2005 SCAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
QUARTERFINAL ROUND

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Third-seeded Centre College took the lead for good midway through the first half, but had to hold on for a 66-61 victory over the sixth-seeded Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Friday in the second men's quarterfinal game of the 2005 SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament.

The Colonels advance to Saturday's semifinal round and will play the No. 2 seed Trinity University, who defeated Millsaps 84-69 earlier in the afternoon.

Centre earned a 44-34 advantage on a three-pointer by Kyle Roby at the 15:42 mark of the second half, before a scoring spree of seven straight Engineer points by Munchie Muskeyvalley helped Rose-Hulman close to within 47-44 at the 12:43 mark.

After Centre pushed the lead to eight points at 54-46 with 8:31 left, Philip Griffith scored five straight points to close the deficit to 54-51 with 6:01 remaining.

The Engineers closed to within one point at 56-55 and 58-57 on baskets by Muskeyvalley and Griffith, before four straight free throws by the Colonels increased the lead to 63-59 with 43 seconds left. A pair of Griffith free throws closed the gap to 63-61 with 27 seconds left.

Centre ran the clock down to the eight-second mark on the next possession, before Roby swished a pair of free throws to give the Colonels a 65-61 edge and secure the win.

Sophomore Reggie Magnuson (pictured above - white jersey #45) led four Centre players in double figures with 16 points. Freshman Matt Nestheide added 15 points, junior Coy Zerhusen scored 12 and added 13 rebounds, and Roby contributed 14 points.

Muskeyvalley led Rose-Hulman with 19 points and five assists. Griffith added 17 points, while junior Brian Bibb added nine points off the bench. Senior Jason Ludwig capped his career with an eight-point, seven-rebound effort, and junior Brennan Dunville pitched in with eight points.

Centre improved to 20-6 on the season, while Rose-Hulman completed the campaign with a 12-14 record. By defeating the Engineers, Centre head coach Greg Mason earned the 100th coaching victory of his career and stands at 100-54 overall.