(3/4/08)  On Monday afternoon, Centenary junior Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) was named to the Honorable Mention team following a season that saw him average 14.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest. 

Baker recorded 14 double-doubles over the course of the season, including five of the last six games.  His season high of 30 points came in the team’s 87-78 victory over St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn back on December 6th.  He was also named to the PAC Weekly Honor Roll twice throughout the winter, as well as the NJ Hoops Player of the Month for January.

Freshman Robert Urie (Ortley Beach/Toms River) was also recognized by the PAC Conference in the awards listing, as she was named as Centenary's  Sportsmanship Award winner.

For Complete List of All-PAC Awards click here

(2/19/08) In their final game of the season the Centenary men’s basketball team took on PAC rival Neumann College in the second half of a double-header with the women.  In this night of senior recognition the men were disappointed by the Knights by a score of 85-76. 

The two teams traded the lead for the majority of the first half, with neither team taking control. Ten minutes in the game was still neck in neck and with three minutes senior Kyle Boone (Hopatcong/Hopatcong) hit a three pointer to knot the game up once again at 36.  As time wound down, the Knights were able to gain a small advantage by extending their lead to seven going into the break. 

The second half began with the Knights extending their lead to ten early into play.  The Cyclones continued to trail for the next ten minutes as Neumann continued to increase the deficit.  Down by 20 with less than nine left to go, the men struggled to keep the ball away from the Knights and get points on the board.  A three at 4:54 by senior Josh Davidson (Beesley’s Point/Ocean City) sparked the crowd but was not able to ignite the run that the men needed to close the gap.  The final buzzer sounded with Centenary still behind by nine. 

For Neumann, DJ Fritz paced the team with 26 while teammate Derahn Patrick tallied 23.  Eli Hitchens notched a double-double for the Knights putting 10 points and 11 rebounds on the board.

The Cyclones were led by Will Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan) and Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) who both hit the double-double mark for the night.   Atkinson sunk a total of 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Centenary while Baker recorded 19 points and 16 rebounds.   Seniors Boone and Davidson both added to the men’s total scoring 12 and eight points respectively in their final game at Centenary.    Boxscore

(2/14/08)  Earlier this week, the PAC Conference named Centenary Freshman Will Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan) Player of the Week.  This is Atkinson's first time as the POTW, to go along with an Honor Roll selection earlier this winter.

Atkinson did his part last week for the Cyclones as they went an even  1-1 in conference play.  Will averaged 22 points and 6 rebounds over the pair of contests, while connecting on 10-of-15 (67%) shots from behind the arc.  His team high 23 point effort in the team’s loss to Cabrini included six three-pointers.

PAC Release

(2/8/08)  On the Men’s side of things the Cyclones extended a five point halftime lead into a nine point victory, 71-62, to snap a six game losing streak last evening.   The win was the second of the year for Centenary over the host Pacers.

Marywood built a 16-11 lead with 13:29 to play in the period on a Josh Pena lay-up.  The Cyclones would battle back and take a 22-20 lead on a Josh Davidson (Beesley’s Point/Ocean City) three-pointer with 6:43 remaining on the clock, a lead the visitors would extend to 10 over the next four minutes before Marywood drew within five as the teams headed into their locker rooms.  Will Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan) led all first-half scorers with 12 points while Davidson added 11 points and six rebounds in the opening stanza for the Cyclones, who were a perfect eight for eight from the free throw line.

Marywood was able to trim the lead to three points early in the second half on a three-pointer from Nick Stoud,  but a 10-2 run by the Cyclones over the next five minutes would give the visitors 52-39 lead with 10:52 to play in the game.  Centenary would then use an 11-3 run to build a 16-point lead at 65-49 with just under three minutes to play to put the game out of reach.  The Cyclones were led by Atkinson's game-high 21 point performance, while Robert Urie (Ortley Beach/Toms River East) and Davidson each added 14 points.  Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) was a huge presence in the paint for the Cyclones, recording a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, while also blocking three shots.  Boxscore

(1/28/08) In the second half of a double header with the Centenary women, the men’s basketball team took on visiting Alvernia College in the Folkner Family Gymnasium this evening.  The Cyclones were handed a tough loss as the Crusaders skated past them by a score of 79-48. This loss takes the men’s record to 3-15 overall and 1-9 in the PAC.  Alvernia improves to 9-7 and 7-1. 

