three from the right corner by Palmer Hill would cap a 22-6 stretch for the Wildcats and put them down by only one with just over two minutes remaining. 

After a Gents turnover on their next possession, a foul on Timothy Stokes sent him to the line with chance to give the Wildcats the lead for the first time since early in the first half. The Wildcats less than stellar free throw shooting would bite them and the freshman was unable to convert either shot.

Centenary gave LC a chance to tie or win the game by missing two of their four free throws in the final 16 seconds. A long inbound pass to midcourt and a quick outlet to Torrian Lee gave LC the chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but Lee's shot hit the inside of the rim and bounced out, preventing the Wildcats from completing the comeback.

Raheem Regis was a force on both ends of the floor for the Wildcats with 25 points and 17 rebounds, both season highs for the senior, and his first double-double of the season.  John Parker was the only other Wildcat to reach double figures in the game with 16 points, his fourth game with at least 10 points this year.

The Wildcats will host Rust College on Saturday in their first home game of the 2016-17 season. Tip off is scheduled for 3pm and due to the work being done to the floor at H.O. West, the game will be played at The Fort on the campus of LSU-Alexandria.