Lexington, Ky. – Lucas Gentry produced a career performance on Thursday night with 42 points to carry the Transylvania men's basketball team to an 89-84 win overtime win against the Hanover College Panthers at the Beck Center.
Gentry sank a career-best 16 of 24 field goals and nailed 7 of 10 three-pointers for the highest single-game point total by a Pioneer since Cooper Theobald posted 44 points on February 20, 2018 against Anderson University. The senior went on a personal 9-0 run in overtime, scoring nine of the Pioneers' 13 points in the extra period to punctuate an inspiring victory.
The senior added 10 rebounds and two assists for his fifth consecutive double-double to lead the Pioneers to their sixth straight win for a 6-1 record against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents.
Hanover fell to 4-4 overall and against HCAC opposition.
Gentry signaled his virtuoso performance from the start, scoring at will to the tune of 21 points on 8 for 10 shooting from the field and nailing all three of his opening half treys. Gentry's potency propelled the Pioneers to 54 percent shooting in the first half, courtesy of 7 for 12 shooting from downtown and a 7 for 8 peppering from the foul line as the Pioneers claimed a healthy 44-34 lead at the break.
Hanover corrected its shooting issues in the second half, gradually digging back into the game by shooting 7 for 13 from outside compared to just 2 for 9 from three-point range in the first half. Gentry continued to pace the Pioneers along with timely scores and received help from his veteran counterpart Zach Larimore, who finished the night with 18 points on 7 for 13 shooting from the field. Gentry played 44 minutes while Larimore was on the court for 43 minutes in Thursday's battle.
A Gavin Root runner with 5:16 to go in regulation kept Transy's lead at 72-62 with 5:16 to go in regulation before the Panthers made their key run of the evening.
Over the next three minutes, the Panthers delivered three triples to slice Transylvania's advantage to 74-71 with 2:27 remaining in the second half. Gentry answered with his 32nd and 33rd points of the night on a jumper to stretch Transy's lead to five, but the Panthers answered with a pair of free throws with 1:15 left to slice the cushion back down to three.
Following a Pioneer turnover with a minute to go, the Panthers hit a desperation three with the shot clock dwindling to knot up the game at 76-76. Transylvania had two final looks at a game winner in regulation, courtesy of attempts by Root and Dominque Turner but each shot missed long and the game shockingly entered overtime.
Despite the evaporated lead, Gentry rallied the Pioneers with his sixth three-pointer of the game on the second possession of the overtime session, making the score 79-78 in favor of the Pioneers.
Gentry continued his voracious onslaught, attacking the rack for a foul, leading to a 1 for 2 trip at the foul line for a two-point Transy lead with 3:39 remaining in overtime; the Pioneers sentenced Hanover to a four-minute scoring drought as Gentry nailed his career-best seventh three-pointer with 90 seconds to go for an 83-78 Pioneer upper hand.
The senior authored the final word with another jumper with 50 seconds remaining in overtime to complete a 9-0 Transylvania scoring run and an 85-78 lead. Hanover added three desperation layups inside the final minute, but Will Sivills and Duce Ralls added four free throws in the last 30 seconds to seal the win for Transylvania.
Turner displayed his strength with a co-game-high 10 rebounds, four points, and three assists before fouling out in overtime. The Pioneers shot 13 for 26 from three-point land on the night while Hanover knocked down 9 of 26 triples.
The Pioneers and Panthers will come together for an encore performance on Saturday, February 13 at Collier Arena in Hanover, Indiana. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
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