In the first half Robert Urie (Ortley Beach/Tom’s River East) carried the Cyclones with 14, scoring more points himself than the rest of the team combined.  Centenary fell behind early, taking the lead once in the period with 14:43 on the clock.  The men’s advantage would be short lived as Alvernia went on a 13-0 run over the next five minutes to go up by ten.  Although the Cyclones regained their composure and put some more points on the board, the Crusaders continued to extend their lead until halftime with the score going into the break sitting at 37-22. 

The second period saw the Crusaders continue to dominate in scoring as the Cyclones deficit rose as high as 31 points.  Despite the difference in score, the men never gave up, fighting for ever point until time ran out. 

For the Cyclones Urie paced the team with 18 while Will Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan) tallied 10 points and six rebounds and Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) put up six points and nine rebounds.   Both Matt King and Nick Rivera recorded double-doubles for Alvernia while teammate Terrance Shawell scored 11 points and David Washington put up ten. 

The men take to the road again Thursday, January 31st for an 8:00pm game against Neumann College in Aston, PA.   Boxscore

(1/26/08) This afternoon in the Folkner Family Gymnasium the Centenary men’s basketball team took on PAC opponent Eastern University for the second time this season.  The last time the two teams met up Eastern came away with a 106-66 win and although the score was much closer, the Cyclones were still unable to come out on top.  This loss takes the men to an overall record of 3-14 and 1-8 in conference play. 

Centenary got behind early as the Eagles took a 6-0 lead over the men only a minute into the game. The men hung tough and knotted the game up after trailing for the first five minutes off of a shot from behind the arc by freshman Corey Kearney (North Arlington/Queen of Peace). 

The Cyclones kept the advantage for the next ten minutes of play, with shots by Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) and Will Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan) putting Centenary out in front by as many as nine. Unfortunately, Eastern battled back and went out ahead again before the half, as the men trailed by nine going into the break.  

The second half saw Eastern extend their lead to double digits shortly after the period began.  The two teams traded points over the next few minutes but Eastern continued to build their advantage despite made shots for the Cyclones by Kearney, Atkinson and senior Josh Davidson (Beesley’s Point/Ocean City).  Centenary saw their largest deficit of the game with only three minutes to go as Eastern’s Matt Malloy made an easy lay up to put his team ahead by 22.  Although the men were able to cut their opponents advantage by six in the remaining minutes, they ran out of time and the final horn sounded with the score of 86-70.   

Andrew Baker recorded his eighth double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds for the Cyclones.  Teammate Corey Kearney led the men with 20 points and five rebounds while Will Atkinson added 14 points and three rebounds to the team’s totals. 

Centenary takes the home court for more PAC Conference action against visiting Alvernia College this Monday, January 28th at 8:00pm.  Boxscore

(1/17/08)  The Centenary Men took to the road Thursday night for a conference showdown with Alvernia College.  Unfortunately despite tying a season high for three-pointers with 12, the Cyclones fell to the host Crusaders by the score of 102-75, dropping them to 3-11 on the year, 1-5 in PAC play.

Centenary kept the score close in the early going with freshman Corey Kearney (North Arlington, N.J./Queen of Peace) scoring six of the team's first eight points. Alvernia held a 10-8 lead after the first five minutes and exploded for 12 straight to open up a 14-point lead, 22-8.  The Crusaders extended their early advantage to 29-13 with just over 10 minutes to go in the half.  The Cyclones stemmed the tide again with a pair of three-pointers cutting the deficit to 10 points with exactly 7:00 showing on the first-half clock.  Alvernia, however needed less than four minutes to double its lead with four different players scoring during 13-3 run.  The Cyclones found themselves down 47-29 at the halftime break.

