KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Quinton Day had 26 points Thursday to
lead Missouri-Kansas City to an 80-75 win over Centenary.
The Kangaroos (7-11, 2-0 Mid-Continent Conference) almost blew a
19-point second-half lead before holding off the Gents (7-11, 1-2).
An inside basket by Alex Pledger with 14:38 left in the game put
UMKC up 53-34, but Centenary rallied to pull within a point at
76-75 with 41 seconds remaining. The Kangaroos hit four free throws
in the closing seconds for the final margin.
UMKC went on a 20-6 run at the end of the first half to go into
the break with a 43-27 lead. Offensive rebounding kept Centenary in
the game, with the Gents leading that category 25-11.
Tyrone Hamilton led Centenary with 24 points, Alexander Starr
had 19 and Iman Shokouhizadeh added 10.
Dee Ayuba had 20 points for the Kangaroos, and Pledger was a
perfect 8-of-8 from the floor in scoring a career-high 19 points.