Centenary was unable to make a considerable run at the lead in the second half, as Alvernia kept the lead over 14 points for the remainder of the game and stretched it to as many 32 points in the final three minutes of play.

Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) notched his sixth doube-double of the year recording 17 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes of play.  Senior Josh Davidson (Beasley's Point/OCean City) led the Cycylones with 25 points off the bench, including his season high of seven three-pointers. 

Boxscore

(1/7/08)  Earlier this evening in the Folkner Family Gymnasium, the host Cyclones of Centenary dropped a non-conference decision to Brooklyn College by the final of 81-77.  Centenary falls to 2-9 on the season with the loss, as the visiting Bridges improve to 8-3.
 
Brooklyn College opened the game scoring the night’s first six points, before the Cyclones answered with a lay-up by William Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan) at the 17:41 mark.  Brooklyn pushed the lead to as many as eight (15-7) before Centenary roared back to knot the game at 15-15 with just over 13 minutes remaining.  From there the two teams would trade baskets over the next ten minutes, re-tying the score four more times in the half.  The last even score (32-32) of the period came following a pair of free throws by Robert Urie (Ortley Beach/Toms River East) , at the 3:05 mark.  The Cyclones would end the half on a brief 8-3 run and hold a five point advantage at the break.
 
The host Cyclones would increase their lead right out of the locker room to as many as 13 (54-41), when Atkinson connected on his sixth three-pointer of the night at the 15:04 mark of the second half.  Centenary maintained a double-digit lead until nearly the nine minute mark, when a pair Thomas Guerin free throws cut the lead to 60-51.  Over the next seven minutes the visitor’s continued to chip away at the deficit and eventually tied the game at 70-70, when Richard Jean-Baptiste nailed a three-pointer with just over two minutes left in the half.  Following another three and a 1-for-2 trip to the free throw line from Jean-Baptiste and a lay-up by Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta), Centenary trailed 74-72 with 1:16 left.  Senior Josh Davidson (Beesley’s Point/Ocean City) converted a pair of free throws with 0:55 left to tie the game at 74-74.  Unfortunately for the Cyclones those were the last points of the night that mattered, as three costly turnovers down the stretch and 5-for-6 shooting from the line for Brooklyn, gave the Bridges the come from behind victory 81-77.
 
For Centenary in the loss Baker recorded his sixth double-double of the year and second in two games, netting 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.  William Atkinson led all scorers with 25 points, including a season high seven three-pointers.  Josh Davidson and Robert Urie each added double figures, scoring 14 and 12 points respectively.  Brooklyn’s Richard Jean-Baptiste led the visitor’s with 24 points, 17 coming in the second half.  Daniel Nesbitt added 22 points for the Bridges, while Thomas Guerin chipped in with 13. 

Boxscore

(1/5/08) After a long winter break, the Centenary men’s basketball team got back into the swing of things at home against visiting Green Mountain College.  This non conference match up marks the Cyclones first game of 2008, however they were not able to come away with a victory as they were edged by the Eagles 73-70.

The Cyclones took and early lead in the first period, getting out in front by as many as five in the beginning few minutes.  Freshman Robert Urie (Ortley Beach/Toms River East) made a few key shots and by the end of the half had totaled 11 points.  Green Mountain cut the men’s lead over the next ten minutes and at the halftime buzzer the Cyclones led by only one with a score of 32-31.  

The two teams traded the points in the first couple minutes of the second period until the Green Mountain combination between Adam Fisher and Doug Hammond pushed the Eagles out in front by nine with 10 minutes to go.  Although shots by Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) and William Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan) added points to the Cyclones total, the team struggled to close the gap.  Centenary finally found their rhythm in the last five minutes, scoring 10 points to Green Mountain’s two and closing the gap to one with less than three minutes on the clock.  A shot by Atkinson knotted the score up at 59 with 1:37 left to go in regulation.  Both teams had opportunities to go ahead but neither could capitalize and the game headed into overtime with the score remaining 59-59.    

Centenary and Green Mountain exchanged baskets for the first few minutes of overtime.  A shot by Urie put the Cyclones up by four with less than a minute to go but the Eagles answered right back with a three point play and a lay up by Fisher, returning the advantage to Green Mountain with 24 seconds on the clock.  Fisher lifted the Eagles to victory over the Cyclones by a score of 73-70, scoring all but one basket for his team in overtime.  

Two Cyclones had double-doubles on the night with Andrew Baker holding the lead with 20 points and 16 rebounds.  He was followed closely behind by Will Atkinson who tallied 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.  Robert Urie also had 19 points for the men. 

For Green Mountain, Adam Fisher carried the team with 39 points and nine rebounds while teammate Doug Hammond recorded 19 points and six blocks. 
   
The Cyclone’s overall record now stands at 2-8.  The men are back at home in a match up against Brooklyn College on Monday, January 7th at 7:30pm.  Boxscore

(12/6/07)  The Centenary Men’s basketball team notched their second victory of the year earlier tonight, as they defeated visiting St. Joseph’s College – Brooklyn by the final of 87-78.

The host Cyclones scored the game’s first field goal just 0:12 in and never relinquished the lead through the first ten minutes.  Centenary led by as many as five two different times during the stretch only to increase the advantage to nine (36-27) with just over three minutes remaining in the half.  At the break, the men held a comfortable 45-33 cushion after shooting a blistering 53% from the floor in the period, including four three-pointers.  In the second half, the visiting Bears were able to control some of the tempo and after falling behind by double digits (47-35), outscored the Cyclones 15-9 over the next seven minutes.  Following three straight baskets by Andrew Baker starting at 11:49 mark, Centenary led again by twelve with just over nine minutes left.  Despite a few small runs by St. Joseph’s late in the game, the hosts held on making 5-of-7 from the line down the stretch for the 87-78 victory. 

The Cyclones’ Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) paced the home team recording his third double-double of the season, scoring a game high 30 points, on 12-for-18 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds.  Freshmen Corey Kearney (North Arlington/Queen of Peace) and Robert Urie (Ortley Beach/Toms River East) each added 17 and 16 points respectively.  Urie added to his team lead in assists with 7 helpers in the victory.  In the loss for SJB, three starters reached double figures, as Chris Olaskiewicz led with 17, Justin Gist added 16, and Ervin Maddox ended the evening with 11.  Boxscore

(12/3/07) The Centenary men’s basketball team took on Misericordia University in their second PAC match up of the season.  Despite a valiant effort to cut the Cougars lead at the end of the match, the Cyclones were defeated by the Cougars 67-61.  This loss takes the men to 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the PAC Conference while Misericordia improves to 2-0 in the PAC and 5-2 for the season.  

The men took an early lead and held it for the first six minutes of play.  The Cougars evened the score at 12 and the advantage went back and forth for the next seven minutes until a three pointer by Corey Kearney (North Arlington/Queen of Peace) tied the game up at 19 with less than eight on the clock.  Misericordia then gained control when Matt Hornak made a shot at 6:45 to go out in front of the Cyclones once more.  The Cougars picked up their momentum for the remaining minutes of the period, leading by as many a seven before the halftime buzzer. 

The second half saw Misericordia extend their lead over the Cyclones, building their first double digit cushion with 12:55 left in the game. The Cougars led by as many as 19 at one point but shots by Kearney, William Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan) and Robert Urie (Ortley Beach/Toms River East) slowly chipped away at the Cyclones deficit towards the end of the period. 

With only a little over a minute remaining, a shot from behind the arc by Atkinson cut the Cougars lead to nine.  Kearney put a final three pointer away with just seconds to go but there was not enough time for the men to match Misericordia as the final score stood at 67-61.

Atkinson had a team best 16 point showing in the match which included four from the three point line.  Also recording double figures for the Cyclones were Urie with 13 as well as Kearney and Josh Davidson (Beesley’s Point/Ocean City) who both ended up with 11.   Junior Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) grabbed a team high in rebounds with 10 and recorded eight points while Kearney and Andrew Cobian (Oyster Bay/St. Dominic’s) both snagged five boards apiece. 

Centenary is back in action in the Folkner Family Gymnasium this Thursday night Decmber 6th to take on St. Josephs-Brooklyn in a non conference match up at 7:00 pm.      Boxscore

(11/29/07)  Earlier tonight in the Folkner Family Gymnasium, the Centenary Men’s Basketball team dropped their PAC Conference opener to visiting Immaculata University by the final of 80-58.  The loss drops the Cyclones to 1-4 on the year, while the Macs of Immaculata stay unbeaten at 2-0.

To start the ball game neither side could find the range, as the two teams combined for just 16 points in the opening seven minutes of play.  From there Immaculata attempted to take control of the game, with strong defense and limiting the Cyclones to second shots.  The visitor’s took their largest lead of the half when Kyle Finklea converted a stolen pass and put the Macs up 28-17 with just under 4:30 to play.

After trailing 35-23 at half, the Cyclones made runs at the lead two different times in the second period.  The hosts pulled to within 12 (56-44) at the 10:40 mark, after falling behind by as many as 22 early in the half.  Immaculata pushed it back to 66-46 with just seven minutes remaining, before Centenary again cut it to a 14-point difference two minutes later.  That however would be the home team’s last push, as IU controlled the ball and the clock over the final four minutes, bringing home the 80-58 win.

In the loss the Cyclones’ Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) and Robert Urie (Ortley Beach/Toms River East) each tallied 17 points, while Baker added seven rebounds.  Centenary’s leading scorer William Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan) chipped in with 12 points and eight boards.  For Immaculata, the Mighty Macs were led by three starters, Kyle Finklea, Jayson Hyman, and Rob Jones who recorded 20, 19, and 13 points respectively.  Hyman also added 16 rebounds to his effort for the games only double-double.  Boxscore

(11/27/07)  The Centenary men’s basketball team came out on top this evening when they took on Berkeley College in their home opener.  The Cyclones carried the lead throughout most of the game and held off a late run from the visitor’s to notch the 81-70 victory.      

The Cyclones opened an early 10-point cushion, following a three point play by Robert Urie (Ortley Beach/Toms River East) at the 12:48 mark.  By the eight minute mark of the half, the Centenary had increased their advantage to 29-13, only to see it grow to an even 22-point lead (37-15) with just over five minutes left.

The second half started with more of the same for Centenary as the lead swayed back and forth between 20 and 25 points for nearly the first twelve minutes of the period.  Over the final six minutes Berkeley cut into the lead, outscoring the hosts 19-10 eventually trimming the score to 79-70 with under remaining.  The Cyclones netted the final basket holding on for the 11-point victory.

Centenary was paced by freshman Robert Urie who scored a team high 18 points, going 8-for-17 from the floor.  William Atkinson (Hazlet/Raritan), Corey Kearney (North Arlington/Queen of Peace), and Andrew Cobian (Oyster Bay/St. Dominic’s) all tallied double-figures scoring 14, 12, and 10 respectively.  Senior Josh Davidson (Beesley’s Point/Ocean City) added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench, while junior Andrew Baker (Sparta/Sparta) chipped in a double-double (10 points / 13 rebounds).

In the loss for Berkeley College Emmanuel Malasig scored a game high 27 points, including three three-pointers, and grabbing seven rebounds.

The win was the men’s first of the season, improving them to an overall record of 1-3.  The Cyclones are back in action this Thursday at 8:00pm when they take on their first PAC Conference foe Immaculata University, in a doubleheader with the women.  Boxscore